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Home energy audit gives homeowners the power to save

By Nicole Johnson  bio | email | Twitter

GOOSE CREEK, SC (WCSC) - Looking to save money on your monthly electric bill? One family saw hundreds of dollars of saving after doing a home energy audit with their power company. It gave them the power to save.

First-time homeowners, Demetrius and Takara Hart, wanted a place that was spacious and comfortable for their family. But they quickly learned their home wasn't during the extreme heat of summer and cold of winter.

"Bout a year ago we all camped out in the master bedroom because it's the largest room in the house, and we had a space heater and an air conditioner running, in the winter and summer, just to keep comfortable," Demetrius Hart said.

Their electric bills ranged from $400-$1000 per month.

"Enough is enough. We continued to pay the bills month, but we had to figure out if there would be something better," Takara Hart said.

Energy auditors from Berkeley Electric Cooperative came to the home to find out why it was so expensive. They started with a device called the blower door, where puffs of smoke found leaks at the tops of walls, above doors, a warped attic door, and parts of the heating and air system that supplies and returns air.

"Your home is designed to be a shell against the outside. You want to try to keep all the conditioned air that you're paying for, heating and cooled air, in your house," BEC sales manager Eddie Plowden said.

They also found no insulation in the attic, breaks in airflow ducts, and an old AC unit that wasn't cooling or heating well.

"we installed an Energy Star rated heat pump, split system, we enlarged a return to get more airflow back to the unit to help the efficiency, installed a programmable thermostat," Goose Creek Heating and Air technician Bill Rudd said.

After replacing the AC, sealing the tops of doors, walls, and airflow areas, and adding insulation, the energy audit has given the Harts the power to save with an average monthly electric bill of $150.

BEC and SCE&G offer customers home energy audits for free. If you use a different electric company call them to see if they also offer the service.

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