Comments on: What’s Slowing Down Energy Efficiency Adoption? http://greensavingsco.com/network/2010/08/what%e2%80%99s-slowing-down-energy-efficiency-adoption/ Your Energy Efficiency Community Tue, 14 Feb 2012 07:30:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: Dan Magyar http://greensavingsco.com/network/2010/08/what%e2%80%99s-slowing-down-energy-efficiency-adoption/comment-page-1/#comment-379 Dan Magyar Tue, 07 Sep 2010 17:14:00 +0000 http://greensavingsco.com/network/?p=528#comment-379 Most of the potential end users (Homeowners) that I have had direct contact with regarding energy efficiency projects are motivated by overall cost and how long to re-coup that respective investment. A percentage of that sampling don't necessarily believe that they will actually see the savings presented. Some believe that their electrical meter is not reporting correctly and that somehow they have an "electrical" leak which is raising their electrical bill, subsequently they don't believe they're using as much energy as they are. With the existing tech gadgets which allow homeowners and businesses to have a real-time monitor to see their power consumption they have a tool to start the most important aspect in lowering overall electrical usage, behavior modification. After someone can see where the air conditioner is costing $1.75 per hour of use, it starts to sink in, if they (the meters) were sophisticated enough to show which tier the power was being supplied at, it would even be a better deterrent. When time of use is adopted we're going to hear alot of screaming from the goups of people mentioned above who still don't get it, to use less especially at peak times. The idea of having annual home inspections by insurance companies is I think D.O.A. besides being controversial. I have spoken with insurance agents who now don't care if their insured homeowners have had electrical improvements completed by a qualified electrician or licensed contractor. To generate any momentum for the idea of home inspections by insurance companies would be a large undertaking and have an "Orwellian" big brother overtone, which I don't think would be acceptable to the public. Most of the potential end users (Homeowners) that I have had direct contact with regarding energy efficiency projects are motivated by overall cost and how long to re-coup that respective investment. A percentage of that sampling don’t necessarily believe that they will actually see the savings presented. Some believe that their electrical meter is not reporting correctly and that somehow they have an “electrical” leak which is raising their electrical bill, subsequently they don’t believe they’re using as much energy as they are.

With the existing tech gadgets which allow homeowners and businesses to have a real-time monitor to see their power consumption they have a tool to start the most important aspect in lowering overall electrical usage, behavior modification. After someone can see where the air conditioner is costing $1.75 per hour of use, it starts to sink in, if they (the meters) were sophisticated enough to show which tier the power was being supplied at, it would even be a better deterrent. When time of use is adopted we’re going to hear alot of screaming from the goups of people mentioned above who still don’t get it, to use less especially at peak times.

The idea of having annual home inspections by insurance companies is I think D.O.A. besides being controversial. I have spoken with insurance agents who now don’t care if their insured homeowners have had electrical improvements completed by a qualified electrician or licensed contractor. To generate any momentum for the idea of home inspections by insurance companies would be a large undertaking and have an “Orwellian” big brother overtone, which I don’t think would be acceptable to the public.

]]>