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1: Whole Home Performance 101
Learn how to improve your home’s comfort and energy efficiency.
Each home’s problems are different, but there are some recommendations that greenNet™ Certified Contractors frequently make:
Sealing Air Leaks and Adding Insulation
These are critical first steps to improving the energy efficiency of your home. Most homes have small holes and cracks where hot and cold air can escape or enter the home resulting in wasted energy.
Improving Heating and Cooling Systems - SAVE 20% or MORE
If your system is relatively new or you just aren't ready to change out your old unit for a new one, you can still make improvements that can save you big money.
greenNet™ Certified Contractors have been specially trained to identify Heating and Cooling related problems by our partner enalasys®. With the use of HomeEnalasys™ Diagnostic Technology, it is easy to identify and correct problems with your system when it is operating inefficiently. This may include tuning the system up, or even installing low-cost state-of-the-art technology that can improve your systems performance by as much as 20%.
Installing New Heating and Cooling Equipment
If your furnace or air conditioner is more than 10 years old, your greenNet Certified Contractor may recommend that you replace it with a unit that has earned the ENERGY STAR® label.
Sealing Ductwork
Sealing leaks, making sure ducts are straight and properly connected, and insulating where needed, will greatly improve your home’s comfort and energy efficiency.
Replacing Windows
If it’s time to replace your homes windows, your contractor may recommend ENERGY STAR qualified models specific to your climate.
Upgrading Lighting, Appliances, and Water Heating Equipment
Energy used in these areas can account for nearly half your utility bill, so there’s a big opportunity to save by installing ENERGY STAR qualified products.
Installing Renewable Energy Systems & g Meter Energy Monitoring
Once energy efficiency improvements have been made to your home, your greenNet Certified Contractor may recommend additional measures, like installing solar panels or a solar hot water system and visual energy monitoring so that you can better manage your improvements and energy usage on a daily basis.
- ComfortPulse - Adaptive Climate Response System -The ComfortPulse will better maintain the comfort and energy efficiency of your Heating or Cooling System .... more »
- g Meter - Energy Monitoring - With the installation of a Smart Metering device, g Meter visualizes your energy consumption. Click the link below to see a demo. more »
What is Energy Star®? Back to Top
energystar.govENERGY STAR is the government-backed program that helps us all to save money and protect our environment with energy-efficient products and practices. Whether you are looking to replace old appliances, remodel your home, or buy a new house, ENERGY STAR® can help.
More than 50 kinds of products, including lighting, appliances, televisions, computers, heating and cooling equipment, and even new homes, can earn the government’s ENERGY STAR® label. It also offers best practice solutions, like Home Performance with ENERGY STAR, to make your home more comfortable and reduce your energy costs.
Back to Top Home Performance with ENERGY STAR®
Download Brochure
A drafty home, rooms that are too hot or too cold, and high energy bills are all common issues for homeowners. A quality installation of a new heating or air conditioning system, buying replacement windows, or adding more insulation may fix part of the problem. But the way to better results is through an integrated "whole-house" approach that looks at your house as a system.
Home Performance with ENERGY STAR®, a national program from the U.S. EPA and U.S. DOE, offers a comprehensive, whole-house approach to improving energy efficiency and comfort at home, while helping to protect the environment.
Contractors participating in the Build Upon a Star™ can help you cost-effectively improve your home's energy efficiency. These specially-trained contractors evaluate your home using state-of-the-art equipment and recommend comprehensive improvements that will yield the best results.
Now that you are a home performance expert, let’s move on to the next step.
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2: We Can Help: Rebates, Rewards and More
Isn't it time your home started paying you?
FUNDING OPTIONS
Energy-Efficient Mortgages
An Energy Efficient Mortgage (EEM) is a mortgage that credits a home’s energy efficiency in the mortgage itself. EEMs give borrowers the opportunity to finance cost-effective, energy-saving measures as part of a single mortgage and stretch debt-to-income qualifying ratios on loans thereby allowing borrowers to qualify for a larger loan amount and a better, more energy-efficient home.
REBATES
Pacific Gas & Electric Utility Rebates
The Build Upon A Star™ program also lets you know if your local utility company has any incentives or rebates that you would qualify for to further offset the costs of any energy efficiency improvements. Combine this with our funding plan and you have a true winner!
Special Offers and Rebates from ENERGY STAR Partners
To encourage customers to buy energy efficient products, ENERGY STAR partners occasionally sponsor special offers, such as sales tax exemptions or credits, or rebates on qualified products. Partners also occasionally sponsor recycling incentives for the proper disposal of old products. The search below is provided as a service to consumers to find such special offers or rebates where they exist, based on information that partners submit to ENERGY STAR. Top of Form
INCENTIVES
Federal Tax Credits
If you purchase an energy-efficient product or renewable energy system for your home, you may be eligible for a federal tax credit. Below you will find an overview of the federal tax credits for energy efficiency.
REWARDS
greenNet.com™ Energy Rewards Card
Energy Rewards helps you get any program rebates you have coming your way paid to you quickly and easily on the greenNet.com Energy Rewards Card. That means no more waiting! You have a program rebate coming your way...we pay it to you fast!
Often, greenNet™ offers special incentives on new products and services. We pay those incentives right to your greenNet.com Energy Rewards Card.
Now it’s time to get started! To find out how you can participate in the Build Upon a Star program and get your evaluation process moving, let’s head to the final step
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3: Start Saving: Schedule an Energy Interview
“To measure is to know. If you can not measure it, you can not improve it.” — Lord Kelvin
If you have completed the first two steps you are well on your way to understanding how possible it is for you to make your home more comfortable, safe, energy efficient...and save money too!
The information below describes the initial process to have your home evaluated to determine if your home is a good candidate for a Build Upon a Star improvement project.
THE ENERGY INTERVIEW: GETTING IT STARTED
Interview & Inspection
An audit of your home begins with a greenNet Contractor interview to determine any existing problems or concerns you may have about your home's energy use and comfort.
After the interview, the contractor will inspect your home to determine where improvements are needed—inspecting your home inside and out, including the heating and cooling equipment, duct systems, and even lighting and appliances. Your contractor will also inspect your attic, basement, or crawlspace (if you have them), and run diagnostic tests to check the home’s envelope and duct leakage, or use an infrared camera to find the trouble spots.
Your contractor will also review your utility bills to compare them to similar homes in your area and thus is able to determine how energy is potentially being wasted in your home.
Getting the Work Done
After the audit, your greenNet Certified Contractor will prepare a detailed work proposal outlining recommended improvements and can also show you how to qualify for special funding or other incentives, where available. Once you decide which improvements to make, your greenNet Certified Contractor will help you get the job done right.
When work is completed, your contractor will run another set of tests to show the difference the improvements have made. Their work is also spot-checked by a Third Party Quality Control program that is certified by the State of California, so you can have added confidence that your job will be done correctly.
Typical Results
Our comprehensive approach empowered by Home Performance with ENERGY STAR® will make your home more comfortable and energy efficient. Depending on the improvements you choose, you could save as much as 20% or more on your annual utility bill. And because you’re using less energy, you’ll also be helping to reduce your impact on the environment.
greenNet™ Certified Contractors. Why They Are Different?
Knowing what energy-efficiency improvements to make in a home and how they can work together requires special expertise. greenNet Certified Contractors are equipped with *specialized training and diagnostic tools to determine how your home is performing, and can assist you in achieving your goals, whether it’s improving comfort, cutting energy costs, or protecting the environment. In addition, their work is validated by a Third Party Quality Control Program that is Certified by the State of California.
Specially Trained Contractors
