I'm Insulated! So, tell me about it.

Now that the audits are mostly done, a few participants have already started getting insulation work done. That seems to be the number one cost/benefit item in the audits, so it's no surprise.
If you have had insulation work done - let us know how it went. And, while I won't mention contractors by name.... if you'd like to, go right ahead. Every homeowner could benefit from your experience.
Please include as much data as you can - especially costs.

How Did The First Round of Bills Go?

So, you've decided to take on the Challenge. When that first utility bill rolled in, was it what you expected? What challenges did you take on to get the savings this month? What are you planning on doing for next month?

What are Your Top Three?

So, you get your audit done, and it's an extensive report. Luckily, EcoFab was kind enough to provide you a short list of high priority things to work on. So, what are your top three, based on your energy audit report?
Are there enough of us looking for the same kind of repair that we want to consider something out-of-the-box, like trying to get a discount on work or materials?

How Can I Best Prepare for an Energy Audit?

This is an open question for those of you who have completed your energy audit. If you were to do it over again, what would you be sure to do... or NOT do?

• Did you ask all of the questions you had, or did you forget to ask all of those burning (pun clearly intended) questions?
  
• Was your house ready for the Auditor? For example, did you have to move some furniture to access a leaky area in the house?
• How well did your prediction of your home's performance match the audit results? Any BIG surprises?

Post your answers as comments to this article.

Welcome to the Save Energy Now program!

Welcome to the Sustainable Edmonds Save Energy Now (SEN) program!

This blog is where we'll share our lessons learned with each other. Want to tell everyone what to expect from an audit? Or to share your experience in weatherizing? Send us your thoughts at SustainableEdmonds@gmail.com , and we'll post them here to share with the group.

But first, why the Save Energy Now program? The answer is simple. It's the answer that speaks to you. Here are a few to choose from:

1. Saving energy will save me money.
2. Saving money means more money to pay bills. Or to spend in Edmonds!
3. Saving energy, specifically electricity, will reduce the amount of energy that Snohomish PUD has to obtain from outside, allowing SNOPUD to provide a greater percentage of our electricity from clean power and renewable sources.
4. Saving energy reduces my impact on the environment.
5. Who likes to be wasteful?
6. I can't stand having someone else doing this, when I know I can do it better.

All of these reasons align well with the philosophy of Sustainable Edmonds, which is why we are championing this program. We hope to find the essence of "what works" for Edmonds homes and businesses, and to inspire all in our city to take action to conserve energy.

Sustainable Edmonds will be posting periodic updates on the SEN program on this blog, and we invite all participants, or anyone else interested, to click on the "follow this blog" link on the margin of this page to be notified when we've posted something new.

Our goal: to reduce the energy consumption of our participants by at least 10% over the next year. And eventually, to reduce the energy consumption of all of Edmonds by at least 10%.

Well, then, let's get started!