While our goal at Central Wisconsin Electric Cooperative (CWEC) is to provide electricity to our members as efficiently and safely as possible, we also provide our members with options to help them reduce the cost of their monthly electric bill.

As your trusted energy partner, CWEC believes that savings and efficiency are within reach for everyone, and we want to help you get there. That’s why CWEC offers two options for home energy audits – a basic home energy audit and a professional audit.

Before we get into the specifics about each type of audit, here are details of what an energy audit would provide for you. An audit is a holistic view of your home’s efficiency. Understanding how your home uses energy can help determine the best ways to adjust energy consumption, improve problem areas and ultimately keep more money in your wallet. An energy audit can also identify potential safety issues surrounding electrical wiring and HVAC systems, making your home safer. You could say this is a good kind of audit.

So how does it work?

A basic home energy audit consists of completing a Home Energy Audit form and Home Energy Audit Questionnaire while doing a simple, diligent walk-through of your home. These forms are then returned to CWEC, where they will be reviewed. After they are reviewed, a representative from CWEC will contact you to review the results, talk about any concerns found, and discuss the next steps. The results will also be used to provide you with energy savings tips. There is no charge for a basic home energy audit.

If a homeowner would choose to have a professional audit done, they would work with a state-certified auditor who CWEC has partnered with, to have a comprehensive audit done. The professional audit will determine if your home has areas of heat loss, missing insulation, or other energy consumption concerns. The report would include infrared photos, a list of areas of concerns, and a list of energy saving recommendations specific to the home. The audit costs $450, but rebates offered by CWEC could help offset the cost.

For more information about the energy audits, visit the co-op’s website at www.cwecoop.com. The energy audits information can be found on the “Energy Audits” page listed in the dropdown menu under the Member Services tab.

One of the greatest values of an energy audit is helping you understand how you use electricity and more importantly, identifying ways to use it more efficiently.

Additionally, making improvements and upgrades based on the evaluation can increase your property value––all the more reason to schedule an audit for your home.

Energy audits are just one of the many perks of your co-op membership, so we hope you’ll take advantage of this valuable service.

If you’re looking for more ways to save, CWEC also offers energy conservation rewards for a variety of energy efficiency products and projects. These include residential lighting, non-residential lighting, power strips & water flow restrictors, heating & cooling, weatherization, household appliances, and electric water heaters.

For a complete list of energy conservation rewards available and how to apply for them, visit www.cwecoop.com. The energy conservation rewards information can be found on the “Energy Conservation Rewards” page listed in the dropdown menu under the Member Services tab.

These programs and services are designed with CWEC members in mind, putting the power to save in your hands.