Residential Energy Assessment

Weatherization measures can cost-effectively reduce fuel usage in many homes by at least a third.

SERG offers three Home Performance services to help you reduce energy use, save money, improve the health, comfort and safety of your home and protect the environment. Each of our services builds off the one before. So you start at step 1 and, if you choose, move on to steps 2 and then 3. Here is a description of the services, followed by our on-line survey to get you started.

Step 1 - Residential Thermal Efficiency Screen - Fill in the square footage of your home's heated space and the amount of heating fuel use in the on-line survey below. You will receive FREE automatic feedback on how efficiently you are heating your home and how it compares with similarly sized efficient homes. It only takes a minute! This will let you know whether you need to take more action to increase your home's efficiency and save money.

Step 2 - Residential Energy Survey and Consultation - Complete and submit the on-line residential survey below. Then send a $30 check made out to "SERG", 432 Ulman Rd., Thetford Center, VT 05075. A professional Home Performance specialist will then review your survey and call you to discuss its results and any other energy or home performance concerns you have. The $30 will be applied toward a Home Performance Assessment, should you decide to follow through with one.

Step 3 - Home Performance Assessment - After the survey consultation, one of our trained and certified Home Performance with Energy Star contractors will contact you to set up an on-site assessment. We prefer conducting the assessments while owners are at home so they can observe the process if interested and answer questions if needed.

The Assessment includes:

A blower door test and infrared scan to measure how leaky your house is and identify the source of air leaks - the biggest source of heat loss.
Tests to make sure your combustion appliances are operating efficiently and properly venting - an important safety measure.
A thorough visual inspection of your home to identify areas of heat loss, as well as health, comfort and safety concerns.
A written report with findings, recommended measures and estimated energy savings.

SERG Home Performance Assessments are currently limited to Upper Valley towns from Bradford, VT in the north to Hartland, VT in the south, and from Canaan, NH in the east to Woodstock and Sharon, VT in the west.

The cost of SERG's Home Performance Assessment service varies with the size and complexity of your home:

SERG Home Performance Assessment Rates

For Single-Family Homes up to 2,500 sq ft		$450.00
For Single-Family Homes 2,501 to 3,500 sq ft		$550.00
For Single-Family Homes 3,501 to 5,500 sq ft		$650.00
For Single-Family Homes 5,501 to 7,500 sq ft		$800.00
For Single-Family Homes over 7,500 sq ft		Contact SERG for pricing

The $30 fee for the Energy Survey Consultation above will count toward the Home Performance Assessment Fee.

How much will I save?

Energy savings will vary depending upon how leaky your home is and on how extensively participants implement the suggested efficiency measures. Many inefficient homes can expect to achieve 25% to 50% savings or more in energy use through a comprehensive energy retrofit. Comparing the results of your Residential Thermal Screen against 40,000 BTUs/square foot of heated space for a relatively tight house will give you some sense of your potential savings.

Special Incentives For Vermont Residents Only

Thanks to Efficiency Vermont, residents of Vermont can receive several value-added features to their Home Performance Assessment. SERG will replace high-use screw-in incandescent bulbs with FREE compact fluorescent lightbulbs. This can save $40-$70 in electricity costs over each bulb's lifetime. We can also install free hot water tank insulation jackets, pipe wrap, low-flow showerheads, and faucet aerators for Vermont residents using electric hot water. Vermonters who complete the work plan as described in our report also have access to a bank loan financing incentive offered by Efficiency Vermont which will "buy down" your loan by 3.5%.

For more information about SERG's Home Performance Services, contact us at 802-785-4126 or SERG@valley.net.

Step 1 - SERG Residential Thermal Efficiency Screen

Complete the following to receive FREE automatic feedback on how efficiently you are heating your home and how it compares with similarly sized efficient homes.

Heated Space

Enter the total approximate square feet of heated space in your home. Count only area that is intentionally heated. For example do NOT include basement space unless there is a stove or heat registers there. Estimates of area size are close enough for this rough screen - house length X width X # floors.

Total approximate square feet of heated space:

Heating Fuels

Fill in the volume of each of the following fuel sources you use per year. (Contact your fuel dealer for past statements if necessary.)

