Renewable Energy Solutions Community Meetings

This open community meeting was held to discuss and discover low-cost and easy ways in which we can practice increased energy conservation in our own homes. Our featured speakers drew from experience and expertise to educate listeners about different aspects of energy conservation that was both informative and practical to help us reduce our energy consumption on a daily basis. Attendees had the opportunity to get answers to their questions about conserving energy and other topics during the Q&A Forum with our visiting energy conservation specialists.

Speakers:

• Brad Shafer: Brad has a BS in Manufacturing Science and a Masters in Engineering Management. He is also a Montague resident who has worked for Diversified Machines.. 

  Dave Frederick: Dave is a long time resident and former administrator He has had much experience with an energy monitoring device, and learned how it can save consumers money through awareness. Dave is an avowed environmentalist and holds memberships in Audubon Society, Sierra Club, Land Conservancy of West Michigan, Nature Conservancy and Environment Michigan. He also volunteers and serves as a co-chair of Earth Institute of West Michigan

Summary:

Approximately 35-40 people attended the community meeting on home energy conservation.  The meeting began with an update on the progress being made in several White Lake townships regarding policies and legislation that will aid in the development of renewable energy solutions in the White Lake area. Although the specific wording of policies and legislation was not available at the time of the meeting, the date and time of a public meeting will be announced to present proposed legislation to local citizens.

A short Q&A session was held at the conclusion of the presentations.

Home Energy Monitoring with Inexpensive Monitoring DevicesSecondly, Dave Frederick, a long-time White Lake area resident, spoke about how to use an energy monitoring device to identify specific appliances or devices that are using the most energy in your home. Through a PowerPoint presentation, Dave presented the specifics of his own personal home energy monitoring experiment, and how he was able to use the data gathered to help in reducing his electric costs by more than 17% over the past year.  In the presentation, he provided information about several varieties of monitoring devices available on the market, a basic monitoring plan to follow, and how to use the data you collect to pinpoint the "energy munchers" in your home. By making simple choices about unplugging certain devices when not in use, and establishing new habits based on energy awareness, Dave concluded that average homeowners could possibly save anywhere from 10-20% on their electric bills, while contributing to the global effort to reduce greenhouse gas emmissions.

Residential Energy Audits Using Infrared Thermal ImagingThe first presenter was electrical contractor, Brad Shafer. With the use of a dynamic slideshow, Brad explained how the process of using infrared thermal imaging can pinpoint "leaks" and problem areas in your home where heat and air conditioning may be escaping, costing you more than is necessary on your energy bills. Infrared thermography is not necessarily a new technology, but it's recent use in home energy auditing is able to help homeowners make educated decisions about repairs and upgrades to their home, especially in the areas of insulation and window replacement. Brad also demonstrated how areas of water intrusion can be pinpointed to target repairs, even though signs of water damage are not apparent yet. With an initial pricetag of around $300, a home energy audit may seem expensive, but the energy you may save through repairing trouble spots in your home could more than make up for the price of the inspection. At the end of the program, Brad demonstrated the use of an inrared thermal imaging camera that highlighted variations in temperature of the different building materials in the auditorium.

If you would like more information about having a residential energy loss survey conducted on your home, you may contact Brad Shafer at (231) 740-1122, or visit his website at www.nowicu.net.