- D.C. – If you are a homeowner in the District of Columbia, and you live in a single-family home or townhouse that is 4,000 square feet or less, you probably qualify for a free home energy audit, courtesy of the District Department of the Environment.
- Virginia – While there aren’t any government-sponsored free home energy audits in Virginia, you still have options. The Everblue Training Institute offers free home energy audits as part of their student training program. You can also shell out a few bucks for an audit or conduct your own using Northern Virginia Home Energy Audits’ online guide.
- Maryland – Unfortunately the State of Maryland does not sponsor free home energy audits, either, but Montgomery County provides excellent resources for anyone in any county looking for more information on where to go for an audit. In addition, Pepco offers significantly discounted, or even free, audits to those who qualify.
- EnergySmart Solutions from the Piedmont Environmental Council – As mentioned above, these ten tips can save you 20% or more on energy bills. There are do-it-yourself videos, an energy efficiency shopping list (PDF), information on tax credits and rebates, and even more information on home energy audits.
- Household Emissions Calculator by the Environmental Protection Agency – Take their quiz about your household energy use, and see how emissions and costs stack up. Then, answer some questions about potential changes and see those costs go down.
- Hohm – Visually display your energy costs by category, compare with average costs in your area, and find cost estimates for making your home more energy efficient with changes like a new furnace or window sealing.
- Energy Saver Calculators – Maybe you’re wondering how much you’d really save if you switched to more energy efficient appliances. Type in some information about your current appliance, and find out yearly and lifetime savings, plus energy and CO2saved.
- Virginia rebate program – You may qualify for Virginia’s mail-in rebate program for new EnergyStar appliances. Qualified items include refrigerators, clothes washers, gas storage water heaters, gas furnaces and air source heat pumps.
- Maryland rebate program – Maryland also offers a mail-in rebate program for replacing your old appliance with ones that are EnergyStar rated. Qualified items include clothes washers, refrigerators, heat pump water heaters, air conditioners, freezers, central air conditioners and air-source heat pumps
- Incentive programs throughout the region – Chesapeake Bay Climate Action Network offersinformation on tax breaks and exemptions for buying new appliances or using clean energy on your property.
On days like this, it's important to have an energy efficient home, so you're not paying more for heating than you have to.
In previous issues of Smart Growth and You, we showed how you can save money on transportation through walking, biking and other driving alternatives. But between 90+ temperatures in September and farmers talking about another tough winter – Snowpocalypse II? – your home gas and electric bills may be what’s on your mind.
Wonder what this has to do with smart growth? While walkable communities are inherently green, energy efficient homes and buildings are an important part of making the Washington region truly sustainable.
Some great tax breaks are available through the end of the year, so we wanted to talk about those programs and other ways you can save money at home by reducing your energy costs.
Our friends at the Piedmont Environmental Council have created a list of EnergySmart Solutions: Ten easy and inexpensive "do-it-yourself" projects that can save you 20% or more on energy bills. Even if you’re not a homeowner, you can still make the same changes. More information is below.
How Does My Home Perform?
A good way to get going on saving energy and some cash is conducting a home energy audit.
Energy efficiency at home reduces the number of power lines through our neighborhoods and countryside, protecting our air quality and preserving the scenic beauty of our communities, our farmland and our natural areas. Photo Courtesy of PEC.
How Much Will I Save?
Saving energy reduces greenhouse gas emissions and saves you money. You can do both with some small household changes, like switching to CFL light bulbs or unplugging some electronics. These tools can help with the specifics:
Tax Savings Programs
Virginia
Maryland
D.C., Maryland and Virginia
We encourage you to check to make sure these rebate programs are current.
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