Incline Village is a lovely place to live. It’s usually colder than the nearby Reno area where I usually work. The cost of living is also more. With the economy today people are looking to save money. People are also becoming more environmentally conscious. This is where the Energy Audit usually comes into play. I’m surprised that I don’t get called to the area more often. I recently performed an Energy Audit on a home in Incline Village and like many homes that are older than 12-15 years there was allot of room for energy improvements. This house was well maintained and had some remodeling in the past. The remodeling missed a large portion of the house that needed energy upgrades.
For the last 30 years the missing and compressed insulation in the attic, 
leaky crawl space, poorly installed ducts, open chase ways, thermal bypasses, air infiltration, and many other issues have been wasting energy and money. This home owner was surprised by since there have been numerous contractors in the home in the past. I explained that the focus on a more efficient and comfortable home has not been a priority in home construction and remodeling.
Getting the audit is the start. Having the retrofit work performed by a contractor that specializes in weatherization and can show proof of energy saving from prior jobs is important. To pay for the upgrades there are some low interest loans for existing home owners. One of the best ways to get funding for energy retrofits is include them into a home purchase by utilizing the Energy Efficient Mortgage. We are seeing allot more Real Estate Agents and Lenders suggesting the EEM in the Reno and Carson area. This add on to the existing mortgage the buyers qualified for is a simple and quick way to get a more comfortable and efficient home. HomeFree Nevada also offers an extra $1000 towards energy retrofits if the home is improved to a 20% savings in energy cost. This is very obtainable within the EEM or Energy Improvement loans.
Do your part to help the environment, tune up your home and inform your clients on how to do theirs with an EEM.
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