Home Energy Efficiency in Jacksonville

Making Your Home Comfortable and Efficient

Here are some points to keep in mind when working to make your home more energy efficient.

• The average summer highs are in the 90's, and in January, low temperatures dip into the 40's. Because most Jacksonville area residents use electricity to heat and cool their homes, measures like adding insulation and air sealing are very important in terms of getting the most out of your HVAC equipment.
• The average price of electricity from utilities like Clay Electric Cooperative and Florida Power and Light is around $0.09 per kilowatt-hour, which is close to average for the U.S.
• Natural Gas, however, is around $4.50 more than the national average with Western Natural Gas and other utilities charging around $16 per thousand cubic feet.
• The average Florida home was built in 1983, which means many houses are in need of an energy efficiency retrofit to maximize their energy saving potential.
• Jacksonville's wind and solar potential is good with an annual wind speed average of around 8 mph and average daily solar radiation of 4.5 kWh per meter squared.

Home Energy Audits in Jacksonville

An energy audit will help you get a better understanding of what's going on with your home and what the most cost-effective energy efficiency upgrades will be. In other words, the audit will help you get the most bang for your buck. Typically, audits in the Jacksonville area cost around $450, but this upfront cost can easily pay itself off in the short term through savings on your utility bills.

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 Jacksonville

The following are a sample of common upgrades for climates like Jacksonville's.

• Geothermal Heat Pump: If it's time to replace an out-of-date HVAC system, you may want to consider going with a geothermal heat pump to heat and cool your home. A geothermal heat pump essentially extracts heat from the ground, which remains at a relatively constant temperature throughout the year, and it then pumps that warm air into your home. Meanwhile, in the summer time, the pump reverses to pump hot air out of your home.
• Attic Insulation: When the sun is beating down on your roof in mid-July, the last thing you want is for the heat to seep into your home and into your living space. Proper attic insulation will help keep heat out of your home in the summer and inside your home in the winter. ENERGY STAR experts recommend adding R25 to R38 rated insulation to attics that have only a few inches of insulation, which is often the case with older homes.
• Air Sealing: By sealing off any leaky areas on the exterior of your home, you can keep air that has been expensively heated or cooled inside your home. Areas that are often in need of air sealing are found around windows, doors, outlets and chimneys.
• ENERGY STAR Appliances: Installing ENERGY STAR refrigerators, dishwashers, clothes washers, dryers, tankless water heaters and other high-efficiency appliances is one way for Jacksonville residents to start cutting back their high electrical consumption.
• Solar Panels: If your home is already super efficient, but your energy bills are still high, you may want to consider because an independent, self-generator by using solar panels to power your home. Not only will solar panels allow you to power your home by using the sun's free energy, but they will also help protect you from consistently rising energy prices for years to come.

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

Energy Rebates and Tax Credits in Jacksonville

Home Efficiency Upgrades: If you're looking for ways to help pay for the upgrades you want to make in your home, you're in luck. Beach Energy Services, Clay Electric Cooperative and Florida Power and Light all offers rebates on heat pumps and insulation. And the U.S. government offers the Residential Energy Efficiency Tax Credit, which will help cover up to 30 percent of the cost for energy efficiency measures such as insulation, air sealing, windows, HVAC and water heater replacements.

Renewable Energy Systems: If you're interested in a solar hot water heater, you may be able to take advantage of loans and rebates from Beaches Energy Services, Clay Electric Cooperative and JEA. The federal government also covers solar hot water heaters in the Residential Renewable Energy Tax Credit, which will cover 30 percent of the cost. This tax credit also covers solar panels, wind energy systems, fuel cells and other renewable energy systems.

Check out all energy rebates and tax credits in Jacksonville.

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: May 2010

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