Extreme Energy Home Makeover Winner Announced
Colman Homeowner to Receive Home Energy Makeover worth $25,000

COLMAN, S.D. – Rod and Kari Schmidt will soon see lower energy bills thanks to a home makeover contest sponsored by Heartland Consumers Power District of Madison. The Schmidts were announced Sept . 11 at the Colman-Egan home football game as the winners of the Extreme Energy Home Makeover.

"We are thrilled to have this opportunity," said Rod Schmidt. "We are excited to see the improvements and the savings we can achieve."

Heartland announced the contest this past spring as part of their energy efficiency program, Power Forward. Colman was announced as the winning community in June and residents were invited to apply for the makeover. The Schmidts were one of 31 homeowners in Colman who submitted applications.

The pool was then narrowed down to three finalists including the Schmidts, Sheila Buhr, and Jennifer and Terry Thompson.

"Narrowing the field to three was not an easy task," said Ann Hyland, director of energy programs at Heartland. "There were many homes that would have benefited from the makeover. Each application was unique and we looked for the biggest potential energy savers."

According to Hyland, each applicant was asked to provide information about their home such as the age of their appliances, age of the HVAC system as well as the fuel source, square footage of the home and past energy bills. Finalists were chosen based on specific features of the home as outlined in the application.

Once the finalists were chosen, Heartland asked Inter-lakes Community Action Partnership to perform energy audits on each of the homes.

"There are some things you can't find out from an application," said Hyland. "The audits allowed us to see where the homes were losing energy and outlined the specific improvements that would provide energy savings."

The auditors performed several tests including a blower door test which checked for air infiltration around doors, windows, basements, light fixtures, outlets and other areas. Auditors also analyzed the furnace and other combustible appliances to ensure proper working condition and checked for insulation in the walls and attic.

The Schmidts live in a two-story, four-bedroom home built in the early 1900s. Kari operates a daycare in the home where they have lived for 18 years.

"We are grateful to Heartland for providing this opportunity for us and the city of Colman," said Kari Schmidt. "We know first-hand what it costs to raise children so we have worked to keep daycare costs down. We haven't been able to make some of the efficiency upgrades that we would have liked. We can't wait to see the results."

The energy audit revealed several areas of potential improvement in the Schmidts' home. There is a lack of insulation in the attic and walls as well in the basement around the perimeter where the walls meet the ceiling. Several of the windows are leaking air because of broken locks, sashes or lack of sealing. The furnace is an older unit that has seen most of its useful life.

"The goal of the Extreme Makeover is to raise awareness and exposure of energy efficiency," said Hyland. "The best results come from looking at the house as a whole system and making efficiency upgrades that will improve the overall energy performance."

According to Hyland, small improvements can also bring big savings. "Installing a programmable thermostat or switching to energy efficient compact fluorescent light bulbs are typically affordable investments with short payback periods." Heartland will also make these types of investments in the Schmidts' home.

Once the energy efficiency improvements have been made, Heartland will monitor the energy use and compare it to the Schmidts' previous energy bills. Heartland will provide updates on their Web site, www.hcpd.com.

Heartland chose to work with Inter-lakes Community Action Partnership on the energy audits because they offer a weatherization assistance program for income-eligible households. Anyone meeting the income guidelines is eligible to apply for up to $6,500 in weatherization improvements to their home.

Heartland Consumers Power District is a non-profit, public power utility located in Madison, S.D. Heartland provides low-cost, reliable power as well as energy services and community development programs to the city of Colman as well as communities and state agencies in South Dakota, Minnesota and Iowa. The city of Colman then retails the power to its residents, businesses and industries. Visit www.hcpd.com to learn more about Heartland and their energy efficiency efforts.

Information provided by Heartland Consumers Power District.
September 2009