Energy Co-op of Vermont Members Use Less Energy

Our OilPro software keeps track of our members’ oil use and we’re always interested in the changes it shows from year to year. Here are some stories about Energy Co-op members who are using less oil to keep their homes warm and comfortable.

Bob Poczabut – 190 GALLONS SAVED

Crawl space before insulation upgrade

After reading our spring 2008 newsletter, Bob Poczabut called Scott Gardner at Building Energy in Williston to schedule an energy audit for his 40 year-old Burlington home. The audit pointed to several opportunities to save energy. In mid-November 2008, Scott and his crew added 12 inches of insulation and an air barrier in the attic and blew dense pack cellulose insulation into the walls. They also used foam insulation in a crawl space adjacent to the kitchen and made some minor improvements such as adding insulation to the hot water tank and pipes. Scott expected that this initial work would reduce Bob’s oil use by up to 30%. That’s about 170 gallons of heating oil. Our computer system calculates oil use for each delivery, so in April 2009, we checked Bob’s oil use …. it was down by 190 gallons! Next, Bob will look into replacing his furnace with a new, more efficient one. We’ll see his oil use go down again.

Eleazar Durfee – 600 GALLONS SAVED

Eleazar and his new
Weil McLain boiler

In May 2006, Eleazar added attic insulation to his Burlington home and we saw his annual oil use go down from 1,250 gallons to 970 gallons. Then in August 2007, we replaced Eleazar’s 20 year-old boiler with a new Weil McLain Gold, four-section boiler with an 85% efficiency rating. The results have been impressive: the following winter Eleazar used only about 650 gallons of oil. Together, the attic insulation and new boiler have cut oil use almost in half! The new boiler alone will pay for itself in 5 ½ years, producing an 18% return on investment.

Kelly Ellinger - 230 GALLONS SAVED

Kelly Ellinger’s renovated, energy-efficient home

In the summer of 2006, Kelly Ellinger began a major renovation project at her Williston home. Her goals were to increase the value of her home, reduce maintenance and save energy. Her contractor removed 40 year-old cedar shakes, and took out 28 single-glazed windows and the 40 year old boiler. Some $30,000 later, Kelly’s home had been wrapped in foam board insulation and vinyl imitation-cedar shakes, fitted with new triple-glazed windows and an efficient Weil McLain boiler. The next winter Kelly used 530 gallons of oil, down from the 760 gallons she burned before the renovations.

Jim Edelman - 340 GALLONS SAVED

Fiberglass insulation in Jim Edelman’s basement ceiling

Jim Edelman’s big old Vermont farm house used about 1,900 gallons of oil in the 2006/07 year. The next summer, Jim started doing something about it. He hired contractors to blow extra cellulose insulation into most of his attic space, and also added insulation to the basement ceiling. In 2007/08, Jim used about 1,560 gallons of oil, saving more than 300 gallons. Because his home uses more than 50,000 BTU’s per square foot, Jim will get an energy audit in order to pinpoint additional opportunities to cut his oil use further. We’ll watch his progress with great interest.