Village of Franklin, Mich.

Village of Franklin Green Initiative

Tired of large electric and heating bills?

Now is a great time to take energy efficiency steps that will cut our electric and heating bills. Doing so will also help our community and country to be more environmentally and economically sustainable.

There are many new technologies and incentives to help. Compared to just 10 year ago, many new air conditioners, refrigerators and other major appliances are up to 40% more energy efficient. New CFL and LED lighting is 75% to 90% more efficient. Plus, conservation measures like dialing down the heat and turning off unneeded lights always saves energy.

Most homes built before 1970 have only six inches of attic insulation. This is an insulating value of only R-19. The new recommendation for southern Michigan is R-49, or about 16 inches of fiberglass insulation. 

A recent survey indicates that only after a large kitchen, homebuyers want “Energy-Efficient Appliances, High-Efficiency Insulation and High Window Efficiency” in their next home. These features add to the comfort, value and salability of a home. Energy efficiency improvements are sound investments with very dependable returns.  

Fortunately, there are available now many utility, state and federal incentives which encourage home owners to take steps to reduce energy waste.

Incentives available for Franklin residents include:

DTE, our electric utility, offers a free online home energy audit, an in-home energy audit, a $40 incentive to take your old refrigerator away, plus incentives on many electric saving devices for home and business.  http://www.dteenergy.com/residentialCustomers/saveEnergy/

Consumers Energy, our natural gas utility, offers an on-line analyzer and incentives on heating related items such as a furnace, hot water heater, programmable thermostat, low-flow shower head and others. http://www.consumersenergy.com/eeprograms/Landing.aspx?ID=793

The Federal Government, in addition to the utilities, offers incentives on many appliances, insulation and other efficiency items. Up to 30% or $1,500 is available as a tax credit. http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=tax_credits.tx_index#c4

The State of Michigan provides rebates for appliances not covered by utility programs and provides rebates for appliances that exceed the ENERGY STAR standards. Websites for    –  Refrigerators, dishwashers, & clothes washers  http://www.MIrebates.com/ and for  – Furnaces & hot water heaters http://www.michrebate.com/

Don’t procrastinate. Due to high popularity, some incentives may terminate early.