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STEP-UP: Local Energy Program Helps Maryland Save

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Date: Feb 13, 2012

University Park, MD is offering a model for successful energy-saving program

A small town in Maryland is offering a model for successful energy-saving programs around the country. Over 200 neighbors in the Prince George’s County Town of University Park signed up for home energy assessments last year through the Small Town Energy Program for University Park (STEP-UP), a $1.42 million, three-year grant from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s Better Buildings Neighborhood Program. Because of University Park’s impressive first-year results, program leaders have invited three neighboring communities to initiate customized STEP-UP programs in the coming months.

Energy Efficiency Rebates, Results & ROI

STEP-UP participants have home energy audits performed by approved contractors who identify upgrades that will save energy and money. Within the first year of the program’s launch in January 2011, 22% of University Park’s 923 homeowners signed up for the assessments, and 10% of homeowners have made suggested improvements to their homes.

With STEP-UP discounts, the audits cost homeowners only about $100. The audits identified potential energy-saving upgrades that usually would cost an average of $3,700 per household. However, with assistance from STEP-UP’s “Energy Coach” Suzanne Parmet, participants identified rebates that brought those costs down to about $1,400 each. Even better, those home improvements are reducing energy use by an average of 15% – allowing homeowners to save $375 per year on their utility bills. “That’s a striking 26% return on investment with a very reasonable four-year payback period,” said Project Director Chuck Wilson, whose leadership was key to getting the program off the ground.

So far, STEP-UP has helped save 60,000 kWh of electricity – equivalent to the annual energy consumption of eight local homes, said Mayor John Tabori at a community energy fair on Jan. 28, which brought nearly 300 neighbors together to celebrate the program’s first-year achievements.

As if that weren’t enough, STEP-UP also impacted the local economy: Since the start of the DOE grant, 35 contractors have been engaged on the project, nine full-time jobs have been created and more than $700,000 has been invested in the local economy.

Making Homes More Comfortable

Besides the energy- and money-related benefits, STEP-UP has also helped improve the comfort of residents’ homes.;

Sean Helfrich, who lives in a 65-year-old house with his wife and two daughters, said one of his daughter’s rooms was the least insulated in the house – very hot in the summer and very cold in the winter. His $100 home assessment identified ways he could insulate his home; and he made the suggested changes, which included caulking, sealing ducts and adding insulation in the attic. “I didn’t realize the home audit would be so affordable,” Helfrich said. Although the improvements took an extra investment, “The fact that my daughter can now sleep comfortably made it all worth it,” he said.

The Helfrich family is not alone in benefitting from the STEP-UP program. Jim and Sharon Salmon said their guest room was drafty in the winter before they joined STEP-UP. In fact, their home energy auditor found that the guest room closet was 11 degrees colder than the rest of the house. After sealing a crack in the closet wall that was sucking in air from the attic, the Salmons say that relatives from Florida – who before would only visit in the summer due to the cold guest room – can now visit in the winter.

Expanding STEP-UP to Neighboring Towns

Because of the program’s success, DOE gave STEP-UP permission to initiate similar programs in neighboring Riverdale Park, Hyattsville and College Heights Estates. The DOE funding also will pay for a solar array – which will provide 50 kilowatts of clean power – on the roof of University Park Elementary School, the site of the community energy fair.

In announcing the program’s potential expansion, Wilson declared, “Let’s test our current experience and put it to work for our neighbors!”
“University Park and its STEP-UP program can be a model for many similarly-sized towns in the United States looking to help homeowners lower their energy bills,” echoed DOE Better Buildings Neighborhood Program Director Danielle Sass Byrnett.

More on STEP-UP

It’s easy to participate in STEP-UP. After joining, a University Park resident gets an assessment, makes improvements and reaps the benefits. If you need help through those steps, you can contact the energy coach, who is always ready to answer your questions.

Coverage on STEP-UP