Shoreline homeowner uses SustainableWorks resources for an energy efficient home

Wendy diPeso during house retrofit.

By Kellie Stickney, SustainableWorks

By now many of you have heard about how SustainableWorks, a Puget Sound-based non-profit is helping Shoreline homeowners make reduced cost energy efficiency improvements to their homes. 

But many of you may not know if your home is in need of an energy audit or energy efficiency home improvements, or if your home does need efficiency upgrades how you will pay for them. We’d like to help answer your questions about energy audits and energy efficiency improvements by relating the experience of Shoreline resident Wendy DiPeso. Wendy just completed her home energy audit and retrofit with SustainableWorks.

Wendy made the decision to get a home energy audit after Maryn Wynne of the Shoreline Solar Project recommended an energy audit as a great way to discover things about your home that you never knew about. Wendy already knew that their home was in need of a new furnace, and thought that an energy audit would help them to make informed decisions about the most cost effective ways to improve their home’s energy efficiency. When Wendy heard about the SustainableWorks project in Shoreline she knew it was a great opportunity to get an energy audit and possibly get some home energy efficiency improvements for a reduced cost.

In addition to confirming the need for a new furnace, Wendy also discovered her home was in need of insulation, duct sealing and air sealing. According to Wendy the most fascinating finding from their audit had to do with the leakiness of their home, “We learned that our loft above the office leaked terribly. It was like we had a wide open window up their all the time.” The SustainableWorks audit also told the DiPesos that their home was operating at about 27,000 kilowatt hours per year (kWh/yr) of electricity, the average in Washington is 25,100 kWh/yr. If all the energy upgrades were completed this would drop to 15,000 kWh/yr—almost a 50% increase in efficiency

The DiPesos decided to move forward and get a retrofit including: attic insulation, wall insulation, duct sealing, duct insulation, air sealing and a new 95% efficient furnace for their home. In addition to the stimulus and utility incentives coordinated by SustainableWorks, Wendy was also able to access low-interest financing for her project through the SustainableWorks Puget Sound Cooperative Credit Union loan program. The financing helped them to spread the cost over time and make the project more affordable.

It’s too soon for the DiPesos to see energy savings, as their retrofit was only completed within the few weeks, but they are already seeing a difference in their home.  

According to Wendy, “We are more comfortable. The furnace doesn’t have to kick on as often. We also haven’t had to run the electric plug-in heater since the retrofit.”

SustainableWorks plans on following up with the DiPeso household in six months to get a picture of their energy savings. 

In the meanwhile, Wendy has this to say to her Shoreline neighbors, “I absolutely recommend this to people, even if you think your house is tight. There are things you will find that you never would have thought.”

To learn more about the program, or to sign-up, please visit the SustainableWorks website or call the SustainableWorks office at 206-575-2252.