In January 2013 Eagle-Vail residents Scott and Anna Robinson paid a $427.48 energy bill. It was without a doubt the highest energy bill they’d ever gotten, and they couldn’t bear to watch that number go any higher. They learned that like a majority of the 1,400 homes in Eagle Vail, their house had been built prior to 1990 and their home’s insulation was not exactly state-of-the-art. They knew of improvements they could make themselves; converting to LED lights and installing programmable thermostats helped, but they needed a little more expertise when it came to knowing how and why expensive heat was escaping their home during Colorado’s coldest months.

To save big bucks on their energy costs, the Robinsons turned to the Walking Mountains Sustainability team and Energy Smart Colorado program for a Home Energy Assessment. An Energy Assessment is the first step to improving the energy efficiency of your home and saving money on utility bills. When you’ve signed up, the Walking Mountains Sustainability team will come to your home and conduct tests with a door-mounted fan and infrared imaging technology, pinpointing exactly where in your home there is room for improving insulation and increasing your energy efficiency. Once you know the source of the problem, an experienced energy contractor can make a difference you (and your wallet) will feel by adding insulation to walls, crawlspaces, and attics, caulking, and weather stripping your home’s vulnerable areas. The total cost is $100 with additional costs for homes over 3,000 square feet, and after completing the assessment homeowners are eligible for more than $500 in rebates.

Curious about your home’s current energy efficiency? You can track it for free with Holy Cross Energy’s tool SmartHub.

After completing a Home Energy Assessment and taking steps to air-seal their home, Anna and Scott Robinson saw improvements immediately. Since their 2014 Home Energy Assessment, they’ve seen energy bills decrease by $100 per month on average. After participating in the program, the highest number they’ve seen on that dreaded invoice appeared on January 2017: $323.15, a 24% decrease from January 2013.

The best thing about working with Walking Mountains Sustainability experts was they helped us come up with a personalized and prioritized plan to increase our home’s energy efficiency and through the rebates were able to get 50% of project costs covered. It’s a win-win, plain and simple. – Scott Robinson

Those cold months are approaching quickly and now is the perfect time to contact Walking Mountains Sustainability and take that first step to improving your home’s energy efficiency and start saving money! Find out how you can start saving energy and contact the Walking Mountains Sustainability team today.