||Energy Audits and Home Ratings

(back to top)

Local Energy Auditors and Raters:

About Saving Heat
303-549-6900 (Office)
info@aboutsavingheat.com

Active Energies, Inc. (Building Performance Institute certified)
102a Main Street
Minturn, CO 81645
(970) 306-4233

Alpine Solar Design (Building Performance Institute certified)
998 Blue River Parkway
Silverthorne, CO 80498
970-468-0890
alpinesolardesign@gmail.com

Comfort by Kodiak - (Building Performance Institute and Xcel Energy certified auditors)
Post Office Box 2686
Silverthorne, CO 80498
970-468-2446
email Dave

Energy Smart - Home Performance Consulting, audits and home ratings
Mark Anderson, Building Performance Institute certified
(970) 485 - 3327
esaudits@gmail.com

Green Competitor Consulting, LLC, audits and home ratings
Cameron Millard, Building Performance Institute certified
(720) 940-6900
cameron@greencompetitor.com

High Country Conservation Center - audits, home ratings, building consulting
Matt Wright, BUIlding Performance Institute certified
518 E Main Street in Frisco
(970) 668-5703
matt@highcountryconservation.org

Impact Energy
Melissa Kline, Building Performance Institute certified
970-471-5594
melissa@impactenergyec.com

Remember, if you are at or below 200% of the poverty level ($29,140 for a household of 2) you are eligible for a free audit and weatherization services through Northwest Colorado Council of Governments. Renters are eligible.

You should consider an audit if:

* Your preparing to remodel or add-on to your home.
* You have high utility bills.
* Your home has noticeable cold or hot spots.
* You are interested in adding renewable energy features to your home.
* Your home experiences frozen pipes.
* Ice dams build up on the roof of your home.
* You would like to make your home more efficient and reduce your impact on the planet.
* Your home has indoor air quality issues such as condensation on the windows, mold or other respiratory toxins.

What is an audit and why get one?

Building Energy Audit Equipment Rental Program

If you are a qualified individual you can rent blower door and infrared camera. HC3 has now begun the much anticipated energy asessment equipment rental program. Equipment in this rental program includes a blower door set with Manometer, CO analyzer, Gas sniffer,and an infrared camera.

Prices:
HC3 will require a brief proficiency test to ensure knowledge of equipment use and a short training if needed- $25 one time fee

Blower door set with Manometer, CO analyzer, Gas sniffer, Infrared camera- $25 per day

HC3 will require an active credit card number (or equivalent) for deposit as insurance against damage or theft.

For more information call HC3 at 970.668.5703. Download the rental contract.

(back to top)

||Energy Upgrades

(back to top)

Local Retrofit and Energy Upgrade Contractors

(Note: In order to be listed here, contractors must do business in Summit County. We will remove anybody from the list if complaints are made about service.)

About Saving Heat Co. 303-549-6900 info@aboutsavingheat.com - All retrofit and upgrade services

Comfort by Kodiak - (Building Performance Institute and Xcel Energy certified auditors), call 970-468-2446, or email Dave - All retrofit and upgrade services

The best way to determine what upgrade would be best for your home is to get an energy audit. Some common recommendations:

Sealing Air Leaks and Adding Insulation
Many air leaks in homes are fairly obvious, such as around windows, doors, and electrical outlets. But others, like those in attics, fireplaces, around chimneys, and through recessed lighting fixtures, are often the more significant sources of energy loss in a home. Sealing air leaks is critical to improving the overall efficiency of your home and will make your heating and cooling system perform better. Along with air sealing, your Auditor may recommend that you add insulation. Many older homes are not well-insulated, and some have no insulation at all. Properly installed insulation in walls, floors, and attics provides for more even temperatures throughout the house and results in a quieter, more comfortable home that is easier to heat.

Sealing Ductwork
Many homes have leaky ductwork and poor air flow, resulting in stuffy and uncomfortable rooms — regardless of the thermostat setting. The Energy Auditor may recommend sealing your home’s ducts with mastic, metal tape or spray-on sealant, and balancing the duct system to optimize air flow to all rooms. Insulating ductwork in attics, crawlspaces, and some basements can also help to ensure that your home will be more comfortable.

Improving Heating Systems
If your furnace or boiler is more than 10 years old, your Auditor may recommend that you replace it with a unit that has earned the ENERGY STAR label. Installed correctly, these high-efficiency units can save up to 20 percent on heating costs. But when it comes to heating equipment, bigger is not always better. A properly-sized unit will make your home more comfortable by providing more consistent temperatures control.

The Energy Auditor should also test combustion equipment, such as your furnace and hot water heater, to ensure that it is operating and venting properly.

Upgrading Lighting and Appliances
Energy used for lighting, entertainment equipment and appliances can account for half of your home's total utility bill. As a result, the Energy Auditor may recommend ENERGY STAR qualified products, such as refrigerators, dishwashers, electronic equipment, light fixtures, and compact fluorescent bulbs. An energy- and water-efficient hot water heating system may also be recommended.

