Palo Alto Utilities Offers Home Energy Efficiency Checks

PALO ALTO, CA — Like many people in the high-priced San Francisco Peninsula, Ram Narayanan knows money doesn't grow on trees in Palo Alto. In his house built in 1948, it may go out of the attic though.

That's why he chose to sign up for the city of Palo Alto's Genie home efficiency program three months ago. He received a complete energy check costing $149 from an energy-consulting partners that works for the city that runs its own utilities for its citizenry.

The utilities-based program provides Palo Alto residents with free efficiency advice over the telephone and a subsidized, comprehensive in-home assessment for both energy and water, so residents may take the program to varying degrees of engagement.

A Genie House Call—the most comprehensive home efficiency assessment the city offers — involves a licensed building performance expert using diagnostic testing equipment such as infrared cameras and blower-door and duct-pressure testing equipment to evaluate the efficiency of the building's energy performance.

Residents will find simple changes from installing LED bulbs to laying out advanced power strips as mentioned will help them save in the long run, the city said.

The in-depth checkup identifies where energy and water are being wasted in the form of leaks, drafts and faulty equipment. Each "Genie House Call" includes an efficiency assessment of a lighting, windows, major appliances, the HVAC system and hot water system as well as floor, wall and attic insulation like what Narayanan had done.

The average house call takes about three hours. More than 300 Genie in-home assessments have been completed, totaling 973 customer accounts. This includes 604 general inquiries about using Genie in customer households.

The consultant who showed up at Narayanan's home instantly noticed a hindrance in the resident maintaining the heat and cool air in the attic. It had no insulation. As it turns out, solar panels that were installed by a contractor for a television and hot water heater altered the home's top floor, without he and his wife ever knowing about. It's like money flying out of the roof of their home.

"They were super efficient," Narayanan told Patch, adding he was "very pleased" with the outcome.

By the time the job was done and the rebates were delivered, he was only out about $230.

City utilities spokeswoman Catherine Elvert said the program has been well received and successful for Palo Alto residents, to which Paul Koepke, CLEAResult BPI building analyst.

"Sometimes brand new homes lose energy," Koepke said.

A top culprit for a loss in energy efficiency is the furnace, the senior energy advisor mentioned.

When the company responds through city referrals, water heaters, insulation, windows and air conditioning through central system units are checked. Many times, homeowners will inquire about their options for solar energy.

More information on the city's program may be found on its website and on this video.