Making a house efficient isn't
cheap or easy, owners find.
It was cold in November 2002, but
Scott Many was steamed.
Many, 40, and his wife, Patricia,
recently had moved into a
40-year-old house in the Scarborough
section of Briarcliff Manor, a home
that was all-electric and, he
thought, energy efficient.
"I got my first electric bill,
and it was for $750," recalled Many,
a day trader. "That's when I decided
to get an energy audit."
Many called
Clover Heating in Sleepy Hollow,
one of the first contracting firms
in Westchester County to receive
state certification in energy
audits. The company began its audit
with a pressure test to determine
just how good the house was at
keeping out drafts and keeping in
heat.
An energy audit is the first step
a homeowner can take to determine
how effectively the home holds in
heat or, in the summer, air
conditioning. While it can be
expensive to make homes energy
efficient, the long-term savings can
offset the home-improvement costs.
Many learned from Anthony Marmo,
Clover's president, that his new
home basically was a sieve, allowing
heat to escape from the walls,
floors, windows, lights, electrical
outlets and doors. The basement,
attic and garage also sucked heat
out of the living areas and lost it
to the great outdoors.
"The most important issue is the
amount of building leakage of air to
the outside," Marmo said. "If you
can stop the drafts, you can save on
energy costs, and the amount you
save is easily quantifiable. If you
reduce the leakage by a third, you
pretty much save a third on your
bill."
In addition to losing heat, the
Many's were using inefficient
appliances that wasted electricity.
Appliances - from boilers and
hot-water heaters to dishwashers and
refrigerators - can be rated by
their efficiency. Those certified as
the most efficient carry an Energy
Star label.
"An Energy Star home uses about
30 percent less electricity than
other homes that are just built to
standard construction code," said
Dominic Riemma of Abco Builders, a
state-certified Queens-based firm
that works to improve energy
efficiency in Rockland County homes.
The town of Greenburgh requires
all newly constructed homes to be
certified as meeting state Energy
Star standards.
"We decided that instead of just
urging people to be more energy
efficient, we would mandate it,"
Town Supervisor Paul Feiner said. "I
am hopeful that people will realize
that we are doing them a favor
because they can save money in the
long run."
But transforming an inefficient
home into an energy-efficient one is
not easy or cheap. The Many's had
Consolidated Edison connect their
home to a natural-gas line, then
purchased a gas furnace and water
heater, and had ducts installed for
a central-heating and air-
conditioning system. The contractors
blew insulation into the walls,
provided storm windows with
insulated frames and added
insulation to the basement ceiling
and spaces behind electrical
outlets.
"In the end, it cost me about
$20,000," Many said. "But every
month I'm saving about $500, so in
about four years it will pay for
itself. I'm thrilled with it."
The state also is available for
financial help.
In 1998, the New York State
Energy Research and Development
Authority began a series of programs
to encourage homeowners, apartment
owners and small businesses to
become as energy efficient as
possible. The agency has doled out
about $30 million in subsidies,
money obtained from the "systems
benefits charge" on consumer
electric bills.
The state's energy audit, the
basis for the government's financial
-assistance programs, was developed
in conjunction with the Building
Performance Institute, a national
organization based in Malta, N.Y.,
that certifies contractors and
programs on energy-related topics.
Contractors approved by the
development authority pay about
$1,200 for a 36-hour course taught
by the Board of Cooperative
Education Services; they are
reimbursed about 75 percent of the
tuition when they successfully
complete the work. The authority
also provides contractors with
zero-interest loans to purchase the
sophisticated equipment used to test
homes for efficiency.
The equipment includes a computer
system that calculates energy
savings and ties into the nearest
weather station so local
temperatures are factored into the
energy audit. A copy of the audit
also goes to the development
authority, where the contractor's
work is reviewed.
Jim Reese, the authority's
home-energy program manager, said
the agency runs two programs to help
homeowners pay for upgrades.
"We have access to Fannie Mae
money," he said. "And if Fannie Mae
will give you a loan, we will pay
down the interest rate to 5.99
percent over 10 years."
Fannie Mae interest rates now
range from 8 percent to 14 percent
on a $20,000 home-improvement loan,
depending on the homeowner's credit
rating, Reese said.
The authority also has an "energy
smart loan fund" in conjunction with
80 participating banks. The agency
will buy down the interest on loans
obtained from those banks by 4
percentage points.
"Statewide, the average savings
is about $505 per year," Reese said.
"In Westchester County, where the
houses cost more, the savings are
even bigger."
Reach Roger Witherspoon at
rwithers@thejournalnews.com or
914-696-8566.
Energy savings
For more information on having an
energy-efficient home, contact:
