Columbia offers solutions to summer’s heat, winter’s cold
COLUMBUS, Ohio – As central Ohio continues to swelter in the summer heat, Columbia Gas of Ohio recently demonstrated its program designed to make residential customers’ homes more comfortable and affordable all year long.
At a house in Columbus, the company hosted a demonstration of home energy audits available for a limited time through its Home Performance Solutions program.
Home Performance Solutions offers rebates of up to 70% on qualified energy-efficiency improvements that can reduce a home’s annual energy consumption by 30% or more, saving the homeowner up to $6,000 on utility bills over the life of the improvements.
To access the rebates, you must be a Columbia Gas of Ohio residential gas heating customer and you must first schedule a home energy audit by calling 1-877-644-6674.
As demonstrated at today’s event, a trained professional energy auditor using high-tech equipment analyzes the home from top-to-bottom to identify cost-effective ways to make the home more energy-efficient and more comfortable.
Many Ohio homes have hidden air leaks, little or no insulation and inefficient heating and cooling systems. These homes are uncomfortably cold in winter and warm in summer, and their natural gas and electric bills are higher than they need to be.
The energy-efficiency measures identified by the audits – including air sealing and attic and wall insulation – produce benefits in summer by allowing air conditioners to run less and producing a more evenly cooled home.
“We’re the gas company, so we don’t usually worry about electricity,” said Columbia Gas of Ohio President Jack Partridge. “But we wanted to call attention to the fact that our program can save our customers money on their electric bills as well as their natural gas bills, and keep them more comfortable in summer as well as winter.”
The energy audit, a $500 value, costs $50 up front, but that amount is reimbursed if the Columbia customer has any of the auditor-recommended qualified energy-efficiency improvements installed.
The energy auditor will use diagnostic tools, including a blower door, an infrared camera and a combustion efficiency analyzer during the audit.
The blower door locates and measures air leaks. The infrared camera pinpoints areas of the home where there is inadequate insulation, air leaks and other problems that drive up heating and cooling costs. The combustion analyzer checks gas furnaces and all gas appliances for safety and efficiency.
While there, the auditor will also provide and install, at no charge, programmable thermostats and high-efficiency showerheads in the home. The thermostat, if used properly, can reduce natural gas and electric bills by up to $180 a year and the showerheads can cut water usage by thousands of gallons of water annually.
At the end of the audit, the customer receives a printed Home Energy Audit Report which highlights any health and safety repairs that should be made, as well as recommended cost-effective energy-efficiency improvements that could be made to the home.
The auditor will also explain the rebates available to the customer from Columbia Gas of Ohio. The company offers rebates on air sealing, attic and wall insulation and high-efficiency gas furnaces and boilers.
Rebate levels vary, but are higher if the customer has more than one improvement installed. For instance, a customer could receive an instant rebate of 60% of the cost of attic and wall insulation, 70% on air sealing, and $400 on a high-efficiency gas furnace. For a limited time, Columbia Gas is offering an additional $150 bonus rebate on the improvements installed within 30 days of the energy audit.
Columbia’s rebates can be combined with Federal Energy Tax Credits, manufacturer’s rebates and other incentives to reduce the up-front costs even more.
The energy-efficiency improvement work must be done by a pre-qualified contractor. The auditor will supply the customer with a list of these contractors, who have met special training, equipment and program guidelines.
More than 500,000 homes in Columbia Gas of Ohio’s service territory were built before energy codes became part of building standards. These homes often have little or no attic and wall insulation and can have many air leaks. These homes typically have very high energy usage.
“Many of our customers face high energy bills and struggle to make their homes comfortable in winter and summer,” said Jack Laverty, manager of Columbia’s energy-efficiency programs. “They want to make their homes more energy efficient, but have no idea where to start, and they’re concerned about how much the energy-efficiency improvements will cost. Home Performance Solutions was created to address all of those concerns.”
For more information about Home Performance Solutions, visit ColumbiaGasOhio.com/HPS or call 1-877-644-6674.
Columbia Gas of Ohio, with headquarters in Columbus, is one of the nine energy distribution companies of NiSource Inc. (NYSE: NI). With approximately 1.4 million customers in 61 of Ohio’s 88 counties, it is the largest natural gas utility in the state. NiSource distribution companies serve approximately 3.8 million gas and electric customers primarily in seven states.