Making Your Plan
This tool puts all the options on the table and helps you figure out the best way to reduce your utility bill spending! With this tool you can find out how to get the most in net savings, even after any outlays. If you want, you can use those savings (which are computed including all costs, and all incentives) to pay for other improvements without additional costs, whether it be making alterations that improve your comfort at home of other energy-saving; or, you can just keep what’s yours!
Determining the Options
First, the tool characterizes the energy economics of your current situation:
- How much energy (in kWh or therms) does each item of equipment use? How does your pattern of usage of equipment impact this?
- What are the money-saving (net savings) opportunities that are appropriate to you? More efficient equipment (refrigerators, water heaters, furnaces…), Energy saving measures (insulation, draft reduction, water reduction…), other energy sources (solar electricity, solar hot water …)?
Finding the Best Combination of Actions
The tool then looks at all the possible combinations of different configurations for your energy system (excluding those you’ve already told it you won’t consider), figuring out the economics for each – and it finds the best configuration for you! This includes:
- What is the best approach to dealing with that confusing array of utility pricing (baseline use, tiered prices, surcharges), and weighing the opportunities between several fuels?
- What are the applicable rebates, incentives and tax credits, and how are they best used?
- If you want to finance any upgrades, what are the costs to you?
- How should all these options be done if you want a quick payback (in case you plan on moving)?
Refining the Plan
After getting your plan, you may want help finding a contractor and/or getting an In-Home Analysis to get quotes and fine-tune your plan and take action. This tool helps with all these, in an effort to find what’s best for you!