Programs
Home Performance with ENERGY STAR®
In this economy, many Oklahomans are understandably hesitant to take on larger home improvement projects, even though they yield the biggest energy and money savings. PSO now offers bigger incentives for more comprehensive energy solutions based on a customized, whole-home assessment. Rather than focus on a single project like replacing HVAC equipment or adding insulation, Home Performance helps determine how improvements throughout your home can work together to give you the most energy-efficient results, helping you cut your energy use between 20 to 45 percent. The more energy you save, the higher the rebate! Enhanced incentives of up to $3,000 have now been offered!
To get started, the first step is to have an energy assessment performed on your home. A Home Performance contractor will use state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment to identify the energy-saving improvements that are right for your home and budget. Energy-saving improvements may include:
- High-efficiency heating and cooling systems
- Attic and ceiling insulation
- Wall, knee wall and crawl space insulation
- Air sealing, duct sealing, and duct repair
- Window screens or film
- Compact fluorescent lights
- Radiant barrier
You will receive a detailed report showing you a list of recommended improvements you can make to reduce your energy usage. Energy Modeling is used to determine the level of energy savings your home can achieve; the higher the projected energy savings, the higher the incentives! You and your contractor can determine the improvements that are right for you and your home.
Find out more about the Home Performance with ENERGY STAR® program.
QuEST
The Quick Energy Savings Test (QuEST) is a brief (one or two hours, typically) visual walkthrough of a home that assesses:
- Insulation levels
- Heating and cooling systems
- Windows
- Lighting
- Water Heaters
Find out more about QuEST.
To participate and become eligible for program incentives, homeowners must be located in PSO’s service territory and served by a PSO electric meter. If you receive a monthly bill from PSO, you are in territory and eligible for participation.
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Success Stories
Through the Home Performance with ENERGY STAR component of the Residential Solutions Program, Derek and Kristin were able to take advantage of more than $1,000 in incentives from PSO to pay for energy efficiency upgrades to their home. Watch a brief video to see the whole story.
Amanda F. in Tulsa learned a lot about her home as a result of participating in the Residential Solutions Program: “By working with John at Pro Energy Consultants, I discovered the source of my high energy bills. He is professional, thorough, and taught me much more than I expected about my own home. There were a number of simple updates and improvements that made a difference in my comfort level almost immediately. Even better – those updates lowered my bills and lessened my carbon footprint. After working with John, I plan to utilize the PSO Cool Saver incentives to test my HVAC. I highly recommend taking advantage of these resources.”
Neil Springborn of Lawton, OK was experiencing high energy bills and having a hard time heating and cooling his home when he learned about PSO’s Home Performance with ENERGY STAR program. He soon scheduled a home energy assessment through his local contractor.
The first big find of the assessment was a dead squirrel in his attic. The analyst, a building scientist, also checked the home’s airflow through all vents and penetrations with diagnostic equipment, and easily showed how much air was being leaked out of the home. The home’s heating and air conditioning system was old, noisy and had leaky ducts, and a new system was recommended. After the assessment, the analyst showed Mr. Springborn the results and what energy reduction was possible after improvements were made. Mr. Springborn said, “We were convinced after they showed us. He [the analyst] did a great job. ” Another factor in convincing Mr. Springborn was the special incentive offer of up to $8,250 in incentives from PSO. The Springborn project achieved a 46.8 percent energy reduction that will reduce his utility bills by $1,005 per year. This Home Performance with ENERGY STAR Project qualified for the entire $8,250 incentive amount.
The analyst provided a simple to understand report that compared Mr. Springborn’s house to other ENERGY STAR homes across the United States. Before the project, his home outperformed less than one percent of the homes nationwide. After the improvements were made a “test out” process was conducted to make sure everything was installed correctly and the home was performing as proposed. The final testing results show that Mr. Springborn’s house now outperforms 57 percent of the homes across the United States. This is a tremendous improvement in energy use, comfort, safety and health.
“My wife is nicer to me,” Mr. Springborn jokes when asked about changes in his home since the improvements were completed. “Actually, it’s very comfortable to stay in here now. Before, we were jumping up and down to readjust the thermostat. Now we set it and forget it.”
He says he would recommend the program to everyone, especially people with older heating and air conditioning systems, and to at least have an assessment since you never really know what issues your home may have.
Read about other families who have had success in upgrading their homes through Home Performance with ENERGY STAR.
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Find a Contractor
Contractors may be certified for only QuEST or Home Performance with ENERGY STAR. Contractors certified for Home Performance with ENERGY STAR have been certified by the Building Performance Institute (BPI) and are trained to use the most advanced, state-of-the-art equipment to test your home and identify, health safety, and energy efficiency improvements.
View the list of approved contractors.
Resources
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