Willowside Rd., Day 29

Yesterday, John Doe called and said he was ready to discuss options.  Great.

This morning, Daniel from Zero Energy Associates and I sat down at their dining room.  John had examined how much the Sonoma County Energy Independence Program (SCEIP) would finance. SCEIP has a couple of limitations – not over x% of Loan to Value, or .  The limit SCEIP would finance on his property, less the cost of his proposed solar electric system, was $20,000.  Since I'd already modeled the proposed improvements we were considering to his home in EnergyPro and found a possible 50% improvement, I knew the Energy Upgrade California (EUC) program would send him a rebate of at least $3500 so his real total that he could spend on energy improvements was more like $23,500.  OK.  That was my target.  Now how much could I fit in that amount?  That's basically the question he asked me to answer.

Let's see, the definite items are:

Air sealing walls and ceiling, doors and weatherstripping:  $1600

Replacing the 9 recessed fixtures in the kitchen w/ ICAT  CFLs:  $900

Tidy up the R19 attic insulation and blow more to end up with R38:  $3000

Replace FAU with 95% direct vent unit with all new ductwork:  $9900

Replace AC heat pump with SEER 15 unit:  $3700

Test in, test out, SCEIP paperwork, EUC application:  $1400

Weatherstripping and properly venting the DHW closet:  $450

Repairing the floor where existing floor registers are removed:  $1200

Total:  $22000

OK, there's $1500  left.  Here's the options:

Air seal the subfloor from the crawlspace:  $400

Insulate the floor with batts to R19 (joists 48”OC):  $4000

Insulate the floor with closed cell foam to R10 (less $400 because I don't have to air seal the subfloor:  $6900

Replace the water heater with a 95% direct vent:  $4200

Move the washer/dryer into the garage:  $1500-2000

Ditch, drain, sump pump, and vapor seal the crawlspace & monitor:  $TBA

If he chooses to insulate the floor with batts, I will have to air seal the subfloor; the upcharge to use spray foam under the subfloor is 6900 less 4000 or $2900.  If he chooses to replace the DHW, I don’t have to do as much work on the closet so the DHW is 4200 less 200 or $4000.

If John is willing to go a bit over his $23,500 limit, which do YOU think is the best choice, considering both energy savings and indoor comfort?