Oil: Number of Gallons used per Year
Propane: Number of Gallons Used per Year
Wood: Number of Cords Used per Year
Kerosene: Number of Gallons Used per Year
Natural Gas: Number of Therms Used per Year
Wood Pellets: Tons Used per Year
Results: Click here to finalize the calculation. These next two fields are calculated for you based upon the fuel usage and square feet of heated space entered above. These calculations are accurate only if this above data is entered correctly.
Total MBTU Usage (Milliion BTUs):
BTUs per square foot of heated space:
Homes using 30,000 BTU per square foot of heated space or less are doing pretty well. Those using more probably have opportunities for improvement. The more BTUs you are using per square foot of heated space, the less efficiently you are heating and the more opportunities there are for you to save. If you are interested in professional review of your home's energy efficiency read over SERG's Home Performance Assessment. Then fill out and submit the SERG SERG Residential Energy Survey below.

Step 2 - SERG Residential Energy Survey
Complete and submit the on-line residential energy survey below. Please make sure you have also filled in the information on Step 1 above. Then send a $30 check made out to "SERG" to SERG, 432 Ulman Rd., Thetford Center, VT 05075. A professional Home Performance specialist will then review your survey and call you to discuss its results and any other energy or home performance concerns you have. . The $30 will be applied toward a Home Performance Assessment, should you decide to follow through with one. If you are interested in additional information about this service or have questions about this survey, please contact us at SERG@valley.net or 802-785-4126.
We prefer receiving electronic surveys. If you are having difficulties with the electronic survey, you may instead download and print the .pdf version ["Residential Energy Survey 06-07 [pdf]"] , fill it out by hand, and mail it with a $30 check made out to SERG.

Contact Information

First Name
Last Name
Email
Mailing Address
Town
State Zip

Service Address (if different)
Town State Zip
Home Phone
Work Phone

Did you purchase fuel through the SERG Energy Club in 2003/4? Yes
Did you purchase fuel through the SERG Energy Club in 2004/5? Yes

Miscellaneous Energy Symptoms (Please check all that apply.)

Ice-dams
Frozen pipes
Respiratory illness in the winter
High Expense
Sweaty windows in winter
Mold/mildew
Cold drafts

Basic House Characteristics

Type of Home:
Single Family
Mobile Home
Condo/Townhouse
Duplex or Apartments
Own    Rent
If rent: Building Owner or Manager:
Phone

Number of heated stories:
Approximately what year was your house built?
Number of Household Residents

Occupied:     Year Round     Seasonal

Foundation
Full Basement
Crawlspace
Slab

House Insulation Level – High   Medium   Low

Home Heating

Primary Heating System

System Type:
Warm air furnace (ducts distribute heated air)
Steam boiler (pipes carry steam)
Hot water boiler (Pipes carry heated water)
Space heater/room heaters/wood stove
Radiant
Heating Fuel Type:   Oil LP Gas   Wood   Kerosene   Natural Gas   Electricity   Solar
Other:
System Age in Years:
Is it zoned?   Yes    No
Does it have a Programmable Thermostat?   Yes    No
Secondary Heating System
System Type:
Warm air furnace (ducts distribute heated air)
Steam boiler (pipes carry steam)
Hot water boiler (Pipes carry heated water)
Space heater/room heaters/wood stove
Radiant

Heating Fuel Type:   Oil LP Gas   Wood   Kerosene   Natural Gas   Electricity   Solar
Other:
System Age in Years: Is it zoned?   Yes   No
Does it have a Programmable Thermostat?   Yes    No

Water Heating System
Primary Hot Water System

Type:

Tankless coil direct inside boiler
Storage tank indirect from boiler
Stand alone heater with storage tank
Solar hot water panels
On-demand or instantaneous system

Fuel: Heating Fuel Type:   Oil LP Gas   Wood   Kerosene   Natural Gas   Electricity   Solar

System Age Tank Size
Tank Wrapped: Yes No
Pipes Wrapped: Yes No

Secondary Hot Water Heating System

Type:
Tankless coil direct inside boiler
Storage tank indirect from boiler
Stand alone heater with storage tank
Solar hot water panels
On-demand or instantaneous system

Fuel: Heating Fuel Type:   Oil LP Gas   Wood   Kerosene   Natural Gas   Electricity   Solar
System Age Tank Size
Tank Wrapped: Yes No
Pipes Wrapped: Yes No

Household Electric Use
Please provide your electric use in kiloWatt hours (kWh) by month for the past year. These figures may be on your electric bill or you can contact your electric utility for them. Vermont utility customers do NOT have to fill monthly electric usage figures below as SERG can access this information automatically through our contractual agreement with Efficiency Vermont. Make sure the contact name and address on this survey are the same as those on your electric bills. This and all survey information is confidential.

