In this year’s Home Design Guide, Katie Knorovsky writes about home energy costs and some easy ways to reduce high utility bills. First step: Have your home audited.
The Alliance to Save Energy projects that the average American household will
spend $2,160 on home energy costs in 2010.
“The average house is about 40 years old,” says Doris Iklé of CMC Energy Services
in Bethesda. “That house was built when codes were laxer and when energy was
cheaper. They’re not as efficient as houses that are built today.”
DC’s Department of the Environment offers free energy audits to single-family home owners. Home owners who complete energy-efficient renovations—adding insulation, upgrading air conditioning and heating systems—this year (or did so last year) can benefit from tax credits. Homeowners in Montgomery County can also apply for up to $250 in tax credits.
Read the complete article to find out more about other incentives and ways to prevent energy loss.
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