PUD rebates available for weatherizing your home

Yes, it’s August. But it’s not too early to start thinking about making your home more comfortable this winter with new insulation and energy-efficient windows.

Chelan County PUD homeowners who add insulation or replace old windows may be eligible to receive cash payment for a portion of the cost. The PUD will pay 25 cents per square foot for added insulation and $3 per square foot for new windows.

New insulation must increase the R-value by R-10 or greater. For attics, the existing insulation must be R-19 or less. For walls and floors, existing insulation must be R-5 or less.

Windows must have a U-factor of .30 or lower (the lower the U-factor, the more efficient the window). Glass patio doors must have a U-factor of .35 or lower. Both must be rated by the National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC); look for this sticker on the windows. Existing windows and patio doors that are being replaced must be either single-pane, or double-pane with metal frames.

Other considerations:

• Customers must have electric heat.
• All homes, including manufactured homes, are eligible up to a 4-plex.
• Shops and garages are not eligible (Must be a living area to qualify.)
• New construction is not eligible.
• Customers may do the work themselves or hire a contractor of their choice.
• The maximum total payment per household is $2,500.

Complete details and application forms are available on the PUD website, or call (509) 661-8008.

Lots to do in Wenatchee, Leavenworth and Chelan

Chelan County PUD conservation staff will be out in full force on Earth Day April 23, showing customers how to reduce their energy use and, if weather permits, operating the popular solar splash fountain. 

In Wenatchee, Conservation staff will be at Lowe’s Home Improvement Warehouse from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. PUD energy experts will talk to customers about where to look for energy-saving opportunities in their homes and how to save on utility bills by choosing the best products, including Energy Star-rated products. The PUD is participating in a regional program called Simple Steps Smart Savings that reduces the cost to consumers of energy-saving compact fluorescent light bulbs and low-flow showerheads. 

In a salute to Earth Day, Lowe’s will give away 1 million trees across its 1,700 stores. No purchase is necessary. Each store will have at least 500 trees that are regionally appropriate. Customers will be able to register their trees at www.lowes.com/earthday, and each tree will be virtually planted on a U.S. map. Lowe’s is located at 1200 Walla Walla Ave. 

In Leavenworth, the Earth Day Fair runs from noon to 4 p.m. at Lions Club Park. Following up on the just-completed Reduce Your Use Contest, PUD staff will talk about how all customers can improve energy efficiency by doing simple things such as caulking around windows, sealing leaky ductwork and adding insulation in their homes. The popular solar splash fountain will be running for kids to enjoy. Chelan PUD is a co-sponsor of this year’s fair along with the Port of Chelan County, Stevens Pass Ski Area and Sleeping Lady Mountain Resort. The theme is “Think Local First” with a focus on buying from local, independently owned businesses to promote environmental, economic and social sustainability. Information about other activities at the fair is available on the Barn Beach Reserve website. 

Chelan’s venerable Earth Day Fair runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Riverwalk Park. The fair features an alternative-fueled vehicle exhibit including the Chelan School District’s plug-in/hybrid/bio-diesel school bus, which is the only one in Washington state. Local farmers will be represented with information on locally grown food. Children’s activities and entertainment are in the mix as well.  Details about Chelan’s celebration are available by contacting Bee Murphy, (509) 682-5756.

Contest winners Shirley and Richard Ehrenberg of Wenatchee

Richard and Shirley Ehrenberg of Wenatchee are the winners of Chelan County PUD’s Reduce Your Use Contest, dropping their wintertime energy consumption by 35 percent compared to previous years.

Second place goes to Tony and Laura Thompson of Wenatchee, who cut their electrical use by 24 percent. Taking third place are Nick and Jenn Brunner of Cashmere, who reduced their use by 23 percent.

Nine contestants competed in the contest to see who could reduce home energy use by the greatest percentage during the winter heating season of Jan. 1- March 31, 2011. All contestants saved energy. Overall savings averaged 19 percent. Total savings over the three months came to just under 20,000 kilowatt hours – just about enough to power a typical Chelan County home for one year.

A chart showing results for all contestants  is available on the PUD website here.

