Free Energy Audits for Arizonians and Floridians

Are you considering making any energy efficient improvements to your home or business?

Homeowners in Florida and Arizona can now take advantage of the energy tax credits available and see significant savings in energy costs.

Scottsdale, Arizona has received $230,000 for a Community Energy Audit Program. These audits will include air leakage testing, heating and cooling system evaluation and an assessment of the property’s last 12 months utility bills. Once the audit is completed property owners will receive a written report of the audit findings and recommendations and available incentives for energy efficiency improvements.

For a homeowner to be eligible for the free audit, the home must be less than 5,000 square feet.

The House of Representatives recently passed a $6 billion home retrofit program, touted by President Obama as a way to save energy and put contractors back to work.

The Home Star program offers homeowners rebates for adding insulation, sealing ducts and installing efficient water heaters, heating units, windows and doors.
Rebates would be worth $1,500 per measure, capped at 50% of project costs or $3,000, whichever is less. They could reach $8,000 for a whole-house retrofit that’s based on a thorough energy audit.

The Obama administration said the bill “will create green jobs in construction and manufacturing, help consumers lower their energy bills, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”

“We need a strong national push to build a clean economy. This is a jobs strategy,” said Obama.

The construction industry unemployment rate in Arizona and Florida is just over 24%.

“It’s very much a made-in-America strategy,” he says, adding that efficiency upgrades aren’t outsourced to foreign countries.

Congress has funded federal tax credits for certain Energy Star products and efficiency upgrades, $300 million for the “cash for appliance” program, which states have been rolling out, and $5 billion in three-year stimulus funding to weatherize homes.

Not everyone is eligible for the last two of these three funding sources, and people have to wait for the tax credits, says Steve Cowell, chairman of the Conservation Services Group, which trains contractors nationwide to do home retrofits.

Home Star fills the gap. It’s an immediate credit for the cost of efficiency upgrades.