Looking for a way to start saving some money on your energy bills now that things are beginning to cool off and your homes heating system has started up again? A great way to get started is to participate in the Dominion Power’s Home Energy Checkup program. The whole process is very simple and the only major requirement is that you be a Dominion Power customer.
To start, head over to the website at www.dom.com/contractorsearch or call at 1-866-DOM-HELP to get a list of contractors that are participating in the program. Pick one and call to schedule your Energy Checkup. There will be a couple of questions to get the ball rolling, so make sure you have a copy of your most recent Dominion bill with you so you will have your Dominion Account number. A contractor like me will then show up at your house and gather some information that will help them determine which portions of the Dominion program you are eligible for. For example, if your water heater is gas instead of electric, then you will not be eligible for insulation on your hot water pipes.
Don’t worry if you have gas or propane for your heat and hot water, there are still portions of the Dominion Home Energy Checkup that you can participate in. The program allows each homeowner to replace up to 9 incandescent bulbs with CFL’s, and allows smart power strips for things like your TV entertainment system and finally, adjusting the temperature of your refrigerator. The rebate foe the home energy checkup could be as much as $250. It is impossible to tell you just how much you can save or what parts of the rebate you are eligible for until the contractor sees your house and enters you into the Dominion software. You only get the rebate if you have the energy saving measures installed.
What is a smart strip anyway? They appear to be much like any other power strip that you might have with one energy saving difference. The strip has 7 outlets, the first one being the control outlet. When you plug an item like your TV into the control outlet the TV then controls the power strip. When the TV is turned on, the power strip is turned on, when it is off, the strip is turned off. What this allows you to do is to plug all the kids’ game consoles, the DVD player and all that other equipment into the other outlets. Turning off the TV then turns off all those different pieces of equipment without you having to even think about it. They also work great for computer equipment and printers. This helps you eliminate those phantom loads.
Once the Home Energy Checkup is complete and the energy saving measures have been installed, the contractor will turn your file over to Dominion electronically and your rebate will show up in your mailbox in 45 to 90 days.
There are some other energy saving changes that will qualify you for even larger rebates if you have all electric heat. Dominion also has incentives for having your ductwork tested and sealed and another incentive for heat pump tune-ups. They even have an incentive for changing out your old heating system for a more efficient one.
With the cold weather approaching, now is the time to start thinking energy savings BEFORE you need to expend all that energy to heat your house. Check in with a Dominion approved local contractor today to see what you might qualify for. I’d love to hear your comments or answer your questions. Head over to my blog at https://gcienergyconsultants.com/ scroll down to the copy of this article and leave me a comment! Thanks for reading.
