Decatur and Atlanta Holding Contest For $10,000 “Home Energy Makeover”
Decatur Metro | July 13, 2011
From a City of Decatur press release…
The City of Decatur is proud to announce that the Atlanta Decatur Home Makeover Contest will be launching this week. Through a partnership between the City of Atlanta and City of Decatur, two lucky homeowners will receive free energy efficiency improvements – worth up to $10,000 – that will increase the overall comfort of their home and reduce their energy bills. Makeovers will be awarded to homeowners in each city. We anticipate that this contest is going to be a great way to get homeowners thinking about energy efficiency, and hopefully drive them to the DecaturWISE and Atlanta SHINE rebate program.
…The Home Energy Makeover Contest will run through August 19, 2011. Interested homeowners in both cities should visit www.homeenergymakeovers.net to sign up. Contest entrants must be at least 21 years of age and own a single family home in City of Atlanta or City of Decatur. A panel of qualified judges will evaluate entries select a minimum of 8 finalists. Finalists will each receive a free energy use analysis conducted by a certified contractor. After review, contest judges will choose a minimum of 2 winners. The winners’ homes must each be a structurally sound residence and meet specific technical requirements. All determinations by the judges will be final.
Decatur residents can call (678) 553-6577 for more information. Atlanta residents can call (404) 954-8500.
More info can also be found on The Decatur Minute website.
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How picky are they on “structurally sound residence”?
Good question.
The structure of my old residence makes all sorts of sounds.
And let’s not mention my structure.
Why doesn’t Dekalb County do something like this? I live in unincorporated Dekalb and my address is Decatur, and I’d love $10,000 home energy makeover!
Already submitted our entry! Of course, I have no doubt the first thing they’ll tell us is to replace our historic windows, which I have mixed feelings about.
Lump,
I would not replace the windows before looking at the insulation in the attic. Like most older homes you are losing air through the top of your house due to poor insulation. Causing the windows to be “drafty” because of the need to replace air loss. People spend thousands of dollars to replace windows with very little real energy savings in the end. By air sealing the attic or applying spray-foam you can eliminate most if not all of the problem.
I put spray foam in my attic and crawlspace and it made a huge difference in my power bill. Be choosy with your insulation contractor…the ones that advertise the most are a lot more expensive than some of the smaller companies. I found that some of the larger companies in the SHINE program charged so much even after the rebates that they were still more expensive than a smaller company that wasn’t SHINE approved and did not qualify for the rebates.
I hope I got a good deal from WellHome.
The previous owner put fiberglass over old cellulose in the attic. I want to take it all out and start over with new insulation. Any recommendations?
I would recommend having the old insulation removed. The cellulose will break down over time and get in to the house and could potentially cause problems with allergies. I did not come on here looking for business, but if you need someone to take a look and give you a quote for spray foam i would be more then happy to take a look. i work for one of the “smaller guys”.
The reason the companies in the SHINE program are so expensive is most of them sub out the work for the foam.