Piping Plover brought out an excavation company to clear an area next to the concrete foundation. Once an access hole was created, an insulation contractor was able to insulate the underside of the floor using spray foam. Additionally, the walls were insulated from the outside using densely packed cellulose. The homeowner was ecstatic that she could finally be comfortable in her own bedroom -- while saving money on her heating and cooling bills.

The strong drafts the homeowner was feeling were created due to the "stack effect"-- where cold air was coming in through small holes in the building envelope because heat was escaping through larger holes in the attic and roof. Though the homeowner had already taken advantage of the federal tax credit, we recommended sealing the existing holes in the home's exterior and adding insulation to the attic. Our recommended improvements cost 80% less -- yet were twice as effective as the windows in reducing heating bills.

A Middleton homeowner could feel strong drafts from the old windows in the house during the winter. A window contractor recommended replacing the older windows with newer, more efficient ones to take advantage of the $1500 federal tax credit. Though the new windows were aesthetically pleasing, the energy payback was minimal -- resulting in a calculated payback of over 50 years!

A Madison homeowner in Midvale Heights couldn't get the master bedroom over 62 degrees in the winter. In the 1960s the porch had been converted to the bedroom. Because it was built on slab and there was limited insulation under the floor and in the walls, the room was simply too uncomfortable 4 months out of the year.

A homeowner in Madison wanted to install a new, more energy efficient water heater. The existing water heater was working fine but the owner wanted to lower his natural gas bills. After trying to decide between several different options, the homeowner hired Piping Plover to help with the analysis.

Piping Plover performed a solar hot water site assessment and presented a financial analysis that compared installing a solar hot water, tankless, and/or a more energy efficient tank system. After discussions with the homeowner, it was decided that installing a solar hot water system and keeping the existing hot water heater was the choice that made the most financial sense. Despite the larger up front investment of $4,600 (after rebates and incentives), the solar hot water system had an annual return on investment of 15.3%.

Piping Plover Home Energy Solutions LLC

A Compact Fluorescent Lightbulb (CFL) will save about $30 over its lifetime and last 10 times longer than a standard incandescent bulb.

Setting your thermostat back by just 3 degrees can save $74 per heating season.