Member Services

Home Energy Analysis and Efficiency Ideas

From time to time, you probably have questions regarding your home's energy use or energy efficiency. Each home is unique and can only be evaluated effectively by providing specific information for analysis. For example, two houses having the same square footage may not be similar when it comes to the amount of energy used in the same time period. Some factors that can contribute to the differences are the number of people living in each home, the wall and ceiling insulation, differences in appliances, number of windows, etc.

To evaluate your home's energy use, click on the link button below for a home energy audit and evaluation. This energy audit will ask you a number of questions regarding your home. You can use either the quick audit or the more detailed energy evaluation. The analysis will provide you with an estimate of energy costs for your home. You can also use this energy audit to compare energy costs of different heating and cooling systems, water heater types, window selections and many other items.

Touchstone Energy Savers

Whether you're planning to build a new home, live in an older house or a newer one, or reside in an apartment, there are many ways to ensure that your home uses energy efficiently. Use of Compact Fluorescent bulbs (CFLs), upgrading insulation, installation of a geothermal heating and cooling system, and installing a programmable thermostat are just a few things that can help you save money on energy costs. But there are many other ways to reduce your monthly energy bills. Just click on the link below for ideas on how to conserve energy and make your home a better place to live.

Energy Star

Government Website Offers Tips to Save Energy

A new website sponsored by the Department of Energy shows consumers how to save money on their energy bills. The website is part of the federal government's Smart Energy Campaign launched to help consumers conserve energy and decrease demand for dwindling natural gas supplies.

To see energy saving tips go to:

Department of Energy

The site recommends a whole-house energy efficiency plan, which asks consumers to think about their home as an energy system with interdependent parts. The website has dozens of energy efficiency tips for your home.

TogetherWeSave.com

TogetherWeSave.com is a Web site that demonstrates how taking simple energy-saving steps leads to real dollar savings. 
 
Co-op members can get an even better idea of potential dollar savings by taking the site’s virtual Home Tour. Within each of the home’s rooms—living room, kitchen, laundry room, bedroom, basement and attic—are at least two energy-saving action items. As visitors move through each room and complete the suggested actions, a digital counter keeps a running total of potential dollar savings, giving a visual representation of how simple changes rack up major savings.
 
The savings calculations from each individual visit to the Home Tour are funneled into another counter that continuously aggregates national potential savings and tracks the number of visitors to the site. The running national totals are displayed at the top of the TogetherWeSave.com landing page.
 
Another unique component of TogetherWeSave.com is the Touchstone Energy TV Web portal. This portal is a one-of-a-kind collection of short videos on energy efficiency-themed topics. The collection includes videos from a variety of sources. The videos are all designed to offer easy-to-follow advice on energy savings tips and techniques.
 
Click on the Together We Save graphic to add up your savings.