Energy Auditing, Insulating, and the Act on Energy Program Explained
As energy prices continue to rise, Ameren Illinois’ Act on Energy program is becoming more and more popular. Homeowners want to take advantage of incentives, save money on their electric bills, and increase comfort levels in their homes.
But there’s a lot of misinformation floating around about the program’s requirements.And if your energy upgrade isn’t done correctly, you’ll be paying more than you should on your utility bills and possibly even causing damage to your home. If the air sealing is done poorly (or not at all) you’ll lose big money over time. If the insulators carelessly cover up soffit vents, you could end up with ice dams, moisture problems, and more.
So arm yourself with some knowledge before you dive in. Read below to:
Know what to expect during each step of the process
Learn which incentives apply and how to get the maximum rebate
Understand best practices, so you know that your house will actually perform better in the long term
For your convenience, we’ve also provided this same info in a downloadable pdf.
First, a couple of definitions to help you understand the process better:
What is an Energy Audit? A Home Energy Audit is a thorough evaluation of your house in order to identify ways to improve energy efficiency. There are different levels of auditing, from the basic walk-through (such as Ameren provides) to home modeling, which uses detailed measurements to provide a computer model of how your home uses energy. Your auditor’s goal is to show you which improvements will provide the greatest cost-benefit ratio.
What is R-Value? R-value is the measure of thermal resistance of an insulating or building material. R-value is expressed as R-11, R-38, etc. The higher the number, the greater the thermal resistance, and the more effective the material is as an insulator. In order for a material to work at its rated R-value, it must be installed correctly.
STEP 1: THE AMEREN AUDIT (if you want it)
Most people call New Prairie after they’ve taken advantage of Ameren’s $50.00 (previously $25.00) basic energy audit. Ameren offers rebates and incentives for certain energy upgrades made to your home through their Act On Energy program, and having their basic audit is often a starting point for this process. You aren’t required to have the Ameren audit in order to take advantage of the Act on Energy incentive money (although Ameren gives out free light bulbs and some other goodies during the audit).
But in order to ensure quality, Ameren requires you to go through an Act on Energy Program Ally such as New Prairie to make the upgrades to your home. We qualify as an Ally because we have a Building Performance Institute (BPI) certified Building Analyst, Chris Walker, on staff. Becoming BPI-certified requires rigorous field and classroom training.
Chris is also certified as a Building Envelope Specialist and has been a carpenter for the last 20 years. He has extensive first-hand knowledge of how elements of a building interact and what needs to be done to ensure occupant comfort, health, and safety. Our insulation subcontractor, Illiana Insulation, also has BPI-certified staff.
STEP 2: IDENTIFYING THE PROBLEMS
Whether or not you have the Ameren audit, when you call us and make an appointment our Building Analyst will come to your home with an Insulation Specialist from Illiana Insulation. They will do a basic audit of your home during this visit. This is a FREE service.
During this visit, they will:
Measure to obtain square footage and volume of your home
Measure quality and quantity of insulation
Check to make sure attic air space is vented properly
Check for proper venting of bath and kitchen fans
Check for intact vapor barrier in crawlspace
Identify thermal bypasses (holes) in the envelope of the house
Check for problems with plumbing, HVAC, or electrical systems (such as knob-and-tube wiring, an old system) that require action before insulation can be installed. (The Act on Energy program does not allow insulation over knob-and-tube, as it could catch on fire when smothered.)
Check recessed “can” lights for Insulation Contact (IC) rated housings
Answer any questions you have
And perform the next step, Required Pre-Testing
STEP 3: REQUIRED PRE-TESTING
TO QUALIFY FOR AMEREN INCENTIVES, PRE- AND POST-TESTING ARE REQUIRED. The one exception to this rule is when your rim-joist is the ONLY part of your house being insulated.
During pre-testing, New Prairie will:
Perform a blower door test to determine exactly how leaky your house is. A special fan is set up in your front door, blowing air out. This pulls air through all the small leaks in the envelope of the house. This air flow is measured in cubic feet per minute (CFM). Ameren uses the reduction in this measurement to calculate your rebate for air sealing.
Check gas lines for leaks
Check any gas or oil-burning appliances, such as furnaces, hot water heaters, and ovens, for acceptable carbon monoxide levels and proper ventilation
The last two items are known as Combustion Appliance Zone (CAZ) tests, and are designed to ensure occupant safety. They are required by Ameren before and after insulation and air sealing work to make sure gas or oil-burning appliances are operating and venting safely.
STEP 4: PROVIDING SOLUTIONS
After determining which energy upgrades your home needs, New Prairie will send you a bid for the work, along with information on which incentives apply in your home and how much money you could get back.
