Bowling Green renters and homeowners have the opportunity to take advantage of a program to help lower their carbon footprint, along with their bills.
In the Neighborhood Home Energy Audit program, Columbia Gas professionals conduct an analysis of a customer’s entire house or apartment for $20.
The audit reveals energy-efficient upgrades that can be done to the living space, such as insulation and air sealing. After the audit, customers can go to a contractor to get the recommended upgrades, which will lower their natural gas usage.
The customers, if they actually decide to get the work done, will then only be required to pay a maximum of $300 for the upgrades. Columbia Gas takes care of the rest.
University professor Neocles Leontis happened to participate in the program a couple of years ago.
“I did it twice. It makes a huge difference,” Leontis said. “Before I insulated my home, [my energy bill] was super expensive.”
Leontis mentioned that his home is at least 100 years old, and it was built without insulation. For homeowners with old homes in the neighborhood, the program provides the opportunity of significantly decreasing their natural gas bills.
On behalf of Columbia Gas, Jill McGinn shared more details about the audit and how its popularity has grown.
“In 2015 (Columbia Gas) only conducted 30 home energy audits. In 2016 we did 202,” McGinn said.
Although Columbia Gas fell short of its goal of 300 people in BG last year, the company still pushes the program to get more people on board.
There are still 3,010 homes in Bowling Green with high amounts of natural gas usage (above 800 CCF per home) that have not been through the audit, according to an email from McGinn.
To get rental properties involved, McGinn has visited several properties in the area, including ALMAR, Greenbriar and John Newlove properties.
Falcon’s Pointe is not a Columbia Gas customer. The Edge is, but whether the property is participating in the program has been unconfirmed.
However, certain ALMAR properties are participating in the Neighborhood Home Energy Audit.
“Some of our tenants have been very, very, very pleased with it,” ALMAR’S Beth Downey said. “It’s a good thing for property owners, to make (apartments) more heat efficient, and it also benefits tenants because they’re responsible for the bills.”
Student renters’ bank accounts will be spared, since apartment owners pay for the upgrades. If they agree to do the audit, that is.
“The owners of the property asked us to participate in this project, so they paid,” Downey said. “It’s the owner’s dime, not the tenant.”
If apartment owners do not take the initiative to participate in the audit, Leontis said students should mention it to them.
“It’s a win-win,” he said. “Students can initiate [the audit], or go along with it.”
Either way, students will benefit because they’ll have lower bills and be more comfortable, he said.
“There’s a lot more we could be doing” to further environment sustainability, Leontis said. “This is to get us to a better level.”
If interested in the Neighborhood Home Energy Audit program, residents can schedule an audit by calling Columbia Gas at 1-877-644-6674 or by going to the website.
