Archive for the ‘Incentives and Stimulus Package’ Category

There’s no insulation under there!

Wednesday, March 18th, 2009

Ha…just made you say underwear! Seriously, though, the workers started pulling off the wood siding a couple of weeks ago and this is what they found:

no-insulation2

Nothing! No insulation! This was one drafty old home. Colder than a well diggers butt without his…well, his insulated underwear. And the home must have been leaky, too. Perhaps the indoor breezes were considered a feature in the pre-air conditioned days of the 1920’s.

That’s going to change.

The wood is going to be stripped of it’s nasty ol’ lead paint, reprimed and replaced. But before that happens Icynene foam insulation is going to be sprayed in. This stuff will expand into every nook and cranny making this new old home super insulated.

The owners are going to enjoy some benefits for their troubles, too. Aside from the reduced utility bills, they qualify for up to 30%-of-cost tax rebates under the new stimulus program for installation of green insulation.

Go green and save green…Makes me all warm inside just thinking about it…

~ Burke

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Lake Clair LEED maxes out GA Power rebates!

Tuesday, March 17th, 2009

Lake Clair LEED was eligible for rebates from GA Power since it is a Home Performance with Energy Star Project.  I started to add up the rebates and they qualified for ALL that were available.

Here is a list of the rebates that they will get:

Home Assessment Rebates

Rebates Up To:

50% Reimbursement of assessment fees

$200

Home Improvement Rebates

Rebates Up To:

Thermostat conversion

$100

Installation of R-6 or greater insulation blanket
on Electric Water heater Only

$50

Attic insulation improvements
(in conjunction with air sealing)

$200

Wall insulation improvements (conditioned space exterior walls)

$550

Insulate floor & foundation wall to R-5 (foam) /R-13 in basement wall cavities (fiberglass acceptable)

$450

Improve air sealing

$250

Improve duct sealing

$100

Potential Total Rebates

$1,900

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Well, well, well, look who’s getting geothermal

Monday, March 16th, 2009

As you can see from the picture below, the geothermal went in last month. Contractors brought in a well-digging truck and drilled a 400 foot deep well.

You can see the workers feeding the pipe into the ground. This pipe forms an 800 foot loop. Water will be pumped through this pipe loop using the natural properties of the earth to transfer heat to or from the home, depending on the season. It’s like their front yard is acting as a giant battery to store energy in the form of heat.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), geothermal heat pumps are the most energy-efficient, environmentally clean, and cost-effective systems for temperature control. Using a geothermal system is equal to planting 24 trees per year to off-set your carbon footprint. True, they cost twice as much as a conventional HVAC system, but they last two times longer and can cut your power and gas usage by 50%. One vendor is currently offering a $2000 rebate that can be combined with the $2000 Federal and $2000 State rebates for significant savings.

This isn’t the only green technology the owners will be implementing. They are also planning on rainwater reclamation and solar hot water. In fact, they have decided to go for LEED Renovation. Although LEED residential is starting to pop-up around Atlanta, we don’t know of a LEED Renovation, so this will be another ground-breaking project. There are so many things that can be done to make an old home healthier and more energy efficient. Much of them have to do with taking the building back to its original form.

So a dramatic rebirth for this solid old home! More info to come, so stay tuned…

~ Burke

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