Growing up in the Bay Area, Jamie Cross knew that living in San Francisco meant wearing wool sweaters and several layers. So when he moved to San Francisco and purchased an 1886 Victorian, he knew he would have to make some upgrades to keep his home from feeling like a refrigerator. An obvious first step seemed to be to replace all the single pane windows. However, this expensive project did not seem to make any difference.
Published: January, 2012
Growing up in the Bay Area, Jamie Cross knew that living in San Francisco meant wearing wool sweaters and several layers. So when he moved to San Francisco and purchased an 1886 Victorian, he knew he would have to make some upgrades to keep his home from feeling like a refrigerator. An obvious first step seemed to be to replace all the single pane windows. However, this expensive project did not seem to make any difference.
"With the money I spent on the windows, I could have bought a new car—and it’s still freezing in my place," said Jamie.
Fed up with the cold, he called a local home performance company in June 2010 to do a home energy assessment and was surprised by the findings. He learned he was losing 40 percent of the heat through cracks in the walls and floors—made worse by the fact that he had no insulation.
"That was the first time I realized I have to take a ‘whole’ approach to my house instead of one thing at a time. You can drop $25,000 on one project or another, but I really needed to identify how I could get the most bang for my buck. That is how the contractor helped most."
When he learned he could receive rebates from the San Francisco Home Improvement & Performance Program (SFHIP)—the local brand of the statewide Energy Upgrade California program that saves homeowners money, reduces energy use and supports local jobs—for using a local, certified contractor, Jamie hired SolarCity. They performed several improvements including sealing up the air leaks, blowing in insulation and replacing the boiler with a closed-loop hot water radiator system.
The results were remarkable. Prior to installing these energy efficiency measures, Jamie used two gas fire places constantly, at a cost of $250 per month—and the home was still cold. After the work was completed, the new hot water heater system kept the house at 68 degrees at all times and his bill was $99. Jamie expects an even lower energy bill in the future because he recently installed a programmable thermostat.
Through the SFHIP program, Jamie also received a $6,000 rebate that covered a significant amount of the project. Currently there are rebates of up to $11,000 available to homeowners who complete a project by May 2012. Rebates are first-come, first-served due to limited funding.
To hear from Jamie and one of the dozens of homeowners who have utilized the program since March 2011, join them for an upcoming workshop on January 10 in Bernal Heights or January 11 in Cole Valley. For more information, visit www.sfenvironment.org/sfhip.
