More than 1,100 central Virginia homeowners entered the 2013 PowerSaver Home Makeover Contest, sponsored by LEAP and UVA Community Credit Union. And today we announced the 3 winners.Как укладывать брусчатку
Winners were selected based on potential energy savings demonstrated by a brief home energy self-assessment that all entrants were required to complete. Ten finalists were then chosen and awarded a professional Home Energy Assessment valued at approximately $500. Based on the results of those assessments, the following families were selected as the final winners.
Name: John Foster
Location: City of Charlottesville (Belmont neighborhood)
Year Built: 1920
Square Footage: 1,536
Bedrooms: 3
Baths: 1.5
Type of Home: Single-family
Heating Source: Heat pumps and woodstove
Energy Saving Opportunities: ENERGY STAR gas furnace, more attic and wall insulation, duct sealing
When John Foster entered the 2013 PowerSaver Home Makeover Contest, he knew his family — especially two young children — had suffered through enough shivering at home in the winter and sweating it out in the summer. Their beautiful home had some systemic issues, but he couldn’t figure out how to tackle and pay for all that needed to be fixed. During the home energy assessment he got as a finalist, the LEAP team discovered, among other issues, that the heat pumps are unsuited to adequately heat their older, poorly insulated home. Despite adding some attic insulation when they moved in 12 years ago, the lack of wall insulation and other details made it almost impossible for the heat pumps to keep the home sufficiently and consistently warm in the winter and cool in the summer. And without proper duct sealing, moist air from the crawlspace and dusty attic air was being drawn into the ventilation system.
Stay tuned to learn how their $10,000 PowerSaver Home Makeover helps the Foster family finally enjoy a comfortable, affordable home.
Name: Kathleen Jones
Location: Madison
Year Built: 1972
Square Footage: 1,200
Bedrooms: 3
Baths: 2
Type of Home: Single-family ranch style with basement
Heating Source: Electric resistance heat
Energy Saving Opportunities: ENERGY STAR heat pump, new air conditioning unit, consolidating refrigeration units, sealing leaks, more insulation
Kathleen Jones and her husband knew their home had problems and had taken some steps to remedy them. They replaced their windows eight years ago, but quickly realized their home’e energy issues went much deeper. The PowerSaver Home Makeover Contest presented an opportunity to get to the bottom of those issues. Their free home energy assessment as a semi-finalist uncovered: an old AC unit with mismatched components; three refrigerators and freezers; and a leaky attic with a third of the insulation they needed.
Stay tuned to learn how the Jones family settles their home’s comfort issues once and for all with with their PowerSaver Home Makeover.
Name: Angela Richards
Location: Fluvanna County (Lake Monticello)
Year Built: 1978
Square Footage: 1,400
Bedrooms: 3
Baths: 2
Type of Home: Single-family ranch style with basement
Heating Source: Heat pump and wood stove
Energy saving opportunities: attic insulation, sealing air leaks around attic hatch and fireplaces, updating refrigerator and water heater
Like many homeowners, Angela Richards dealt with comfort issues for years in her late-seventies ranch home in Lake Monticello. Her energy bills were moderate only because she used every trick she could think of to keep them as low as possible. That included using the wood stove located in the basement that would make the family room too hot, but when it was off the room was freezing. As a semi-finalist in the contest, she received a free home energy assessment that found a number of problems, including: an attic with a fraction of the insulation it needed; major air leaks at the attic hatch and two fireplaces; 17- year old heat pump, 23-year old refrigerator and 20-year old water heater that were not operating efficiently.
Stay tuned to learn how Angela gets her home back in working order with her $5,000 PowerSaver Home Makeover.
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