понеделник, 29 декември 2014 г.

Maximizing Energy Efficiency In Wauwatosa, WI

By Claudine Hodges


The power meter is always ticking away in offices and homes. Lights are on constantly, there are appliances like the refrigerator that are always on and the air conditioner or central heating that has to be on depending on the season. In officers, computers are in use all day and so are other machines like the copier and fax machines. Many people believe there is nothing that can be done about high power bills but that is not true. Energy efficiency can be maximized and the place to start is with an energy audit.

Periodic audits are done by companies to keep a rein on expenses. They are also done to see where cuts can be made in order to boost the bottom line. It works the same with an energy audit. It reveals the appliances and devices that are power guzzlers and then steps can be taken to bring down consumption.

It is important that the auditing be done professionally. It should be done by experts whose methods and equipment are certified. Auditors should be updated on the latest technology. How successful the whole exercise is and the margins by which consumption is reduced depends on how accurate their findings are.

Individuals and businesses who have had audits done have reported savings of between 5 and 30 percent after making upgrades following the results of the audits. US Department of Energy have verified this statistics. In an audit, an auditor visits a home, look at the power bills and carries out what is known as a blower door test. An auditor may also carry out a thermographic scan. The idea is to establish energy wasters such as gaps in windows which let out heated air.

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.

In addition, you can see summarized tables and maps and also a tool for carrying out searches which has been put there for users to zero down on which incentives and policies are being offered for which undertakings. Using the search tool, you can also view projects for which incentives are being offered according to state, type, technology type, sector and implementing sector.

There are two types of incentives. The first is financial incentives such as performance incentives, rebates, loans, tax incentives, grants, incentives for building green and industry support. The second is rules, regulations and policies that reinforce portfolio standards, certification of equipment, contract licensing, construction codes, building energy codes, net metering and public benefits funds.

It is well worth it to have an audit done. With the incentives offered to do one and others to switch to green energy, it is an round winner of an idea. After an audit and doing the suggested upgrades, the only way your power bills can go is down.




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