Home Energy Efficiency in Indianapolis

Making Your Home Comfortable and Efficient

Here are a few facts about the Indianapolis area that are important to consider when making your home more energy efficient.

• Compared to the rest of the nation, electricity and natural gas in the Indianapolis area are relatively cheap with gas costing around $7.32 per thousand cubic feet and electricity around $0.08 per kilowatt-hour from utilities such as Citizens Gas and Indianapolis Power & Light.
• Indiana residents are some of the highest electricity consumers in the nation, which means there is a lot of easy energy saving opportunities for Indiana residents.
• Indianapolis has a wide range of temperatures throughout the year with January lows dropping into the teens and July highs hanging around 85 degrees. This makes an efficient HVAC system an important part of keeping your home comfortable in the winter and summer.
• The majority of homes in Indiana are around 40 years old or older. For older homes like these, energy efficiency upgrades can make a big difference in comfort through measures like air sealing, insulation and duct sealing.
• The average annual wind speed in the Indianapolis area is around 9.6 mph, which is enough to keep a turbine spinning and powering your home for most of the year.

Home Energy Audits in Indianapolis

If you're wondering where to begin, you may want to consider an in-home energy audit. An auditor will comprehensively test your home to figure out what's going on, which will give you an idea of what the most cost-effective upgrades will be for your home.

Audits in the Indianapolis cost around $400, but the average savings on your utility bills from implementing the upgrades your auditor suggests is around $2,700 over the course of three years. After adding in available rebates and tax credits, your audit will save you enough money to pay itself off in the short term.

If you'd like to find out — for free and within minutes — whether your home is a good candidate for an energy audit and for upgrades, take our online home energy report. We'll give you a home energy score and estimate your savings potential.

Home Energy Upgrades in Indianapolis

Here are a few recommendations your auditor might have for you.

• Programmable Thermostats: Installing a programmable thermostat will allow you to create a heating a cooling plan for your home. In the winter time, you can set your thermostat to a lower temperature during the weekday hours when your family is at work and school, which will save you a lot of money on your heating bills.
• Insulation: Many older homes like those in the Indianapolis area are need of added insulation, especially in the attic and walls. ENERGY STAR recommends adding R38 to R49 rated insulation to attics with only a few inches of insulation and blown insulation to walls with poor insulation.
• Air Sealing: One of the most cost-effective measures you can do to make your home more energy efficient is to air sealing around windows, doors, outlets and other areas on the exterior of your home where air is seeping in and out of your home. This relatively inexpensive project will save you a lot of money on your heating and cooling bills.
• Energy-Efficient Windows: Windows can be an expensive project to take on, but if you're remodeling and need new windows, choose ENERGY STAR rated double-pane windows with a low SHGC and a low U-factor in order to get the most bang for your buck. If you have single-pane windows that you don't want to replace, a more cost-effective measure may be to add storm windows.
• Wind Energy Systems: In an area like Indianapolis that is consistently windy throughout the year, wind energy may be a great choice for someone who has already made their home energy efficient. It will also help you become more energy independent and reduce your environmental impact.

Have a project in mind? Contact an energy expert to get started.

Energy Rebates and Tax Credits in Indianapolis

Home Efficiency Upgrades: Rebates for programmable thermostats and HVAC upgrades and water heater replacements are available through Citizens Gas. Also, Indiana is offering a program with limited funding for Indiana homeowners who purchase geothermal heat pumps and high efficiency heat pumps.

Both Indiana and the federal government offer an income tax credit for purchasing energy-efficient appliances and HVAC equipment. The federal tax credit also includes windows, doors, roofs, insulation and air sealing.

Renewable Energy Systems: Indianapolis Power & Light offers incentives for homeowners who install solar, wind or biomass renewable energy systems. Additionally, renewable energy systems are eligible for a property tax exemption and a tax deduction from the state of Indiana. The federal government will also cover up to 30 percent of the system's cost thought the Residential Energy Efficiency Tax Credit.

Check out all energy rebates and tax credits in Indianapolis.

Home Energy Resources from EnergySavvy

1. Home Energy Report: How efficient is your home? Find out how to improve your home's efficiency and comfort, without spending tons of money, with EnergySavvy's free online home energy report.
2. Energy Rebate and Tax Credit Directory: EnergySavvy's guide to energy rebates and tax credits can help you find all the energy tax credits and rebates that are available locally for you.
3. Energy Contractors: If you've got a project in mind to make your home more energy efficient and comfortable and you'd like to talk with an energy expert about it, we can help. We focus on the relatively small group of contractors nationwide who really understand home energy auditing and energy retrofits.
4. Educational Content: Home energy efficiency is complicated stuff. It's not just as simple as laying some insulation in the attic. We've put together a library of easy-to-read topics that cover the basics of energy efficiency. And if you have a question about anything, you can ask one of our energy experts using our "Ask an Expert" feature.

Last Updated: June 2010

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