Home Comfort Tactics
This podcast will help homeowners understand the places and ways in which their homes are losing energy and it is not as obvious as it may seem.
Have you heard of home performance? It is not new, but it is about to explode on the scene! Listen to recorded discussions about what we find in the Maryland housing stock that leads to nagging comfort problems and high energy usage. Insulation, air sealing, duct leakage, blower door testing, and many other building science topics will be covered, including information about the Home Performance with ENERGY STAR® Program and the Inflation Reduction Act rebates and tax incentives. Eric is a certified energy auditor and has his Envelope Professional and Building Analyst Certification through the Building Performance Institute.
Home Comfort Tactics
A Summary of the HOMES Rebates Program That Any Homeowner Can Understand
What you may find a little different about my approach to explaining the Inflation Reduction Act HOMES Rebate program is that I try remembering when I was a homeowner and a window contractor. I did not know or understand anything about the whole-house approach or how it could change how I think about comfort and energy use in my home.
When some of the critical concepts started to click for me, I was blown away by it all, and I got excited about finding ways to explain it to others. Most of the time, people are intrigued by it all, and it makes so much sense to them. I go into households regularly where the homeowners have lived there for years, sometimes decades, and the problems leading to their struggles were less than $1000 to fix.
You can learn more about the Inflation Reduction Act. It is not only about the rebates for homeowners to upgrade insulation but also about how it will change how you look at the inside of your home. Whole house assessments, the many working parts of your home to keep you safe and comfortable, and how and where you should improve insulation. These things will not only come to the forefront, but they will bring a wave of enlightenment as we all begin the journey of understanding how to all do our part to fight against climate change.
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Welcome back, homeowners, to another episode of Home Comfort Tactics. I'm Eric Gans. I'm your guide in this journey towards A more comfortable, energy-efficient home. What you may find a little different about my approach to explaining all of this is that I try to remember back to when I was a homeowner and also a window contractor.
And I didn't really understand anything about the whole house approach or how It could change the way that I think about comfort and energy use in my own home. When some of the key concepts started to click for me, I was blown away by it all, and I get excited about finding ways to explain it to others.
Most of the time, people are intrigued by it all, and it makes so much sense to them. I go into households on the regular where homeowners have been living in the house for years, sometimes decades, and the problems leading to their struggles were less than a thousand dollars to fix. Today we're going to take a good look into the heart of the Inflation Reduction Act, the Home Efficiency Rebates Program, or HOMES.
I say the heart because if we really want to make a change when it comes to consuming energy, we need to start at home. And thanks to a lot of hard work by the seasoned pros in my industry, the leaders at the top finally figured it out and have allocated 4. 3 billion dollars, all geared towards transforming our homes into energy saving havens.
That is basically the scale of the HOMES program. It's not really gonna be just a policy. It's gonna bring on a huge change in the way that we think about buildings that we live in each and every day. So let's meet Jane. Jane, she lives in a quaint, slightly worn down home from the 70s in the suburbs. An addition was put on in the 90s, but it doesn't get much use because it's uncomfortable.
She's always wanted to upgrade her insulation and maybe switch to a more efficient heating system, but there's one big hurdle and that's always the cost. Enter the HOMES program with its staggering 4. 3 billion budget. It's like a lifeline thrown to homeowners like Jane. But how does Jane, or any homeowner for that matter, tap into this fund?
Well, you don't have to do it alone. It starts with a comprehensive home energy assessment. Think of the energy audit as a tool to help you find the best pathway to success through guidance and education. For Jane, this means getting in touch with a qualified contractor. A qualified contractor can investigate the situation and show her the low hanging fruit.
fruit and also help her gain the most for the least out of pocket cost. Now let's talk about the tiered incentive pathways. It can get a little overwhelming at first. Keep it simple and think of it like a game. The more energy efficient your home upgrades are, the higher the rebate. It's not going to be a drop in the bucket, though.
Many houses are going to require a deep retrofit to reach the benchmark of 20 percent energy savings. But remember, you don't have to do this alone. You do have another member of your team, and that's your certified energy auditor, who's going to help you find all of these opportunities that, once you're done with your assessment, you're going to have a good understanding of where they exist.
So for Jane, this means air sealing the attic, adding new insulation, sealing her air ducts, and installing a modern energy efficient heat pump. Each upgrade pushes her further up the ladder, increasing her potential rebate and her energy savings. The HOMES program is especially impactful for those in the low and moderate income bracket.
For them, the rebates are even more significant. For example, if Jane's scenario is modeled to save 21 percent and she's considered a low or moderate income individual based on the average medium income calculator, then her rebate would be 4, 000 or 80 percent of the project cost, whichever is less. This would compare to a 2, 000 rebate for those who are in the higher income brackets.
Fast forward a few months and Jane's home has transformed. It's warmer in the winter, it's cooler in the summer, and her energy bills They're not on the rise quite as much as the others with similar homes that have not gone through the process. And the rebate, it helped cover a significant portion of her cost.
Jane's story is one of many to come that will lead to a greener future. One where every home is a city. sealed bubble of sustainability, efficiency, and comfort. As we close today's episode, imagine a world where the HOMES program is just the beginning. A world where energy efficiency is not just a choice, but a way of life.
Thank you for joining me on Home Comfort Tactics. I'm Eric Gans, and I'm here to tell you that every small step towards energy efficiency is a leap towards a brighter Greener tomorrow. Stay tuned for the next episode where I'm going to explore the Thanks for listening. Thanks for watching. Here's to a more energy efficient home.
