Plugging Away: The Denver Energy Challenge is still working to make Denver homes more energy efficient

By, Erin Vanderberg with Julie Carlton, Program Administrator

What is it: The Denver Energy Challenge is a free energy program through the City and County of Denver available to any Denver resident.

How it works: An advisor makes house call to conduct a surface-level energy assessment and discuss a homeowner’s concerns (e.g. energy bills, drafty rooms, etc.). Homeowners receive neutral and free advice on measures that can reduce energy costs and improve indoor comfort.

Contracting improvements: A list of qualified contractors is available at denverenergy.org/content/contractors. Contractors on the list have been vetted through an application process; they must be licensed, have certain training, insurance, and the DEC does frequent quality checks on their work. Contractors are hired at the homeowner’s cost.

Low-cost loans: DEC launched low-cost loans in August 2012. Loans are specifically for energy improvements. In addition to financing, an advisor will help ensure that all applicable rebates and/or tax credits have been captured.

Why participate?: “This program is unique to Denver in that energy advising, to level we provide, could cost someone an average of $400/home,” said Julie Carlton, Program Administrator. “While people might be afraid of the word free, a lot comes with this free program.”

Program scope. The funds for the Denver Energy Challenge came from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Better Buildings Neighborhood Program, a program made possible through stimulus funding. The program launched in 2010, assisting residents and businesses. Denver’s Department of Environmental Health administers this program and will continue to do so even after grant funds end this year. Today, over 6,133 residences and 1,224 businesses have participated – including 396 residences in Greater Park Hill.

Online at denverenergy.org

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The Denver Energy Challenge is chronicling the stories of individuals who are choosing to make energy upgrades to their home at www.ripplemap.com/communities/denver. Here, Mary of North Park Hill tells the story of her Denver Energy Challenge experience to Ian Halpern, Larkspur Energy Group.

Mary describes her North Park Hill neighborhood as a “happy, friendly, inclusive place that you couldn’t pry me out of with a crowbar.” And she is almost as keen to tout the virtues of flexible mastic and air duct sealing as she is to tout her beloved neighborhood.
Mary has steadily completed renovation and improvement projects to her three-bedroom, single-family home since she moved into it in 1994. Among the highlights: she swapped out old, rotted windows and replaced them with double pane, low-e Simonton windows (which she highly recommends); installed a central air conditioning system; weather-stripped cracks and doors; re-landscaped to introduce perennials and fescue grasses that require half as much water than her old lawn; and most recently air-sealed the A/C ducts in her attic with the help of the Denver Energy Challenge and Xcel utility rebates.
“Of everything, the air duct sealing – or the lack of it – was the big nasty surprise,” Mary says. “My house was built in 1948 and we added an un-insulated 200 square foot sunroom after moving in. I knew I needed to add insulation but didn’t realize the impact that sealing the duct-work would have.”
An energy assessment completed by Casey Staley from REenergizeCO earlier this year revealed that the contractor that installed Mary’s A/C system about ten years ago had cut corners and used duct tape to seal the ducts. Despite the name, “duct tape is a wonderful tool for everything except sealing ducts,” Mary said of her learning experience.
When Casey went into the attic he found huge thumb-sized gaps in the duct sealing. “These gaps meant that about 30 percent of the air-conditioned air was being lost up into the attic,” Mary said. The A/C system worked hard, cost more to operate and Mary’s house was never quite comfortable enough. “After Casey re-sealed the attic ducts with flexible mastic, I could sense the difference the very next day.”
The duct sealing was part one of a two-part effort. Mary also added insulation to the attic and sunroom. REenergizeCO added R-40 loose fill fiberglass that took the total insulation level from about an R-4 to R-44. Though the insulation has been completed for only six weeks at the time of this writing, Mary has already noticed that her energy bill – which generally comes in north of $400 per month – was only $150. “I haven’t seen numbers that low in years and I can’t wait to see the difference in my bills later in the summer,” she adds.
Mary is happy to share the secrets she uncovered from vetting contractors and researching rebates available to her. “Sign-up for the Denver Energy Challenge because they can help make sure you get all the rebates and incentives that are out there. Get a home energy assessment from a qualified local firm so you know what to do that will really make a difference.” (She recommends REenergize CO but notes that Xcel and Denver Energy Challenge have good lists of local, approved professionals.)
Mary recommends choosing at least three contractors from the approved list, and interviewing each of them. “Avoid hiring someone whose entire focus is on a single solution (e.g. insulation, windows, etc.). Look for someone who speaks of the quality of the air in your home, as well as the quantity of insulation and takes a more comprehensive view,” Mary says.
“And above all else,” Mary adds before concluding the interview, “don’t forget to air-seal.”