STEP 5: SOLVING THE PROBLEMS
The next steps will vary based on the needs of your home. Your home may not need everything on this list. Generally, New Prairie will come in and do their part first; Illiana Insulation will follow.
In the Attic
New Prairie carpenters will:
Vent bath and/or kitchen fans to outside with insulated rigid metal pipe, if vents are absent or improperly done
Add insulation and weather-stripping to attic hatch
Illiana Insulation will:
Move existing insulation to expose recessed lighting (also known as can lighting), wiring, chases, open soffits, and any other holes and penetrations
Safely cover metal recessed lighting boxes with non-flammable material to follow fire-safety codes
Apply foam sealer over any holes, cracks, top wall plates, and electrical and plumbing penetrations
Smooth existing insulation back down
Blow in the required amount of cellulose insulation
How much will I get from Ameren for attic insulation?
The financial incentive for R-11 or less pre-existing attic insulation is $0.40 per square foot of area insulated (net insulated attic floor area) up to a maximum incentive of $600. The total post-installation R-value must be R-38 or greater.
In the Basement/Crawl Space
We go the extra mile in your crawlspace. Why? Because you MUST seal vapor out of the crawl if you’re going to seal vents and insulate the rim joist. Otherwise, that vapor will come up through your flooring and you’ll find yourself with mold, structural problems, and health issues. Although Ameren only incentivizes rim joist insulation, both the International Residential Code (IRC) and the Building Performance Institute guidelines insist on appropriate vapor sealing methods — with good reason.
New Prairie carpenters will:
Clear crawlspace of debris
Spread out 10-millimeter thick plastic over the soil or rock, lapping edges up over the stem walls. Vapor barriers must be continuous, with no open areas.
Attach edges of plastic to stem walls by screwing strips of wood (battens) over them
Seal all seams and penetrations in the vapor barrier with tape and/or caulk
Insulate and air-seal crawlspace hatch, if it leads to exterior
Illiana Insulation will:
Remove any fiberglass batts from the rim joist area (the area where the house sits on the foundation)
Spray foam insulation to R-11 or greater in rim joist area in basement
Spray foam insulation to R-11 or greater in rim joist area of crawl-space and down from rim joist to battens, covering entire stem wall
How much can I get from Ameren for wall insulation in the basement/crawl?
The financial incentive for rim joist insulation is $.80 per lineal foot, up to a maximum of $320.
The financial incentive for wall insulation is $.80 per square foot of area insulated (net insulated wall area), up to a maximum of $1000.
Incentives for wall insulation include all the vertical, above-grade sections. They do not include anything below grade. (Lower sections of basement and crawlspace walls are usually below grade).
In the Walls
In order to qualify for Ameren money for wall insulation, there must be NO insulation present in your walls (the only exception being the rim joist area in basements and crawlspaces; insulators will remove the fiberglass there before spray-foaming). Blowing cellulose insulation horizontally over fiberglass batts will cause gaps in the cellulose and won’t be as effective.
If you have no insulation your walls, cellulose can be blown-in from the inside or the outside of your house. Most people opt for outside, since holes have to be made in the wall and patched after the insulation is added.
Illiana Insulation will:
Drill two 2-inch holes in each 16-inch stud cavity, in order to blow in insulation (“Studs” are the upright pieces of wood that make up your walls, and the “stud cavity” is the space between each of your wall studs.)
Plug holes with wooden plugs hammered flush with existing siding
Blow cellulose into stud cavities to an R-value of R-11 or greater for a 2×4 wall
New Prairie will:
Caulk/paint plugs to match house or patch holes in drywall if homeowner requests
How much can I get from Ameren for wall insulation?
The financial incentive for wall insulation is $.80 per square foot of area insulated (net insulated wall area), up to a maximum of $1000.
STEP 6: FINAL TESTING FOR AIR SEALING REBATE
The effectiveness of insulating and air sealing is measured by the reduction of air leakage. Depending on what issues we’ve been able to address, New Prairie routinely achieves between 15% and 40% reduction in air leakage.
New Prairie will:
Perform a final blower door test to determine how much tighter the house is
Perform another CAZ test if applicable
Figure out how much your air sealing rebate is according to the new measurements
Deduct all of your rebates from your final bill
Fill out and submit all paperwork to Ameren
Make sure you’re 100% satisfied
How much can I get from Ameren for air sealing?
The financial incentive for air sealing is $0.30 per CFM of air leakage reduction, up to a maximum of $600.
We hope this information helped you understand the appropriate processes for making your home more energy efficient. The techniques above are based on established building science, and will keep your home healthy and sound, as well as save you the most money over time. Don’t settle for less!
