The Winona Energy Action Team launched their residential outreach and engagement effort on Tuesday, January 23, with an afternoon workshop at the Friendship Center on the topic of energy conservation. About 20 residents came to receive free LED light bulbs and learned how they could save energy and money while advancing the city’s goals to reduce energy use 10% by 2025 and become carbon neutral by 2050.
How Can Winona Residents Reduce Energy Use?
Between 2014 and 2016, about one in seven Winona households participated in an Xcel Energy conservation program, and the Energy Action Team hopes to double that level of participation. The group suggested scheduling a visit from the Home Energy Squad® as a good first step for homeowners and renters to find ways to save energy. Home visits cost between $70 and $100, a notable value for the measures and services offered. The squad will install a variety of items, from LED lights to a programmable thermostat, weather stripping for doors and attic hatches, or high-efficiency shower heads and aerators, as well as insulating and adjusting the water heater. They will also inspect insulation levels, perform a carbon monoxide test, and execute a blower-door test if requested.
Winona resident Nick Larson calculated that he received nearly $230 worth of materials during his Home Energy Squad visit, a value far greater than the $100 cost. “It was definitely worth the time and money,” said Larson’s wife Alyssa. “The installed items actually cost less than if we had purchased them on our own, and now we can look forward to increased energy savings every month.”
Home Energy Squad visits culminate in a tailored report of recommendations for home improvements such as better insulation, along with referrals to get the work done. Area residents are encouraged to sign up for a visit by calling 866-222-4595 or visiting HomeEnergySquad.net.
Additional Information Shared at the Workshop
At the January workshop, presenters shared energy-saving tips that included lowering the thermostat by up to eight degrees when away from home eight hours or more, replacing old-fashioned light bulbs with LEDs, reducing hot water use, adding attic insulation, buying ENERGY STAR® appliances, and undertaking various strategies to reduce “phantom loads” — meaning electricity used by plug-in electronics in standby mode.
The Energy Action Team also hopes to increase the amount of renewable electricity used by Winona residents. Most folks can’t install rooftop solar because home ownership is a prerequisite, plus only about 25 percent of homes have a shade-free and correctly oriented site. And despite falling prices, the initial cost of a solar electric system remains beyond the reach of most homeowners’ budgets. As a result of these difficulties, the Energy Action Team has identified an approach to double the number of subscribers and double the average subscription size to Xcel Energy’s Windsource® and Renewable*Connect® renewable programs. Any Xcel Energy electric customer can sign up for the programs, and the customer retains the Renewable Energy Credits. Both programs add renewable energy to the electrical grid in excess of Minnesota’s renewable energy mandate. For just over $6 per month, the average Xcel customer in Winona can buy 100 percent of their electricity from Minnesota wind farms with no contract. Renewable*Connect has a similar price, but the subscriber buys a blend of Minnesota wind and solar, with an option to lock in prices for 5 or 10-year periods.
To advance Winona’s energy goals, the citizens that make up the Energy Action team are looking for opportunities to share this presentation. Any interested groups should contact John Howard at JHoward@ci.winona.mn.us or at (507) 457-8273.
If you’re interested in learning more about Renewable Energy Credits, take a look at this article by the Clean Energy Resource Team.