Have you been considering making Energy upgrades to your home?  Then you dont want to miss entering to win up to a $10,000 Energy Makeover for Your Home! 

The Atlanta SHINE and DecaturWISE  have teamed up with EGIA, Georgia Air Contractors, and several other sponsors to help two homeowners make their homes more energy-efficient and comfortable with the 2011 Home Energy Makeover Contest.

Find out more or apply online at: http://www.homeenergymakeovers.net/

Increase comfort and Save $$!

Hurry!  Applications must be in by August 19th, 2011.

If you would like more information on ways you can save energy cost at home or would like to hear about how to take advantage of the Atlanta SHINE and Georgia Power rebate for Energy upgrades, please contact us today!

How would you like for when you set your thermostat to be 75 degrees when you get home at 6:00pm for your home to actually be 75 degrees when you get home?  The problem with some programmable thermostats is that when you set your temperature at 6:00 pm for 75, the thermostat doesnt start working towards that temperature until 6:00 pm.

You could always set the thermostat to come on at 5:00 pm so that the house is cool when you get home, but what if its doesnt take that long to get to your ideal temperature?  Then you have wasted energy!  Here is where adaptive intelligent recovery comes in…

Adaptive intelligent recovery is found on Honeywell programmable thermostats and is often called Smart Recovery.  It is a function which allows the thermostat to track how long it takes to pre-heat or pre-cool a room during the changing seasons. It uses this information to start heating or cooling a room prior to the start of a programmed period.

This means that if you set the thermostat to come on at 6:00 pm and the room temperature to be 75 degrees; then at 6pm the room is exactly 75 degrees. You won’t have to try and guess how long you should set the thermostat before you wake up or arrive home from work.  This also only requires a gradual heating or cooling which is much more energy efficient.

Let us, Georgia Air Contractors, install one of these thermostats for you today and start enjoying the comfort and savings of smarter thermostat!

If you own a multifamily property, listen up we have some exciting news for you.

HUD and Fannie Mae are teaming up in an effort to lower the annual operating costs of properties that qualify for Low Income Housing Tax Credits.

They are calling it Green Refinance Plus which is a plus one to the existing HUD’s FHA and Fannie Mae “risk-share” program.

To do this they are going to start accepting refinance applications and offer a list of energy and water saving upgrades, as well as some additional renovations that may be required.

HUD is calling this Green Refinance Plus and including geothermal heat pumps in the program. This is a fantastic opportunity to not only upgrade your existing system, but switch to a geothermal solution that will save you even more money over the long run.

On average most owners of apartment complexes and other multihome properties refinances about once a decade. In that amount of time a new geothermal heat pump system will have paid for itself many times over.

The intention is to lend a hand to those who are currently able to continue owning their property, but unable to afford any upgrades to increase it’s worth and decrease energy consumption. By teaming up FHA, which is HUD’s Federal Housing Admin, and Fannie Mae will be able to refinance projects on these properties, and also allow property owners to obtain more funding to support other energy related improvements.

To peak interests further, Fannie Mae is suggesting they will be seeing, on average, loads from $3-$5 million.

Requirements for the program are as follows:

“Property must be at least 10 years old, with a recorded use agreement of the
affordability restrictions that extends for at least the term of the new loan to
help preserve affordable housing.

At least 5 percent of the refinance loan proceeds must be applied to property
renovation or energy retrofit.

All rehabilitation and energy improvements must enhance value and improve
property operations.”

Contact us today if you are interested in looking further into receiving funding to upgrade the energy efficiency of your property.

For more information about the Green Refinances Plus program, you can download the PDF fact sheet here.

Click on map to see it larger.

Sustainable Home Initiative in the New Economy

On Saturday, June 4, the SHINE Home Energy Efficiency Expo will allow attendees to receive eligibility information from SHINE program representatives and contractors, who will be on site to discuss home energy efficiency assessments and improvements and program rebates at the Southface SWEET Center (Southeast Weatherization and Energy Efficiency Training
Center).

SHINE representatives and contractors will also demonstrate home retrofitting and energy- efficiency techniques in this state of the art training facility in addition to offering day-of incentives.

Why should I weatherize my home?

Save money! Experience greater in-home comfort. Lower your utility bills. Help the environment.

•For every $1 invested in weatherization, an estimated $2.40 is returned in total benefits!

•The estimated annual energy bill for an average house in Atlanta: $2,295 Total.

•A properly weatherized home can save a homeowner an average of $1,000 annually.

WHAT: Home Energy Efficiency Expo at Southface’s SWEET Center
WHEN: Saturday, June 4, 10:00a.m. – 1:30p.m.
WHERE: The Southface SWEET Center, located at 590 Piedmont Ave., Atlanta, GA 30308
WHO: Open to ALL City of Atlanta Homeowners, speakers will include representatives from the City of Atlanta SHINE program, GA Power, AGL Resources, SHINE Contractors, and Southface
SPECIALS: There will be a special offer for all those that attend!

Free parking will be available at the Atlanta Civic Center Parking lot (Pine St. entrance) one block from the SWEET Center.

Call for more information at 770-498-6000 or visit the website: Atlanta Shine.

Geothermal is free energy from the earth.

Geothermal pumps are a more efficient way of heating and cooling.

If you, as a energy-conscious homeowner, want to save money, this should catch your eye. But then, you notice the pricey costs and you think, “I don’t think I can afford that right now … maybe later.”

Think again.

Federal tax credits and financing can make the geothermal advantages more affordable. Also, reports show that you can actually start saving money right away. Starting to sound better, right?

This means you can still go on vacations and maybe have a little more money to spend on a nice dinners, plus you’ll know that you’re saving year-round and using less energy.

What is Geothermal?

Geothermal isn’t exactly new, but those that are using it are considered innovative and informed. The way geothermal works is that it takes advantage of the constant temperature underground to provide more efficient heating and cooling. Basically, it uses heat from within the Earth which is a renewable energy source.

What are the Geothermal Costs?

A recent article on NPR talked about a couple who took the geothermal plunge. Their payoff was three to seven years. It can take a little time to see the savings, but it really depends on your home and your situation. If you’re planning on staying in your Atlanta area home for awhile, perhaps raising a family, then it’s a great thing to consider as a renewable energy and an alternative to solar energy.

A report issued this year from a geothermal company further demonstrates how affordable these units can be for your residential home.

“…when installations are financed, rather than being paid for as a lump sum up front, it can be shown that homeowners start saving money the very first day when they turn on their heat pump.”

Tax Credits Can Help You Make the Switch to Geothermal

Right now, consumers can get a 30 percent federal tax credit on geothermal units for their homes. According to energy.gov, a tax credit is generally more valuable than an equivalent tax deduction because a tax credit reduces tax dollar-for-dollar, while a deduction only removes a percentage of the tax that is owed.

Don’t let the sticker shock stop you from going geothermal. You can save money on your energy costs, and we can help.

3 Ways GACI Can Help You Make Sense of Geothermal

1. Check out our Geothermal Savings Calculator to see how much of your hard-earned money you could be saving.
2. Read our frequently asked questions concerning geothermal.
3. Sign up on our sidebar for a FREE Geothermal Consultation today.

Georgia Air Conditioning, your indoor comfort and energy solutions specialist, offers 12 months no interest financing on all geothermal installations in the Atlanta area.

Do you have questions about geothermal?

Photo Credit: Johann kr on Flickr