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 Button-UpThe two best things you can do to lower your heating and cooling costs are to increase the amount of insulation in your home and stop outside air from getting inside your home. Button-Up will help you increase your home’s efficiency and your comfort while cutting your electric bills. Your home must be at least five years old and use electricity as the primary heat source. Call our energy advisors and they will make an appointment to come to your home and point out areas where the efficiency of your home can be improved. A heat loss calculation will be done before you make recommended improvements and then again afterwards to determine the exact amount of your incentive payment. When you Button-Up, we’ll pay you up to $400 for any improvements you make which reduces the amount of heat your home needs. Your incentive payment will be $20 for every 1,000 BTUs your heating load is lowered. Contact your local South Kentucky Rural Electric office for more information or to set up an appointment. Top of page Touchstone Energy Home Build your new home to our Touchstone Energy Home Standards, and receive not only a 30% reduction in your annual heating/cooling costs, but you may also qualify to receive an incentive. If you build and install a geothermal system, you can get a $500 incentive; if you build and install a high-efficiency air-to-air heat pump, you will receive $300. Pick up a copy of the Touchstone Energy Home Specifications to be sure your home will qualify. (We must be provided with a floor plan so that a heat loss/heat gain calculation can be completed to determine the heating and cooling equipment size. The house must be completed before a blower door test can be performed to verify that the house meets the standard.) Contact your local South Kentucky Rural Electric office for all the details and requirements for both of these programs. Top of page Touchstone Energy Manufactured Home Manufactured Homes Built to Energy Star® Performance Levels Help You Save Money There is a new way for electric cooperative customers to save money: The Touchstone Energy Home. Owning a manufactured home built to these standards can cut the costs for heating and cooling by as much as 30 percent. At the same time, you'll be more comfortable year-round, especially in the summers and winters, because of the home's superior design. You reap savings and comfort because the Touchstone Energy Home has: · A sealed duct system · Energy efficient double-pane windows · Added insulation in the roof and wall · An improved gasket that seals the halves of the home together The critical difference in manufactured homes built to Touchstone Energy Home standards is the duct system. Many older manufactured homes leak conditioned air because of flaws in the duct system, driving up the monthly heating and cooling costs. The Touchstone Energy Home eliminates waste. It's an all-electric, manufactured home built to federal Energy Star® specifications. During winters, it is kept warm by a heat pump that makes it more energy efficient than many manufactured homes. The initial cost of a Touchstone Energy Home adds $7 to $10 more each month to a typical manufactured home mortgage. But the homeowner pays $15 to $20 less in heating and cooling costs each month. Your total monthly expenses will be lower from the very beginning. Over 20 or 30 years, your savings can total thousands of dollars. Here are other bonuses you get: · Your cooperative will help you realize the savings. Buyers of qualified manufactured homes sited on co-op lines are eligible for a $250 rebate from your local Touchstone Energy Cooperative. · The Touchstone Energy Home may qualify for special financing packages. Ask your manufactured home dealer for details. · If you decide to move, your Touchstone Energy Home may have a higher resale value. The Energy Star® energy efficiency certification is appealing to people wanting to buy a new home. To qualify for a $250 rebate, call South Kentucky RECC at 800-264-5112. Top of page Geothermal Heating & Cooling Geothermal heating & cooling is the most energy efficient system available. It uses an underground loop system as a heat exhanger, which makes it more efficient than ordinary heat pumps. If you are installing a geothermal system, you may qualify for a $300 rebate. The geothermal equipment must meet the ARI-330 standard. The equipment must be installed by qualified geothermal contractors. Contact the local RECC office for a list of participating heating and air contractors in your area. All systems must be closed-loop systems. Contact your local South Kentucky Rural Electric office for all the details and requirements for both of these programs. Top of page  Tune-Up Tune-Up is another home efficiency program targeted to SKRECC members who have electric heat pumps and furnaces. It is offered at a cost of $75 to qualifying members. Tune-Up consists of air-infiltration testing, sealing ductwork, cleaning indoor and outdoor coils, changing filters, measuring air flow, checking the accuracy of your thermostat, and checking the compressor operation. The tests we do may also show you things you can do to your home to lower your energy costs. Results from tests of this program showed Tune-Up can produce a savingsof $170/year in heating and cooling costs.Of course, your exact savings will vary according to your home and heating system. For more information on Tune-Up, contact your local South Kentucky Rural Electric office. Top of page  Electric Thermal
Storage Electric Thermal Storage (ETS) heaters use ceramic bricks to store heat given off by elements inside the heater. The elements come on during the co-op’s off-peak times to heat up the bricks. The stored heat is then released throughout the day. ETS is a great replacement for gas and fuel oil space heaters and for wood stoves. Many members use them to supplement their existing electric heating system. While one unit usually won’t heat your entire home when it gets really cold, multiple-unit systems can be designed that will keep you warm all winter long. Not only do you receive a 40% discount on the electricity used by the heater, but you will receive a $50 per KW rebate. For more information on heating your home with ETS, contact your local South Kentucky Rural Electric office or click here. Top of page |
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