A home energy audit is the first step towards reducing energy usage. Bellows is a BPI certified company and can help maximize energy savings and available energy rebates.

Take Advantage of Energy Upgrade California

Bellows Plumbing, Heating, & Sewer recently became Builder Performance Institute, better known as BPI, certified. The training was completed through Ecology Action, of Santa Cruz, a green building program administrator. The certification allows us to complete home energy audits and participate in the Energy Upgrade California through PG&E.

A home energy audit is the first step towards reducing your home’s energy, lowering bills, making the home more comfortable, improving indoor air quality, and conserving resources. Audits include a thorough inspection of the home’s insulating properties, a combustible appliance test, and air leakage test. With the information collected during an energy audit we then model the home’s energy performance and can make recommendations to save energy, correct safety hazards, and improve comfort.

Some of the most common upgrades are improvements in insulation, air sealing,  appliance upgrades, and moisture control. Common appliance upgrades include installing tankless water heaters and changing out forced air furnaces systems to the more efficiency condensing type. Advanced home modeling software allows us to test a variety of methods for maximize the homeowner’s return on energy upgrades.

Safety is always the number one priority when performing and an energy audit or making upgrades. One of the most common safety hazards we come across is carbon monoxide leakage. High doses of carbon monoxide can be fatal, but even low doses can cause long term health issues. We frequently find normal looking homes with normal looking water heaters and furnaces putting off large amounts of carbon monoxide spillage. Often times carbon monoxide is the result of dirty burners, improper air ventilation, or incorrect installation. In some cases we even find appliances that vent correctly most of the time, but the right mixture of outdoor weather and indoor fans or ventilation can cause the appliance to back draft into the home.  

If you’d like more information about the Energy Upgrade California program or you’d like to have a home energy audit and safety inspection completed give us a call at 877-477-7151. Our locally staffed offices provide friendly service to Santa Cruz, Santa Clara, and Marin County.

The Energy Upgrade California Process

The Energy Upgrade California program is a great way to save money and save energy. All customer in good standing with PG&E can qualify for up to $4,000 on energy saving projects. Some of the projects we've completed have included solar thermal, tankless water heaters, furnaces, boilers, windows, insulation, and air sealing. Depending on your home's needs we can work with the home energy auditor to find the optimal solution.

The process starts with a home energy inspection. During the inspection we estimate you energy usage and complete a site walk. The purpose of this first visit is to identify if your home will be a good candidate for the program. If we determine that your home is a good candidate for the Energy Upgrade California program we will set you up for a HERS rater analysis. The analysis takes between 3 and 6 hours to complete and is extremely detailed. We'll measure everything from the size of the house, to total air flow turn over, to combustion safety, to insulating values, and more. Once the analysis is complete we'll use a a modeling software called EnergyPro to determine your home's annual energy consumption. Using the model we can then develop energy saving methods. Once we determine the best course of action and upgrades we'll provide you with a detailed bid for the project and estimated rebate quote. From there the fun starts and we'll make upgrades to you home. The upgrades have a lot of range and Bellows will assist you through the whole process. Once the work is completed we'll perform one final home energy analysis. The second analysis lets us know exactly how much energy we saved and will determine your rebate amount.

For more information on the Energy Upgrade CA or to schedule a home inspection and walk through give Bellows Plumbing, Heating, & Sewer a call. We service all cities within Santa Cruz, Santa Clara, and Marin County. We look forward to hearing from you.

Serving: Aptos 95003, Campbell 95008, 95009, 95011, Capitola 95010, Cupertino, 95014, 95015, Davenport, Los Gatos, 95030, 95031, 95032, 95033, Milpitas, San Jose, 95138, 95139, 95140, 95141, 95142, 95148, 95150, 95151, 95152, 95153, 95154, 95155, 95156, 95157, 95158, 95159, 95160, 95161, 95164, 95170, 95171, 95172, 95173, 95190, 95191, 95192, 95193, 95194, 95196 Santa Clara, 95050, 95051, 95052, 95053, 95054, 95055, 95056, Santa Cruz, 95060, 95062, 95065, Saratoga, Scotts Valley, 95066 Soquel, 95073, Watsonville, 95076, Novato, 94945, 94947, 94948, 95949, 94998, Hamilton, Marinwood, Lucas Valley 94903, Santa Venetia, Ross, Terra Linda, San Rafael 94901, San Anselmo 94960, Fairfax 94930, Larkspur 94939, Kentfield 94904, Greenbrae, Corte Madera 94925, Tiburon 94920, Mill Valley 94941, Sausalito 94965, Petaluma 94954 94952 CA, California, Bay Area

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