Thawing Out and Checking Up this National Cut Your Energy Costs Day

January 10, 2014

As we begin to thaw out from the polar vortex, many of us are dreading the damage this week’s frigid weather did to our energy bills. We cranked up the heat and hunkered down in our toasty homes, but at what cost? And while the weather dictates our travel plans and clothing choices, does it really have to wreak havoc inside our homes?

It’s appropriate that we ask these questions today, National Cut Your Energy Costs Day.

That’s what we do at LEAP every day of the year. We help people (more than 1,500 homeowners so far) cut their energy costs by making their homes smarter in all seasons. Keep in mind that about six months from now we could be in the throes of a heat wave, sweltering in our hot-box homes and pumping up the AC to cool off with the same result of higher energy bills…unless you take action now.

For those of you wanting to know the single best thing you can do to cut those costs, the answer is get a Home Energy Check-up performed by LEAP*. You can get all the details here, but basically for $45 a LEAP Energy Coach visits your house and gives you an evaluation of your home’s energy efficiency potential, installs at no additional cost energy efficient lightbulbs, smart power strips and pipe insulation and gives you a checklist of additional energy and cost saving measures.

Bargain!

It’s a short-term solution because those products we install will help you save energy and money immediately. More importantly, it’s a long-term solution if you start implementing some of the measures we suggest — whether that’s insulation, air sealing, HVAC upgrades, etc.

(And lots of central Virginia PTOs are using the Check-ups as fundraisers which we wrote about last month.)

Today, in honor of National Cut Your Energy Costs Day, take a step to get answers for your home. You can schedule a Home Energy Check-up performed by LEAP here, and if your neighborhood isn’t currently on our list you can get on our waiting list (we do the Check-ups in appointment blocks by neighborhood).

And by the way we’ve compiled gads of tips for simple, do-it-yourself tricks to get through the winter without breaking the bank. The Home Energy Check-up will customize these and many other options to your home and family.

*Check-ups are available for Dominion Virginia Power customers only. Other utility customers should contact LEAP for alternative options.