Online audit can help you save energy

March 24, 2009

I would like to save energy in my home, but where do I start?

You could start by scheduling an energy audit, which consists of a home visit by a member of our energy counselor team. Clark Public Utilities offers this service without charge. You might also consider a blower-door test, which costs about $125. This test pinpoints any air leaks into the home.

Or you could start by using the new free, online home energy calculator on Clark Public Utilities' Web site. This simple tool will estimate your home's overall energy use, plus the energy used by various appliances.

Then you can determine if you want a more detailed energy audit, or if you have enough information to start making some home improvements or changes in lifestyle to cut your energy use.

"What is so neat about the tool is that you also get tips on where you can save," said DuWayne Dunham, Clark Public Utilities energy counselor. "It's the best calculator I've seen that gives an estimated usage. It will not be exact to your home, but it gives a good ballpark of where you use energy and could save."

To use the calculator, customers simply enter facts about their home, such as the year it was built, square footage and type of heating and cooling it has. The calculator will determine the estimated energy costs and the family's greenhouse gas emissions based on electricity consumption.

See the impact

Dunham said customers also can change the variables to see the impact a change would have on their energy bill. "It will show how much your use would change if you installed all compact fluorescent lighting or added a big screen TV."

In addition to the whole house calculator, customers can calculate the energy used by individual appliances. For example, by selecting a 50-inch LCD television that is on for six hours a day, customers learn it will add $3.09 to their electric bill, while a 50-inch plasma TV would cost $7.05 a month when operating for the same length of time. The calculator uses current Clark Public Utilities electric rates.

Customers also can compare the cost of using compact fluorescent light bulbs versus incandescent bulbs, compare various home heating options and learn how much energy they'll save by installing a programmable thermostat.

"The tools were designed to be easy and quick to use yet give a lot of information," Dunham said. "Customers who spend some time using them will learn a lot about their home and lifestyle choices. We figure the more information customers have, the better choices they can make."

Anyone can use the online energy audit by logging on to www.clarkpublicutilities.com and clicking on "home energy calculator."