Kate O' (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} kateo) wrote in ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/community.gif){kind=small} nashvillians,@ 2006-01-26 08:43:00 |
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Freaking outrageous gas bills? Try an energy audit
If you pay utilities and you have gas heat in your home, you've probably noticed a wee increase in the amount of your gas bill this winter. I sure have. Last month's bill was, I kid you not, over $900.
Now, it must be said that I live in a very old, very poorly insulated house. The oldest in Historic Germantown, actually -- and the oldest brick house in Nashville. And while my partner and I are in the process of renovating it, we hadn't really gotten around to figuring out how to make it easier to heat.
So we enlisted the help of the Truth & Reconciliation Project, a Nashville non-profit that offers energy audits. They came here yesterday morning and spent several hours inspecting our house -- venturing into the crawl space, climbing into the attic, and everything in between -- and sat down with us for half an hour or so to discuss their findings and answer our questions. That discussion was just a bonus, really, because they'll be providing us with a written report in a few days. But they gave us the verbal break-down of what constituted an energy emergency -- as in, non-obvious big gaping holes in the house such that we might as well leave all the windows and doors open -- and what was merely really, really bad.
They ask for a $50-$150 donation, sliding scale, and they're very friendly and professional. It's clear they're doing this out of a genuine desire to improve energy efficiency and help decrease natural resource consumption. No profit-oriented motives, and ya gotta respect that.
So I'm passing along the contact information for Jennifer Tlumak, whose business card says she is the "Energy Audit Coordinator" for the Truth & Reconciliation Project: jennifer.tlumak@gmail.com or 615-385-5692.
Stay warm, folks.
If you pay utilities and you have gas heat in your home, you've probably noticed a wee increase in the amount of your gas bill this winter. I sure have. Last month's bill was, I kid you not, over $900.
Now, it must be said that I live in a very old, very poorly insulated house. The oldest in Historic Germantown, actually -- and the oldest brick house in Nashville. And while my partner and I are in the process of renovating it, we hadn't really gotten around to figuring out how to make it easier to heat.
So we enlisted the help of the Truth & Reconciliation Project, a Nashville non-profit that offers energy audits. They came here yesterday morning and spent several hours inspecting our house -- venturing into the crawl space, climbing into the attic, and everything in between -- and sat down with us for half an hour or so to discuss their findings and answer our questions. That discussion was just a bonus, really, because they'll be providing us with a written report in a few days. But they gave us the verbal break-down of what constituted an energy emergency -- as in, non-obvious big gaping holes in the house such that we might as well leave all the windows and doors open -- and what was merely really, really bad.
They ask for a $50-$150 donation, sliding scale, and they're very friendly and professional. It's clear they're doing this out of a genuine desire to improve energy efficiency and help decrease natural resource consumption. No profit-oriented motives, and ya gotta respect that.
So I'm passing along the contact information for Jennifer Tlumak, whose business card says she is the "Energy Audit Coordinator" for the Truth & Reconciliation Project: jennifer.tlumak@gmail.com or 615-385-5692.
Stay warm, folks.
