The REACH Advantage Program™ utilizes the government endorsed The Home Energy Saver™ (HES) software. HES empowers homeowners to save money, live better, and help the earth by reducing energy use in their homes. HES recommends energy-saving upgrades that are appropriate to the home and make sense for the home's climate and local energy prices.

 

The money invested in these upgrades commonly earns "interest" in the form of energy bill savings, at an annual rate of 20%, 30% or more. HES can also estimate the home's carbon footprint and shows how much it can be reduced.  The HES Professional Software allows the energy efficiency professional to upload very detailed information to get an even more accurate picture of the energy efficiency of a particular home and provides greater accuracy in offering solutions and options as to how to best reduce energy consumptions and overall energy costs to the consumer.

 

The upgrades recommended by HES offer other benefits as well. Depending on the type of improvement made, the home can achieve better comfort (warmer in winter, cooler in summer), fewer drafts, lower maintenance costs, and improved security and fire safety—all of which improve life and increase the home's value.

 

HES computes a home's energy use on-line based on models and data developed at the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. All end uses (heating, cooling, water heating, major appliances, small appliances, and lighting) are included. HES generates a list of energy-saving upgrade recommendations for the user's consideration. HES is not a "black box" - all methodologies and assumptions are extensively documented.

 

By providing detailed information about a subject home through the DESCRIBE forms, Professional users receive increasingly customized results along with itemized energy-saving upgrade recommendations. For example, by entering the number and age of the major appliances, users can estimate their energy consumption based on historic sales-weighted efficiency data. A very detailed module is also included to estimate energy consumption for lighting and dozens of miscellaneous gas and electric appliances, with default values based on data compiled by energy researchers.

 

Results appear on the COMPARE page, where users can see their existing home's current energy profile compared to that with the recommended package of energy saving upgrades. Lots of "drill-down" reports are available for more detail.

 

The UPGRADES pages provide a tailored list of recommendations—ranked by payback time. Users can vary the energy efficiency assumptions in many cases, as well as the upgrade costs and then recalculate the results. The results can be viewed via a customizable printable report that includes upgrade descriptions and other details, and include links to additional information.

 

 

 Home Energy Assessments

A home energy assessment is the first step to assess how much energy your home consumes and to evaluate what measures you can take to make your home more energy efficient. An assessment will show you problems that may, when corrected, save you significant amounts of money over time.

 

During the assessment, you can pinpoint where your house is losing energy. Energy assessments also determine the efficiency of your home's heating and cooling systems. An assessment may also show you ways to conserve hot water and electricity. You can perform a simple energy assessment yourself, or have a professional energy analyst carry out a more thorough assessment.

 

Before the energy analyst visits your house, make a list of any existing problems such as condensation and uncomfortable or drafty rooms. Have copies or a summary of the home's yearly energy bills. (Your utility can get these for you.) Analysts use this information to establish what to look for during the assessment. The analyst first examines the outside of the home to determine the size of the house and its features (i.e., wall area, number and size of windows). The analyst then will analyze the residents' behavior:

Your answers may help uncover some simple ways to reduce your household's energy consumption. Walk through your home with the analysts as they work, and ask questions.