NEWS RELEASE            
For Immediate Release
For more information: Kinsey Cox or Debbie Anglin at Anglin Public Relations (405) 840-4222
After hours number for media on deadline: (580) 402-5269

Home energy audits conducted in Oklahoma
What newly-constructed, mid-century and historic homeowners
need to know to save money this summer

OKLAHOMA – With summer approaching, many Oklahomans are looking for ways to reduce their utility bills. Whether a person lives in a newly-constructed, mid-century or historic home, there are simple things they can do to save money and make their home more energy efficient while having a positive impact on the environment.

Home energy audits provide a customized plan for each individual home with details about where the lowest cost improvements should be made that will have the highest impact on energy efficiency. At the Oklahoma Sustainability Conference April 20-21, energy raters will show the results of home energy audits conducted on three Oklahoma homes and give tips on how attendees can improve their home’s energy efficiency.

Most common issues:

• Historic homes often have no insulation in the walls and little in the attic, air escapes through crawl spaces and duct work leaks.
  
• Mid-century homes often have good insulation, but construction defects such as thermal bypasses need sealed.
  
• There is a common misconception that if a home is new, it is energy efficient. Newly constructed homes are only required to pass health and safety code inspections. Currently you can build a house in many Oklahoma towns without insulation and still pass code.

“The Department of Energy conducted a test on 12 new homes and found an average of 24 percent duct leakage,” said Kelly Parker, owner Guaranteed Watt Saver, an Oklahoma company that evaluates energy efficiency. “That would not be tolerable if a plumber’s performance were comparable and water pipes leaked an average of 24 percent. This is a simple, low-cost fix that would make a major impact on the homeowner’s utility bills.”

There are many easy, low- to no-cost fixes a person can make to their home that can save 30 to 40 percent in utility bills:

• Replace incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs. If everyone in America replaced one light bulb with a compact fluorescent, it would be the equivalent of taking one million cars off the road in terms of emissions savings.
  Paint a stripe of caulk around each joint in a home’s duct work. Duct work in an existing home leaks an average of 40 percent.
  
• Set outdoor lights on a timer that will automatically turn off.
  
• Install additional insulation in the home’s attic and walls.

Parker says that a common myth is that new windows will make the home more energy efficient. While they will help, this is one of the most costly fixes and doesn’t necessarily have as big of an impact as some of the cheap, easier fixes.

Homeowners can have their own customized energy audit conducted on their home for between $175 and $650.

The Oklahoma Sustainability Conference will be held April 20 and 21 at the National Weather Center in Norman, Okla. For more information or to register, visit www.oksustainability.org or call (405) 632-2066.  The Oklahoma Sustainability Network Conference is presented by the Oklahoma Sustainability Network and hosted by Sustainable OKC.

The Oklahoma Sustainability Network Conference is sponsored by OGE Corp.; Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality; The Oklahoma Gazette; Kerr Center for Sustainable Agriculture; Harlan Hentges, Attorney at Law; Suzette Hatfield; Jason Claborn; DEQ – Pollution Prevention; USA SIPS Inc.; Sierra Club Oklahoma Chapter; OU Interdisciplinary Perspectives on the Environment; Oklahoma Chapter of the American Planning Association; DEQ – Water Quality Division; Sustainable Tulsa; C. H. Guernsey & Co.; The Office of the Oklahoma Secretary of the Environment; OSU Environmental Science Graduate Program; AEP PSO; Guaranteed Watt Saver Systems Inc.; Oklahoma Environmental Management Authority; Oklahoma Department of Commerce; Sunrise Alternative Energy; Bergey Wind Power; OSU Food and Agricultural Products Center; Sustainable Solutions, Inc.; Oklahoma State Home Builders Association; Biomass Rules, LLC; Oklahoma Alliance for Public Transportation; Land Legacy; Tom Temple Design; Tulsa Biofuels; Trivestco; jy architecture; US Green Building Council Oklahoma Chapter; The Oklahoma Food Cooperative; Jan Rose; Susie Shields; Ande Reed; Clayton Robinson; Cheyenne Fletcher; and Bob Davis.