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SF Home Improvement & Performance

Get comfortable with energy savings! Right now incentives, of up to $9,000 per house, are available to make your home more comfortable, healthy, and energy efficient.

Get started by creating an energy profile of your home. At the end of the simple 5-minute survey, you'll know if you are a good candidate for this program and you'll find a directory of participating contractors who can conduct your home assessment!

Why Home Performance
What are the Benefits
How much are the Incentives
Should my Home be Upgraded
What is the Process
What are the Eligibility & Requirements
List of Participating Contractors (PDF)

Why Home Performance

We all know that many homes in San Francisco, especially older ones, suffer from leaks, drafts, poor insulation, and inefficient equipment that waste energy and can make homes uncomfortable. Fixing only one item at a time often does not solve these problems, and could be money wasted. The SF home Improvement & Performance program is designed to address these issues by taking a customized approach to energy efficiency in your home, and incentivizing homeowners with up to $9,000. It starts with a home assessment which examines the entire house to pinpoint problems and provide a combination of remedies that will fix the home efficiently and effectively.

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What are the Benefits

Inefficient homes do not simply waste energy, they also can make your home uncomfortable, and even unhealthy for you and your family. There are many benefits to a home energy upgrade, including the following:

• Comfort - your home will be warmer and less drafty
• Quiet - street noise will be diminished
• Health - indoor air quality will improve; less dust and toxins will be in the air
• Value - home upgrades will improve the value of your home
• Energy - your home can be 15-40% more efficient
• Environment - less energy use means less carbon emissions which helps fight climate change

A Home Energy Upgrade will make your house more comfortable by reducing drafty areas or spaces that are too hot or too cold. Reducing cold, moist spaces also eliminates areas where mold is likely to grow. Increased insulation results in houses that are quieter in addition to being more energy efficient. Repairs to ducts and heating equipment not only improve air circulation and make heating and cooling more efficient, they can also make the air inside your home much cleaner and healthier to breathe.

On top of all this, you could save money on energy bills, potentially increase the value of your home, and help the environment while you're at it!

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How much are the Incentives

Right now incentives are at unprecedented levels. The San Francisco Home Improvement & Performance program along with Energy Upgrade California can give San Francisco homeowners up to $9,000 for home energy upgrades.

Current Incentives:

• $3,500 for 15% modeled energy reduction
• $4,000 for 20% modeled energy reduction
• $4,500 for 25% modeled energy reduction
• $5,000 for 30% modeled energy reduction
• $5,500 for 35% modeled energy reduction
• $6,000 for 40% modeled energy reduction

*ADD $3,000 for SF households earning less than 120% of the SF Area Median Income

Household Size Annual Gross Income

*Funds are available on a first come, first served basis or until June 2012*

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Should my Home be Upgraded

If you aren't sure if your home should be upgraded, take this 5 minute survey to create your home energy profile. You can input information about your home and find out if you are a good candidate for this program. Your home energy profile can even be sent directly to a participating contractor so you can get started with your home assessment right away.

Click here to create your home energy profile now!

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What is the Process

It all starts by selecting a participating contractor that will guide you through the following steps to complete your home energy upgrade.

Step 1: Select a participating contractor and schedule a home assessment. You may want to speak with a number of contractors before choosing one to conduct an assessment.

Step 2: The contractor will come out to your home and will perform a series of tests. This will take approximately 4 hours and will cost between $100-$500 depending on which contractor your select.

Step3: The contractor will provide a detailed, quantitative report showing how your home performs (tests conducted, energy loss, problems found, etc.) and will suggest a set of customized improvements that together will save you the most amount of energy and get you the most incentive money. The minimum recommendation will save you 15%.

Recommendations will be customized for your home and might include improving insulation, air & duct sealing, and/or improved heating and cooling systems, etc. You may choose to aim for higher levels of savings to receive the higher incentives. The price for the work done will depend on the size and condition of your home, the items you want to have done, and the level of energy savings you are aiming for. The price will be agreed upon between you and your contractor.

Step 4: Work will be performed on your house, and final safety and energy tests will be conducted to ensure you are saving the estimated amount.

Step 5: Your contractor will complete all the paperwork so that the incentives are received and deducted from the amount you owe the contractor.

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What are the Eligibility & Requirements

To be eligible for the incentives you must:

• Own a single family home in San Francisco
• Be a PG&E gas & electric customer

Requirements:

• Have a Home Assessment completed on your home by a participating contractor
• Use a participating contractor who is specially trained for energy upgrades for both the assessment and upgrade
• Achieve a minimum of 15% energy efficiency improvements in your home (based on "before and after" computer modeling done by the participating contractor)

List of Participating Contractors (PDF)

For further questions or assistance please call (415) 355-3769

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The supporting links below will provide you with more information about Home Performance and Home Energy Upgrades.