Friday, December 5, 2014

How To Maximize Energy Efficiency In Wauwatosa, WI

By Claudine Hodges


Power is always being consumed in offices and homes. Lights are usually on and appliances like the fridge, central heating or air conditioning are permanently running depending on the season. In office, computers, copiers and fax machines are in use all day. Most people complain high power bills but assume that nothing can be done about them. On the contrary, it is possible to tame high power bills. It all starts with an energy evaluations and maximize energy efficiency.

Companies periodically have audits done to keep track of expenses and see which cuts can be made with the goal of a better bottom line. It is the same idea with energy consumption evaluations. Evaluations reveal which electric appliances consume the most power. With these findings, steps can be taken to lower this cost.

It is important that an audit is done professionally. Professionals will keep up with emerging technology and will use accredited equipment and methods to measure the consumption of every electronic device in the house. Achieving maximum efficiency depends on how accurately an audit is done.

Companies and households who had audits done said that they saw their power bills come down by between 5 and 30% when they made the upgrades that were recommended to them after an audit. It is a fact that has been verified by the US Department of Energy. An audit involves an auditor going to a business or home, reviewing the power bill and performing a blower door test. A thermographic scan may be done alternatively. The goal is to find out what the energy wasters are such as window frame cracks and gaps that leak out heated air when the heater is running.

The government offers incentives to help individuals and businesses get an audit done. The Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency. Www.dsireusa.org gives summaries of the various policies and incentives that are offered by the federal, state and local governments to the different US territories. It also gives a summary of gas and electricity companies offering incentives for getting audits done.

The website also has summary maps and summary tables as well as a search tool that can be used to help browsers find out which policies and incentives are available for specific projects. Browsers can also use the search tool to look for the ones that are relevant by type, state, technology type, sector and implementing sector.

The policies and incentives that support renewables are of two types. One is financial incentives which include rebates, grants, tax incentives, loans, performance incentives, industry support and recruitment and green building incentives among others. The second type is policies, regulations and rules that uplift renewable portfolio standards, contract licensing, equipment certification, building energy codes, wind and solar wind permitting standards, construction codes, net metering and public benefits funds.

It is well worth it to have an audit done. This and the incentive to do it and others to turn to green energy makes it an round winning proposition. Your power bills can only go down after an evaluation and making the necessary upgrades.




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