UR partners with Richmond Region Energy Alliance to reduce employees' environmental impact off campus

The University of Richmond is working hard to reduce the environmental impact of campus, but faculty and staff also have an opportunity to make changes at home.

UR has teamed up with the Richmond Region Energy Alliance (RREA), a community service nonprofit, to offer a one-stop shop for home energy performance resources. RREA directs homeowners who have high energy bills and comfort problems to schedule a home energy assessment to scientifically determine the causes and find the solutions.

RREA is offering the UR community a $250 rebate towards the cost of the assessment (valued at $300–400), which includes a comprehensive report on where your home is losing energy, along with prioritized, cost-effective next steps to take.

To receive the rebate, you must take a 5-minute, 24-question online survey and enter your email address at the end. The Energy Savvy tool is a great introduction to the topic of home energy performance and will help you determine if an assessment is right for you.

You can also meet the contractors and learn more about the range of RREA’s services—including rebates and financing, quality assurance, and the Home Performance with Energy Star program—at rrea-va.org.

Read what other Richmond employees had to say about their home assessments and improvements implemented by Air Resolutions, Inc.:

Dale Cecka, Associate Clinical Professor of Law
20% energy savings

Dale, her husband Jonny, and their 12-year-old son have lived in their Museum District home since July 2011. Being passionate about conserving resources, they undertook what measures they could to save energy. Still, they recognized that they didn’t have the expertise to identify exactly how to solve their home’s energy loss. After special diagnostic testing, the Cecka’s energy assessment contractor created a customized report on their home’s energy use, along with prioritized, cost-effective solutions to fix the problems.

The Ceckas implemented some of the recommended upgrades, such as air sealing in the attic and basement; additional insulation in the attic; and a digital thermostat. They will live more comfortably in their home year-round by sealing up air leakage points and adding insulation to their home. Plus, they will save money on their bills with the programmable thermostat. Their projected 20 percent energy savings also qualifies them for RREA’s additional $500 rebate.

The Ceckas feel that “being a part of the [RREA] program has been an inspiration.”

Beth Ann Howard, Administrative Coordinator, Political Science Department
50% energy savings

First-time homeowner Beth Ann Howard moved into her charming Lakeside house in June 2012. As her first summer kicked in, Howard soon noticed that it was more hot and humid inside than it was outside. She also has an oil boiler, which leads to expensive heating costs in the winter.

After her energy assessment, Howard implemented several improvements to her home. Howard’s crawlspace lacks insulation—a problem when 50 percent of the air in homes has been in crawlspaces. She decided to have hers encapsulated to improve indoor air quality, as well as her comfort problems. Howard is also installing a heat pump so she won’t rely on expensive oil heat as her primary source. Making this switch gives her a 50 percent energy savings. That puts her well within the RREA program requirements to receive the $500 rebate.