Mark Wiser, conservation program manager, said the contest showed that simple things such as sealing air leaks, caulking around windows and adding insulation can go a long way toward improving energy efficiency and increasing comfort in Chelan County homes.

The Ehrenbergs received a $500 gift certificate donated by Walmart. The Thompsons received a $250 gift certificate from Community Glass. The Brunners won a $100 gift certificate donated by Stan’s Merry Mart.

Winners were determined by looking at who saved the greatest percentage of energy from Jan. 1 – March 31 compared to the winter heating seasons of 2008-09 and 2009-10. Data analysis accounted for variations in temperatures and in the number of days between meter reads. Staff engineer Jim White used a linear correlation of prior energy use and average monthly temperatures for past winter heating seasons to determine the energy saved by the contestants during the past three months.

Before the three-month contest period, each contestant received a detailed home energy analysis. Each homeowner received a report with energy-saving recommendations. It was up to individual homeowners to decide how much they would spend on energy-efficiency measures, whether to do the work themselves, or to take any recommended actions at all.

Complete contest results — including videos featuring Wiser and the first- and second-place winners — are available on the PUD website. Check out the contestants’ savings, then hunt down yours!

Mel Babcock, who sells handcrafted props for magicians, says his new energy-efficient windows really did the trick.

Mel Babcock of Cashmere has been making magic props and doing magic tricks for years. After installing new windows and insulation at his Lake Wenatchee cabin, he’s looking forward to high winter electric bills doing a disappearing act.

Soon after a contractor replaced his old windows and added attic insulation, Babcock said, his wife Margaret called him from their cabin, where she operates her art studio, to tell him she’d have to turn down the heat because the place was getting too warm. The updates almost immediately improved the cabin’s comfort, she said.

That’s no illusion. Many customers who replace their old single-pane or metal frame windows with new energy-efficient, vinyl-frame windows notice a difference right away. Windows don’t feel as cold to the touch. Exterior noise is reduced. Warm air is no longer being sucked outside.  And adding insulation — less spendy than glass — is one of the most cost-effective steps a homeowner can take.

Babcock, 79, is a retired orchardist who began performing magic tricks after buying a $2 mail-order kit in the 1940s. While pursuing a successful career raising fruit, he began to make his own magic props and do a few magic shows. His skills improved, his travel increased, and he began to appear at magic conventions. Professional magicians took notice, and Babcock retired from the orchard to devote all his time to making props from natural woods in The Magic House of Babcock. 

It didn’t take a sleight-of-hand to make Babcock’s windows affordable. Babcock took advantage of Chelan County PUD’s weatherization incentives program, which pays $3 a square foot to customers who install windows that meet energy-efficiency standards. Incentives are available for insulation, too.

Nearly 200 customers have benefited from incentives since the PUD began offering them in January 2010.

Now’s the time to add insulation to your home; PUD incentives can help with costs

Adding insulation to your home is one of the most cost-effective ways to improve energy efficiency. Act now and you’ll enjoy the extra warmth this winter and reduced electric bills. And Chelan County PUD will pay a portion of the cost.

The PUD will pay 25 cents per square foot for added insulation. New insulation must increase the R-value by R-10 or greater (both fitted/batt type and blown-in). For attic insulation, the existing insulation must be R-19 or less. For wall and floor insulation, existing insulation must be R-5 or less. Insulation must be installed only where cavities separate conditioned (heated/cooled) from unconditioned areas of the residence. Any insulation installed outside the cavity, such as siding applications, does not meet incentive requirements.

The PUD also offers incentives for replacing old windows and glass doors; an incentive payment of $3 per square foot is available. Windows must have a U-factor of .30 or lower (the lower the U-factor, the more efficient the window). Glass patio doors must have a U-factor of .35 or lower. Both must be rated by the National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC). Existing windows and patio doors that are being replaced must be single-pane, or double-pane with metal frame.

All electrically heated, existing homes are eligible. New homes are not eligible. The maximum total payment per household is $2,500.

Customers are required to fill out an application and submit contractor invoices and window stickers. Customers may also do the work themselves; do-it-yourself projects will be inspected by a PUD energy adviser.

Complete details and an application form are available here or call (509) 661-8008.