There is a lot of hype around electrification these days but what does it really mean and how do
you start this process?
First, what is electrification?
Electrification is the process of converting your home or business to be fully electric and move
away from fossil fuels. It can start simply with appliances like clothes dryers and cook tops and can move to bigger items like heating systems and the vehicles we drive. Electrification is something that really excites us at Sunpak, and we believe that smarter, more efficient homes are the future.
The hardest part of this process is where to start. The thought of this can be overwhelming and my plan for this post is to help negate this feeling. The most important step is to have a plan. When we go into a project with no plan or budget, costs spiral and the end product tends to be mediocre. The first step is to know where you currently stand with your energy efficiency. We highly recommend having an energy audit performed on your property. Where we are based in Eagle county Colorado, we recommend doing this through Walking Mountains Science Center. They subsidize the audit so you only pay $100 for the service and this is a prerequisite to receive a lot of the local incentives. If you don’t live in our area there are a lot of local authorities and organizations that can steer you in the right direction.
What is an energy audit?
An energy audit is a service where a qualified professional will visit your home or business and assess the efficiency of your property. For the average home this is a quick process of 2-4 hours. One of the main parts of the process is a blower door test where they can see air leaks in your home and offer simple solutions that you can probably implement on your own. That can make a huge difference on your heating costs. The audit will also make suggestions on electrification upgrades you can make. This will be things like installing heat pumps for heating and cooling, replacing dryers and water heaters for a heat pump alternative as well as the installation of Solar (PV). These audits will also have information on recommended contractors and current incentives.
With all this information in hand, you can go out and request quotes for these projects with a bigger picture in mind. You can budget what the whole process will cost with incentives. Save money by combining projects and avoid making costly mistakes.There may even be an option to pre-rough for future projects. Electrically, this could be raceways to the attic for solar, power outside for heat pumps or upgrade your electrical panel to a smart panel to avoid major electrical service upgrades for future projects. You can also come up with a multi year plan to complete your electrification journey by consulting with your preferred contractors on where to
start with the budget you have.
A great place to start on a small budget would be installing an energy monitor. Although you can see your usage on your bills or energy supplier app, having a more detailed look into this could help for future projects. Something like the Emporia Vue 3 will allow you to monitor individual circuits, see where you are currently using a lot of energy and give you ideas on how you can reduce your usage.
If you have a bigger budget then solar, a smart panel or heat pumps would be a great first project.
In summary, having an energy audit performed on your property gives you the big picture on electrification and what your options are. It allows you to make a plan, budget and be efficient with your money. For $100 it’s a great investment because even the small things that show up can be easily fixed yourself and could pay off in less than a year.
If you’re looking for more information on energy audits or want to schedule an inspection in Eagle County or even globally, check out north39energy.com