Electric Utility
Account #

Number of Kilowatt-Hours Used per Month

These next two fields are calculated for you based upon the electric usage entered above. This calculation is accurate only if data from all 12 months is entered. Average residential usage in New England is about 500 to 600 kWh/month. Homes using less than 300 kWh of electricity per month are usually doing very well and those using close to or over 500 kWh per month often have cost-effective savings opportunities. Vermonters who have not filled in this section can find your average kWh usage on your monthly electric bills.
Total kWh per year:
Average kWh per month:

List type and approximate age of each of your major appliances
Many new ENERGY STAR rated appliances use half the electricity of other models as recent as 15 years old. Click and scroll in each menu to list each of the major appliances that you have, and list the age for each. If you have more than one of any type appliance, list ages for each.

Major appliance 1: Age
Major appliance 2: Age
Major appliance 3: Age
Major appliance 4: Age
Major appliance 5: Age
Major appliance 6: Age
Major appliance 7: Age
Major appliance 8: Age

For each of the following that you have, list your primary and, if applicable, secondary means of heating, and frequency of use

Cooking:
Clothes Drying, primary method:
Other:
Loads per week   Year-round    Seasonal
Clothes Drying, secondary method:
Other:
Loads per week   Year-round    Seasonal
Sauna heating:
Other:
Days used per week   Year-round   Seasonal
Hot tub/ Jacuzzi heating method:
Other:
days used per week Year-round Seasonal
Swimming pool heating method:
Other:   Year-round    Seasonal

Household Lighting
Household lighting is one of the highest electric uses in the typical home. Compared with incandescent bulbs, new compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) use about 1/4 the electricity, last 8-10 times longer and save you $40 - $70 in electric usage over the lifetime of each bulb.
Approximately how many compact fluorescent light bulbs/fixtures are installed in your house?
Approximately how many incandescent bulbs are installed in your house that you use more than 1 hour per day?

Renewable Energy Inventory
List installed kiloWatt (kW) rating for any renewable energy power systems you have:
kW Solar
kW Wind
kW Hydro

Recent Energy Changes
Please list any changes that you may have made or begun in you house over the last year which should affect your energy use (ex. Air sealing work in attic, added 2" foam insulation in basement, installed new windows, bought new Energy Star refrigerator, energy audit conducted on house, etc.)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Check here if you would like more information on SERG Energy Audit and Efficiency Services:

Low Income Weatherization

Households meeting eligibility guidelines may qualify for free energy audit, retrofit, fuel and electric assistance. Please check here if you qualify.

# Household Occupants Maximum Combined Household Income (Vermont) Maximum Combined Household Income (New Hampshire)

1 $22,271 $18,889

2 $29,124 $25,327

3 $35,997 $31,765

4 $42,829 $38,203

5 $49,682 $44,641

These guidelines change annually.
Some of your income may not count toward these thresholds, so to see if you qualify, please check with the following agencies:
New Hampshire Office of Energy and Planning
Low income weatherization and fuel assistance programs, Andy Gray - 603-271-6359, http://www.nh.gov/oep/programs/fuelassistance/eligibility.htm
Vermont Office of Economic Opportunity
Low income weatherization and fuel assistance programs, Jules Junker, 802-241-2452, julesj@wpgate1.ahs.state.vt.us, www.dcf.vermont.gov/oeo/weatherization

The SERG Residential Energy Survey was produced by Sustainable Energy Resource Group. For more information on SERG and its energy saving programs, contact SERG at: 802-785-4126, SERG@valley.net or http://www.serg-info.org .
Your support for our efforts is greatly appreciated.
Please print out this page before clicking on the Submit button, to make sure that your printed copy corresponds with what you are submitting, and so that you have a record of this information in case it gets lost in transmission. Please contact SERG (SERG@valley.net or 802-785-4126) if you have not heard back from us within a week of submission.