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You’re probably wasting $400 on utility bills; Help is on the way
Every year, Hoosiers throw away hundreds of dollars in energy costs due to inefficient home fixtures and appliances, but a new federal program could pay for more efficient upgrades.
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, the average U.S. household spends $2,000 a year on electricity. Up to a fifth of that, about $400, could be going to waste from problems with air leaks, outdated heating and cooling systems and appliances.
Due to the new federal Home Energy Rebates Program, Hoosiers could receive up to $14,000 in rebates to help pay for those upgrades when the program launches later this year or early next year.
The Indiana Office of Energy Development will implement the program here, disbursing $182 million in energy efficiency rebates.
But first, the office will hold listening sessions to learn what Hoosiers want, including one on June 11 at the Indiana History Center’s Basile Theater.
Mirror Indy spoke to Office of Energy Development Executive Director Ryan Hadley about the program and how it will help people save money on energy. Responses have been edited for brevity and clarity.
Office seeks to help Hoosiers save money
Question: What does the Office of Energy Development do?
Answer: Our mission is to help provide affordable, stable and reliable energy solutions.
We do that through three fundamental priorities of our office: Policy guidance, grant administration and public education.
We provide energy policy guidance to the governor’s office, to other state agencies that may be dealing with energy-related issues. We also, from time to time, support the legislature and help answer any technical questions as it relates to energy legislation.
On the grant administration side, we have a portfolio of energy-related grant programs. That’s about $230 million in funding, most of which is from the U.S. Department of Energy.
The energy transition is in full swing here in Indiana, and so we try to be a resource for the public, for stakeholders and for policymakers as it relates to Indiana’s energy ecosystem.
Q: Why is energy efficiency important for Hoosiers?
A: Energy efficiency is a really important topic and something that folks need to be more aware of. Simply put, the cheapest kilowatt is the one that you never consume, so the less that you’re able to consume from the utility — that’s going to improve your bill. So being able to invest in products and in technologies that can help alleviate the need for more consumption from your utility, that’s just going to have a direct impact on your utility bill.
Rebate program targets appliances, heating/cooling systems
Q: Explain the Home Energy Rebates Program.
A: The purpose is really to improve energy efficiency, and so the federal statute lays out several different technologies or pieces of equipment that a customer can apply for and receive and get a deep discount on those technologies being installed in their home.
Again, the primary purpose there is to improve energy efficiency, so when you think about new heat pumps, or heat pump water heaters, when you think about new and efficient appliances that we use everyday, clothes dryers, stoves and those types of appliances, it’s really incredibly important that those be as efficient as possible.
The biggest consumers of electricity for homes are your appliances, and so we’re hoping to leverage this program and make a very efficient, Indiana-based program to help facilitate investment in thousands of Hoosier homes.
There are two programs that we’re going to roll into one and deploy them simultaneously. The first is what we call the Building Envelope Program that will focus on improving the envelope of your housing stock — adding insulation and those types of improvements.
The second program is directly about the appliances. Being able to go in and help folks purchase those high-efficiency appliances to reduce the energy consumption from washing clothes, drying clothes or cooking food.
What the office wants to know from Hoosiers
Q: What kind of input do you want from Hoosiers at these listening sessions?
A: We are really hoping to better understand how we can communicate, offer and get these discounts into the hands of consumers.
We want to make sure that the process is as least burdensome as possible to apply.
If we have a portal system (online), what would be some key qualities for folks to be able to efficiently move through that? Is it mobile-friendly? Should there be a paper form to submit? A call center to help facilitate the customer interaction and get them through that process? And then, how can we best inform the public and inform their communities about this program? What are some organizations that we can reach out to to help inform the public about this?
We recognize that saying, ‘We’re here. We’re from the government and we’re here to help,’ doesn’t always resonate with people, right? So how do we help facilitate information in a very trustworthy way and get community buy-in and spread the word as much as possible?
As part of this program, an energy auditor is going to come to somebody’s home and do an energy assessment. That assessment will essentially generate a list of eligible investments that home may want to purchase. So how can we help inform them to understand what those investments might look like, the costs that may be associated with those and then how we might be able to inform them to help them make the right decision for their specific call.
If you go
The Indianapolis listening session will be 6:30-8:30 p.m. June 11 at the Frank and Katrina Basile Theatre, 450 W. Ohio St.
To register, go to https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/HFW6HNL.
The agency will hold listening sessions in Evansville on June 13 and Fort Wayne June 25 and a virtual listening session June 27. Details for that will be announced soon.
For any questions about the rebate program, email rebates@oed.in.gov.
Mirror Indy is a part of Free Press Indiana, a nonprofit news organization dedicated to ensuring all Hoosiers have access to the news and information they need.