When on an in-home energy review, energy counselor Amber Hall often hears customers say, “You look familiar.” That’s because she’s been the face of Clark Public Utilities’ energy counselors for several years in television ads and on billboards and the side of C-Tran busses.
“When my friends visit, they joke about it, saying it’s hard to get away from me,” said Hall.
Hall is responsible for conducting energy reviews for customers in the older core of Vancouver, west of the I-205 freeway and south of 99th Street. This includes several areas that have been the focus of grants for limited-income weatherization programs. As a result, many of these homes are now much more energy efficient and comfortable for residents.
Much of Hall’s territory contains older homes mixed with homes built in the 1980s and 90s. She’s found that some of the older homes still rely on antiquated knob and tube, which can pose a challenge when making energy-related upgrades. Still, even with the cost to update their wiring, owners of older homes are finding heat pumps and ductless heat pumps attractive ways to save money in the long term.
If new wiring isn’t needed, weatherization and insulation can increase an older home’s energy efficiency without much cost.
“Before any customer makes a big investment, I like to make sure they consider less expensive ways to cut their heating bill first, like insulating the walls, attic or the floors,” she said.
Vinyl windows are more energy efficient, but sometimes they don’t match the homeowner’s aesthetics because vinyl can change the look of the home. “I like to listen to my customers and hear what their goals are for their house, and then we can work together to come up with ways to meet them,” she said.
Surprises in visits
During energy reviews, Hall says she enjoys talking to customers and finding ways to help them lower utility bills and increase comfort in their home. And sometimes the helps in ways nobody expected.
“I’ve found many old toys lost in attics and basements,” she said. While taking a look in one customer’s home she reached into the attic insulation and pulled out a fully wrapped Christmas package, just as Clark Griswold did in “Christmas Vacation.”
Another time, while examining a crawlspace for insulation, Hall found a file cabinet crammed full of papers instead. The customer’s late husband had used the crawlspace to file his documents. When the widow heard what had been discovered, she asked Hall to pull the cabinet out of the crawlspace so Hall carefully wrestled it from under the house. The customer was surprised to find her husband had also stashed cash there.
“For the widow it was like opening a treasure chest,” Hall said. “And I’m glad I was there to help her.”
That kind of thing doesn’t happen often, but Hall says it keeps her job interesting and gives her something to share with customers. “I enjoy getting to know them and we often learn a lot about one another because energy issues are really about how we live,” she said.
For all customers, Hall advises looking for three things. First, make sure houses are insulated to the right level because this offers large energy savings at a low cost. Second, she asks that homeowners spend some time learning about their heating system and thermostat so they can get the best results from them. Last, she recommends maintaining heating and cooling systems properly.
“They always break down at the worst time,” she said. “Changing filters and getting regular checks from a heating and cooling contractor can go a long way to keeping your system running reliably and as efficiently as possible.”
Energy Adviser is written by Clark Public Utilities. Send questions to ecod@clarkpud.com or to Energy Adviser, c/o Clark Public Utilities, P.O. Box 8900, Vancouver, WA 98668.
