Efficiency Maine update

Efficiency Maine and the Maine Public Utilities Commission sent me the following information about the Home Energy Savings Program. I thought I would share it with you. The information below describes the Home Energy Savings Program and the federal stimulus money that is available to help homeowners achieve energy efficiency and cost savings. The brochure highlights the cash incentives people can get for making energy improvements to their home ($3,000 from Efficiency Maine and an additional $1,500 in tax credits from the federal government).  

Good news for Maine homeowners – cash incentives of up to $3,000 are available through the Efficiency Maine Home Energy Savings Program to help homeowners of all income levels weatherize their homes to improve comfort, lower energy use and save money. The energy improvements must be pre-approved and installed by contractors participating in the program.

Cash incentives now available mean energy efficiency improvements can result in immediate cost savings. The wide range of federal and state incentives currently available make this an ideal time to complete whole house energy improvements.

The facts at a glance:
• The best candidates for weatherization are homes that suffer from ice dams, frozen pipes or uncomfortably hot or cold rooms. Also, any homes using more than a half gallon of heating oil per square foot in a year are excellent candidates; for example, a 2,000 square foot home using more than 1,000 gallons of oil per year. 

• An energy audit is the first step. You must hire an auditor who is participating in the Efficiency Maine Home Energy Savings Program. He or she will use diagnostic equipment such as blower doors, infrared cameras, and combustion analyzers to assess the condition of heating systems, insulation, and air infiltration. An approved computer modeling program will be used to calculate your expected energy savings, which must reach 25 percent in order to qualify for cash incentives.

• The average cost of an energy audit is $500. The audit may be included in the total project cost, but only if the recommended improvements are completed.

• The next step is to hire a participating contractor to complete the pre-approved energy efficiency improvements. Do-it-yourself projects do not qualify for cash incentives under this program. For a list of participating auditors and contractors, visit www.efficiencymaine.com.

• After the eligible improvements are completed, it’s payback time. Once your project completion form is submitted you will receive up to $3,000 in cash incentives.

• If your home energy audit shows you can achieve at least 25 percent energy savings from combined heating and hot water, you could receive an incentive check for 30 percent of your completed project cost, up to a maximum of $1,500.  Achieve 50 percent or greater energy savings from combined heating and hot water, and you could receive a check for up to 50 percent of your completed project cost, up to a maximum of $3,000.  

• Basic air sealing and insulation measures must be included in the project if recommended by the auditor, but other energy improvements are also eligible, including high efficiency heating systems and water heaters, solar heating systems, programmable thermostats and ENERGY STAR windows.

• Eligible residences include one-to-four unit structures, up to a maximum of three stories.

– For low-income homeowners, 100 percent subsidized weatherization services are available through local Community Action Program (CAP) agencies.

Other incentives that can be used in conjunction with the weatherization program include:
A Federal weatherization tax credit of up to $1,500 (see energytaxincentives.org)
Efficiency Maine solar heating incentives up to $1,000
Efficiency Maine solar photovoltaic electric system incentive up to $2,000
Federal tax credits for solar/wind/geothermal systems – 30 percent uncapped

For more information on the Efficiency Maine Home Energy Savings Program, call 1-866-ES-MAINE (1-866-376-2463) or visit efficiencymaine.com.