(back to top)

||Renewable Energy

(back to top)

What's the difference between solar thermal and solar PV? Typically, solar photovoltaic panels, or PV panels, are used to displace electricity used for lighting and appliances. Solar thermal can be used to displace natural gas use in many forms. Solar thermal, while it has received less attention in the past several years, has great potential in Colorado. Colorado is ranked as the #1 state for soalr thermal potential in the U.S., due to the perfect combination of warm sunny days and cool nights.

You can do both, of course. Solar PV and solar thermal panels can share space on roof-tops.

CONTRACTOR LISTING

(Note: HC3 has an easy-on, easy-off listing of contractors. In order to be listed here, contractors must serve Summit County. We will remove anybody from the list if complaints are made about service. Want to be on the list? Email us.)

Solar PV

Summit County:

Active Energies, Inc.
102a Main Street
Minturn, CO 81645
(970) 306-4233

Alpine Solar Design, Alpine Earth Center
998 Blue River Parkway
Silverthorne, CO 80498
(970) 468-0890

Innovative Energy
1760 Airport Road
Breckenridge, CO 80424
(970) 453-5384

Serving Summit County:

Astralux Solar, LLC
2500 Central Avenue, Suite K
Boulder, CO 80301
(303) 413-1440

Concept Solar Co.
PO Box 1501
Palisade, CO 81526
(970) 623-9814

Eco Depot USA
Salida , CO
(877) Eco Depot

Eco-Tech
PO Box 407
Eagle, CO 80631
(970) 328-3333

SolSource
6850 Broadway, Suite D
Denver, Colorado 80221
(303) 297-1874

Vibrant Solar Inc
4321 Broadway
Denver, CO 80216
(303) 604-6696

Solar Thermal Design

RE-Align Technology - Breckenridge, 970-333-8318, Bob Kingston

Active Energyies, Inc.
102a Main Street
Minturn, CO 81645
(970) 306-4233

Rader Engineering, Inc.
40690 Highway 6, Suite E1
P.O. Box 8610
Avon, CO 81620
970-845-7910 (ext. 116)
970-470-0116 (cell)
970-845-7522 (fax)
www.raderengineering.com

Solar Thermal Installers

Mechtech - Breckenridge, 970-390-8254, Mark Stearns

Sunshine Solar and Mechanical - Breckenridge, 970-418-0569, William Frew

Paragon Solar and Mechanical - Breckenridge, 970-389-6677, Corey Burrus

Dominator Plumbing and Heating - Breckenridge, 970-406-0803, Andrew Leonardi

Vowel Plumbing - Silverthorne, 970-468-5529, Kelly Vowel

Heatmeister - Silverthorne, Richard Graves, 970-513-0697, Richard Graves

(back to top)

||For Auditors and Contractors

(back to top)

Key energy certifications for contractors and auditors:

RESNET-certified Home Energy Rating

Building Performance Institute

Scheduled Trainings:

ENERGY STAR talks, coming soon in Summit, Lake and Park County.

Building Energy Audit Equipment Rental Program

If you are a qualified individual you can rent blower door and infrared camera. HC3 has now begun the much anticipated energy asessment equipment rental program. Equipment in this rental program includes a blower door set with Manometer, CO analyzer, Gas sniffer,and an infrared camera.

Prices:
HC3 will require a brief proficiency test to ensure knowledge of equipment use and a short training if needed- $25 one time fee

Blower door set with Manometer, CO analyzer, Gas sniffer, Infrared camera- $25 per day

HC3 will require an active credit card number (or equivalent) for deposit as insurance against damage or theft.

For more information call HC3 at 970.668.5703. Download the rental contract.

 

(back to top)

||For Businesses

Free lighting audits are available through Xcel Energy's contractor Franklin Energy. Call us to sign up, you just need to give us your premise number (listed on your Xcel Energy bill). Or call them directly (303) 297-3410.

We are starting a new energy efficiency and green business programfor Frisco in February, thanks to a grant from the Governor's Energy Office. If you are a business you can receive a discounted energy audit ($100) and 50% off any lighting, HVAC upgrades or installed programmable thermostats. We will unveil this program soon. Call or email us with questions.

Frisco Clean Tracks Business Program

||Track Your Energy Use

(back to top)

Free online tracking tools:

Greenquest is a free online tool that will give you simple analysis of your energy use. It works best when you have one building to manage.

For multiple buildings and especialy if you are a public entity, try EPA Portfolio Manager.

Don't mind paying? Try Energy CAP.

Understand your energy bill:

Natural gas is measured in therms, Electricity in Kilowatt hours.

 

Here are some averages to compare your bill to:

U.S. averages: 920 kWh/month, 82 therms/month

Summit County averages:803 kWh/month, 111 therms/month

(back to top)