Receive Financial Incentives for Improving Your Home's Energy Use

Menlo Park residents that make improvements to their home to conserve water, electricity and natural gas may be eligible for up to $4,000 in rebates under the Energy Upgrade California program.

The program, an alliance of California cities, counties, utilities, and non-profit groups, provides a financial incentive for home owners.  As long as they choose a contractor to do the work from a list of pre-approved vendors, they can qualify for basic or advanced energy upgrade compensation in the form of rebates.  These are partially funded by money from the Federal Stimulus.

A before- and after-the-upgrade test is conducted to determine the percentage of energy savings, which then determines the amount of the rebate.  The basic option requires air sealing, attic insulation, duct sealing, hot water pipe insulation, low-flow shower head with thermostatic control, smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors, as well as combustion safety testing. 

The rebate for this option is $1,000. To receive a larger rebate, custom measures such as furnace and water heater replacement, wall insulation, and energy efficient window replacement need to be completed. 

Homeowners that reduce their energy usage by 40 percent earn a $4,000 rebate.  To get started go to: www.EnergyUpgradeCA.org.

For residents who are interested in more information about how much energy their home is using, but don't need to hire a contractor or participate in the rebate program, the non-profit group Acterra offers a no-charge home energy audit under their Green@Home Program.

Two volunteers conduct a two-hour test of your home's heating and cooling systems, as well as other items, and review your energy bill to make energy reduction suggestions.  Visit Acterra.org to get started.