Customers praising free duct sealing service

Contractors working for Chelan County PUD to inspect and seal ductwork in manufactured homes are winning friends and influencing people.

Ken and Warrene Graves

Take Ken and Warrene Graves, for example. The Graveses, who are retired, were in Arizona this past winter when they noticed the electric bills for their Wenatchee residence were much higher than usual. The Graves were sure they couldn’t be using that much electricity in their manufactured home. After all, they weren’t even there.

But they weren’t completely certain that something was amiss until they returned in the spring. During the hot spell in early May, the couple turned on their air conditioning and got nothing but a little warm air.

The Graveses' manufactured home: All ducts now are sealed, solving the couple's heating and cooling problems.

Ken contacted Mark Wiser, senior conservation adviser at Chelan PUD, who asked contractor e-Star Northwest to take a look. Wiser suspected problems in the ducts, and he was right.

The contractor was in Chelan at the time, but agreed to stop by around 4 p.m., Ken said. The two young men on the e-Star crew worked until 7:30 p.m., performing diagnostic pressure tests, sealing leaky seams with water-soluble mastic, and replacing worn and missing sections of duct. When they were done, Ken turned both the air conditioning and heat on to test it and “it worked beautifully,” he said.

Added Warrene, “They were very efficient and hard-working. They did a good job.”

The Graveses have been in their homes for 17 years but had never had the ducts inspected. “I’m sure glad we did because it was a mess,” Ken said.

“They were nice, professional young men. I called (their boss) and told him they deserve a pat on the back because they did such a good job.”

Other customers have contacted the PUD to share similar stories about how duct sealing adds to the comfort of their homes and saves on electric bills. And here’s the real kicker: It’s free.

Inspection and sealing is available to all PUD customers with manufactured homes. At no charge. To make an appointment with e-Star call (509) 860-5045.

Have you heard about the new Tango Card? Using a Tango Card good at 17 major retailers is one option for customers receiving appliance rebates from Chelan County PUD.

The PUD is offering rebates for energy-efficiency upgrades on several products for your home:

• LED downlight retrofit kits, $25
• Electric storage water heaters, $25-$125
• Clothes washers, $30-$75
• Refrigerators and freezers, $50
• Line voltage zoned thermostats, $115
• Heat pump water heaters, $300-$500

If you choose the new Tango Card, you can redeem it immediately for your choice of gift cards at 17 premier retailers such as Amazon, Starbucks and Home Depot. Or you can donate your rebate to your choice of eight charities such as Habitat for Humanity. You can also elect to get a good old-fashioned check, with a quick turn-around of 7 to 10 business days.

All ENERGY STAR refrigerators, freezers and clothes washers are eligible for rebates. Amounts vary because they’re based on the energy-efficiency of the model selected.

Find complete information on the program here.

Earn a $750 rebate
Eligibility for Chelan County PUD’s ductless heat pump program has been expanded to include owners of site-built homes with electric forced-air furnaces.

When the program began in 2012 only baseboard, wall and radiant heat systems were included. Adding forced-air furnaces to the mix will allow many more customers to qualify, said Mark Wiser, senior energy conservation adviser.

Rebates of $750 are available to help offset the cost of the units, which ranges from $2,000 to $6,000. Owners of manufactured homes are eligible if they have electric forced-air systems but are not eligible if they have baseboard or other zonal heat. 

Fourteen local contractors are participating in the program. Contact a contractor to get started adding a ductless heat pump to your home.

Why? A ductless heat pump is a highly efficient and easily installed primary heating and cooling system for electrically heated homes. Ductless systems are ideal for replacing or supplementing less efficient heating sources (and window air conditioners in the summer).

Regionally, use of a ductless heating and cooling system in a single-family home with zonal electric heat is estimated to save 3,500 kWh annually. Using Chelan PUD’s average cost of $0.03 per kilowattt hour, upgrading to a ductless heating and cooling system as a primary heat source can save approximately $105 per year. In addition, ductless heat pumps are safer, quieter, and heat rooms efficiently.  And they provide air conditioning in the summer, replacing window units.

Find more information about upgrading to ductless on the PUD website and at goingductless.com.

Get your ducts in a row to save energy and money

Here’s one offer that ISN’T too good to be true: Chelan County PUD is offering free duct inspection and sealing to owners and tenants of manufactured homes using electric forced-air furnaces or heat pumps.

A typical manufactured home leaks up to 30 percent of its heated (or cooled) air into the crawl space. That’s why the energy-saving program is being offered to customers, noted Mark Wiser, senior residential energy adviser for the PUD.

A contractor, e-Star Northwest, is doing the work and is now taking appointments. You can schedule an appointment by calling (509) 860-5045.

Services include:

• Testing your ductwork using the latest pressure diagnostic equipment and technology.

• Sealing air leaks in your ductwork.

• Inspecting and sealing crossover duct and connections, and replacing if necessary. There is no fee to replace leaky or damaged crossovers.

• Certifying your duct system. Even if no problems are found, which is rare, you can be assured your system meets the highest standards.

Heating and cooling systems consume nearly half of the energy used in the home. By addressing any leaks in the duct system, you can minimize heating and cooling costs, and ensure ductwork is installed to the highest level of performance for home comfort and energy savings.

Note: Technicians will need access to your furnace and all heat registers. Allow approximately three hours for work to be completed. Also, customers using combustion appliances (wood stoves, fireplaces, gas range, etc.) will be required to install a carbon monoxide (CO) alarm in order to qualify for the service. Fires must be out two hours prior to appointment. e-Star NW can provide the first CO alarm for free or you can purchase one and have it installed at no charge.

Questions? Call the PUD at (509) 661-8008.

Heating and cooling  no longer make up the majority of home energy use

Last week the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) reported that space heating and cooling now account for less than half of energy consumption in U.S. homes. Forty-eight percent of energy consumption in U.S. homes in 2009 was for heating and cooling, down from 58 percent in 1993. “Factors underpinning this trend are increased adoption of more efficient equipment, better insulation, more efficient windows, and population shifts to warmer climates,” the report states.

More proof that upgrading insulation and installing new windows saves energy while improving the comfort of a home.  And more reason for Chelan PUD to promote its program offering rebates on insulation and windows.

While energy used for space conditioning has declined, energy consumption for appliances and electronics continues to rise, the report notes. Although some appliances that are subject to federal efficiency standards, such as refrigerators and clothes washers, have become more efficient, the increased number of devices that consume energy in homes has offset these efficiency gains, EIA states. Non-weather-related energy use for appliances, electronics, water heating and lighting now accounts for 52 percent of total consumption, up from 42 percent in 1993.

Chelan County PUD will begin offering rebates on energy-efficient appliances in April 2013.

The shift in how energy is consumed in homes has occurred even as per-household energy consumption has steadily declined, the report notes. Read a report summary here.