In Fall 2018, Whitesburg-based housing non-profit HOMES, Inc. made investments in new energy-efficient water heaters and wi-fi thermostats with guidance from MACED’s Energy Efficient Enterprises (E3) team. In just four months, savings have equated to about $450!
Looking at the four months of electricity usage since they installed their new equipment and comparing it to the same four months from a year ago, HOMES lowered their kilowatt-hour usage by 6 percent, and their demand usage by a whopping 17 percent! (Kilowatt-hour usage is the amount of electricity you use, and demand usage is how quickly you use it. Demand is typically only charged to commercial customers.)
At this rate, the thermostats will pay for themselves in two years, and the water heaters in five years. They are looking at a savings of around $1,900 per year due to these investments. In fact, this past February – typically a high-cost month for a building with electric heat – HOMES had their lowest bill in 18 months!
Saving on electric costs is especially important for HOMES as any savings can go back into serving their mission of providing affordable, efficient housing to people in need in southeast Kentucky, instead of to the utility company.
Installing solar panels
Efficiency also has impacts on HOMES’ new rooftop solar installation – currently in progress! – because solar goes a lot farther when you’re using less electricity to begin with. MACED’s Commercial Energy Specialist Josh Bills estimates that with this new efficient equipment and their solar panels, HOMES will use HALF the electricity per year than they used to!
Stay tuned for more news about HOMES’ solar installation in the coming weeks!
