New Hampshire residents spend over $5 billion per year on energy. How can residents reduce these costs? This was the topic of a recent NH Saves “Button Up” workshop
In 2017, about 40% was spent on space heating, 13% on water heating, 7% on refrigerators, 3% on air conditioning, and a whopping 37% was spent on “other” – i.e. everything else you have plugged in at your home, says Ted Stiles, an energy auditor with the NH Saves program.
Currently, the NH Saves program is offering energy efficiency rebates up to $8,000 for qualifying homes. You can qualify whether you own or rent, as long as you pay the heating bill.
This was the topic of a recent NH Saves “Button Up” workshop, organized by the Clean Energy Team in partnership with the Keene Energy and Climate Committee and the Monadnock Sustainability Hub.
To view a recording of the Keene NH Saves Button Up Workshop, click here (available through June 4, 2021). The presentation slides are available for download here.
To see if you qualify, go to NHSaves.com/homeheating, scroll to the “Test Your Home” section, click on the “Test Your Home” button, and fill out the requested information. You will need to know your heating usage for the past 12 months, the conditioned square footage of your home, and your heating fuel source and utility provider. If you do qualify, the next step is to set up a home energy audit to identify energy-saving opportunities. You can qualify multiple years in a row, so if your home needs a lot of work, you can split it up between two years (please note you must qualify for the program each year).
What if your home doesn’t qualify? Getting an energy audit may still be a good option for you. Many companies will offer home energy audits regardless of whether you qualify for NHSaves, and may even credit the cost of the audit back to you if you decide to get the work done. If you are income eligible, you may be able to receive assistance through the Southwestern Community Services Weatherization Assistance Program, which covers the full cost of the energy efficiency upgrades. To find out if you qualify for this program, call (603) 352-7512 or call 2-1-1.
Clean Energy Keene 