Energy Savings programs and services — Clark Public Utilities

By DuWayne Dunham, Energy Counselor, Clark Public Utilities

Clark Public Utilities is excited about the new trend in energy efficient home building in Clark County. As a utility we support and promote the Energy Star Homes Northwest program. This year has seen a real increase in the number of builders embracing the idea of building a healthier and more efficient home with even more builders giving it a closer look.

As a utility we have been involved with upgrading the weatherization aspects of existing homes for decades. Building homes initially to higher energy efficiency standards makes so much sense in two ways. First the overall cost to add more energy efficient appliances, lighting, windows and heating and cooling systems at the time of construction is far lower than doing it as a retrofit years later. Secondly, if we wait and do it 10-20 years down the road, how much potential energy (money) savings have we missed out on?

For our customers with existing homes we offer loans for weatherization measures, heat pump installation or replacement, and solar installations. Besides loans we also have rebates available for the purchase of energy saving appliances and lighting. Another service that we offer all our customers is a free home energy audit. Customers may request an audit to address high bills, comfort issues or receive weatherization recommendations. We also have our Green Lights program for customers who want to support renewable energy in the region. These programs are beneficial not only to the individual customer with lower energy cost and a more comfortable home, but they also benefit all customers of the utility. By lowering our overall demand for energy the utility is able to postpone the need for more infrastructure and increased purchases of power, both of which could contribute to higher rates.

With the passing of Initiative 937 our utility is faced with some high goals to achieve. The initiative requires large utilities to obtain 15% of their electricity from new renewable resources such as solar and wind by 2020 and undertake cost effective energy conservation. (Hydroelectric power is not considered a renewable resource under the initiative.) The energy conservation programs we offer, like the Energy Star Homes program, are examples of how we are moving forward towards these goals.

There are many “green” building programs to choose from today and we applaud all builders that are building better homes no matter which program they decide to follow. Clark Public Utilities chose to be a part of the Energy Star Homes program because of the consumer recognition of the logo, the backing of many significant organizations (Department of Energy, Bonneville Power Administration, Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance), and what we felt was the overall simplicity of the program. Our goal as a utility in supporting this program is market transformation. We offer incentives for customers to “do the right thing” and soon “the right thing” is the norm. This has worked well in the past with energy efficient appliances, lighting and manufactured homes.

One aspect of all of the green building programs is the mandatory third party verification and performance testing. Consumers benefit greatly from a home that has a tighter envelope and ducts that are sealed correctly. Without the performance testing it really is just guess work as to how efficiently the house is going to perform, not only regarding energy efficiency, but overall living comfort. Builders also benefit from a decrease in call-backs and have overall happier customers.

I would be remiss not to mention the efforts of Project Green Build in getting information to all that are interested and also a special thank you to New Tradition Homes and other local builders for “championing” energy efficient building in Clark County. I am excited to see what the future brings brings.

November 15th, 2007