With energy costs rising, homeowners and renters are looking for ways to save money on utility bills and DTE Energy’s home energy consultations help customers discover ways to do just that.
DTE professional consultants are available to perform home energy usage assessments to evaluate the energy efficiency of your home and offer low or no cost recommendations to save money on utility costs.
Outreach Coordinator Holly Gritter says the consultants focus on sharing easy behavioral changes the customers can make right away, such as unplugging electronic chargers when not in use.
“We want to help our customers save energy now,” she says.
You may have heard of the Better Buildings or the GR1K energy consultation programs. While these programs are similar, they’re more comprehensive and cost residents money. The DTE home energy consultation program is an audit that’s free to homeowners and some renters, with no income restrictions.
While at the customers’ homes, the energy consultants also install energy saving products valued at around $50, such as:
- Water-saving faucet aerators in the kitchen and bathroom that can reduce water usage without lowering the water pressure in the pipes.
- Showerheads that can save up to one and half gallons of hot water per minute reducing water-heating costs by nearly 30 percent.
- Water heater pipe wrap, up to nine feet from the hot water tank, which can reduce heat loss and increase water temperature in the pipes, saving on water-heating costs.
- Programmable thermostats, if applicable, that can also reduce energy costs.
The average energy consultation takes around 30 minutes and the field reps are available for questions afterward.
In addition to the energy savings ideas and the products installed, DTE offers customers many rebates and financing options for home improvements that save energy. An information packet is handed out to customers during the home energy consultation explaining the options. This information can also be found online.
DTE’s home energy consultation program began in January 2011 and last year, they performed energy audits in more than 30,000 homes -- around 5,000 in Grand Rapids and another 25,000 in the southeast part of the state. They are on target to meet with another 30,000 residents or more before the end of 2012.
Many of the residents who have participated in a home energy consultation have said they’ve noticed their energy bills going down.
Gritter says appointment times in January are filling up fast so in order for residents to save money yet this winter, they should make an appointment soon.
DTE has also been partnering with local organizations such as the Grand Rapids Urban League, Family Promise, WMEAC, Grand Rapids African American Health Institute, Salvation Army, Senior Meals on Wheels, Seeds of Hope, and more to build relationships, spread the word about the home energy consultations, and get involved in some of their programs.
They recently did a “gas buy down” event with the Grand Rapids Urban League and signed people up for the energy consultation, gave away prizes, and made a donation to the organization. They will soon be partnering on a toy drive with Love INC out of Muskegon, too.
“We think that what (these organizations) are doing in the Grand Rapids community is great,” says Gritter, adding that, by helping some of the families involved with these agencies lower their energy costs, they hope it will allow them to have more money for holiday gifts and meals.
DTE is making a strong effort to give back to the community it serves and, at the same time, offering valuable energy savings recommendations that could add up to big energy cost reductions for its customers.
To find out more about the DTE home energy consultations and to schedule one for your home,
visit them online or call 866-796-0512.
Source: Holly Gritter, DTE Energy Outreach Coordinator
Writer: Heidi Stukkie, Do Good Editor
Images provided by DTE Energy.