About the Pilot Program

• What is the Conserve and Save Home Energy Report? The Conserve and Save Home Energy Report is made available to you by Austin Utilities to help you understand your energy usage and find smart ways to be more energy efficient.
• Will my Home Energy Report arrive with my regular bill? No it won't, so you'll need to watch for it in your mail. The report will arrive about two weeks after your regular energy bill and you will receive one every two months.
• How is the Home Energy Report different from my regular bill? Your regular energy bill simply tells you how much energy you have used and at what cost. The Home Energy Report shows you how efficiently you use your energy compared to your closest similar neighbors.
• Why is Austin Utilities investing in this program? All utilities in Minnesota are required under the Next Generation Act of 2007 to find ways to reduce energy usage. We believe that the Home Energy Report is a smart way to help customers to understand their consumption. When customers understand how their usage compares with that of similar homes in the community, they can decide which steps to take, to reduce their energy usage and bills.
• How was I selected to be in the Home Energy Reports program? Most single-family homes in Austin that have both gas and electric service have been chosen to receive bi-monthly reports as part of a two-year pilot for this program.
• How will the Home Energy Report help me save energy and money? The Home Energy Report gives you the opportunity to check your own energy efficiency over time and also to compare it with the average usage by your neighbors. This allows you to put your energy use into a perspective previously unavailable. If your usage is above average, you will now know that and can begin taking steps that should yield immediate savings.
• Is there a cost to receive this report? No, Austin Utilities is providing this report to you free of charge.
• Why is Austin Utilities spending money to send these reports? The Home Energy Report program is proven to be successful at lowering utility costs by reducing the need to supply more energy. Even considering the costs associated with printing and mailing these reports, we are able to achieve energy savings from this program at a substantially lower cost than new power generation. Therefore, this program can help to prevent energy rate increases in the future. This program is likely one of the most cost effective energy efficiency programs we offer.

About the Neighbors and Related Context Provided in the Home Energy Report

• How did you choose the homes used in my neighborhood comparisons? We've chosen specific homes that are nearby and have characteristics that typically lead to similar energy needs such as home size and heating source. We only include homes that appear to be occupied at the time of the comparison.
• Do the neighbor comparisons include seasonal residents? We exclude homes that appear to be empty based on low energy usage at that time.
• Are you comparing my usage to vacant homes? No. We do not include homes that appear to be empty based on low energy usage during the given period.
• What if there are good reasons that my household uses more energy than my neighbors? Our comparison includes 100 similar, nearby, occupied homes, so that the average is a good indication of typical usage. At this time we are not able to consider all household factors that can lead to different energy usage, such as number of occupants or hours spent in the home. If you know that your household has such reasons for using more energy, you might decide that the average is not a reasonable target. At the same time, we hope the Reports can help expand your information and choices to reduce energy without sacrificing comfort.
• How can my neighbors manage to use so much less energy than me? Your efficient neighbors have likely taken a variety of steps to reduce their energy usage. These steps might include installing efficient heating and water heating systems; using the thermostat to manage heating and cooling costs; turning off lights and electronics when not in use; and running only full loads in the washer, dryer or dishwasher. The reports provide action steps to help you make your home more efficient. Visit www.austinutilities.com for information on ways to save energy.
• I have a spa or other special device that uses a lot of energy. So what can I learn from the neighbor comparison? As an educational tool, the Home Energy Reports are designed to show you how much energy your home uses in the context of other homes that are similar and nearby. You may already know that there is a particular reason behind why your home uses more energy. In this case, report will help you see how much more energy your home uses and provide ideas of ways you can reduce your overall usage and the energy bills you pay.
• I have certain life or housing circumstances that prevent me from reducing my energy use. So how can these reports help me? It's understandable that some people may have life or housing circumstances that make it difficult to reduce your home's energy use. We aim to provide a wide range of ideas that can address the various needs of our customers and their homes. We encourage you to check out www.austinutilities.com and search for more ideas. In some cases, you may not be able to realize substantial savings, but we've found that most people can realize at least some savings and we hope we can help you do so.
• I've tried a lot and can't seem to reduce my home's energy use any further. What can I do next? Check out our website at www.austinutilities.com for more ideas. Also, Austin Utilities offers a program that provides a home energy audit, which allows you to identify specific ways you can save in your home. The audit, valued at $175, is available to customers at the reduced price of $40. Call us at 507-433-8886 for details.

How the Home Energy Report Works

• What is in the report? Home Energy Reports are designed to provide new information to help you understand your home's energy usage and find smart ways to make your home more efficient. Each report will provide you with new information including:
  • INFORMATION ON YOUR HOME'S ENERGY USE: For the first time, you'll be able to see your home's energy use in the context of the energy use of your neighbors' homes that are similar in size.
  • PROGRESS TRACKING: You'll also see how your home's energy use changes over time and across seasons.
  • IDEAS ON ENERGY EFFICIENCY: On each report, you can find tips chosen for your home based on the time of year, your home's energy use and the characteristics of your home.
• How do you calculate the cost or savings in the report? The 12 month cost or savings is approximately how much more or less you will pay for energy if your energy use and patterns change to match that of your neighbors. The calculations are made using today's energy costs.
• How do I interpret the graphs in the report?
  • Front Page: Each graph shows your energy use (gray bar/line), the average use of all selected neighbors (blue), and the average use of the most efficient neighbors (green). You can see if your energy use is more or less than your neighbors for the current period, and also for the last 12 months.
  • Back Page: Bars show how your total monthly energy use ranks among the energy use of your neighbors and how that rank has changed over time.
• How do you select the action steps for me? Each month we provide you with personalized tips that we expect will be useful based on your energy use pattern, information about your home, and the time of year. Some may be actions you have already taken, but we will share many new tips throughout the year so you'll have many opportunities to learn and save.
• How can I measure my progress? The Home Energy Report you receive in the mail can help you keep track of your progress — by comparing your energy use to your neighbors and showing you how your comparison to your neighbors changes over time. You can also use a Kill-A-Watt © power plug meter to measure the total electricity used in your home or for a given appliance. Kill-A-Watt © meters are available for check out at the Austin Utilities office at no charge.
• Is my report available electronically? We are in the pilot phase of the program. Right now, reports are only available in printed format.

About Your Usage

• How can I reduce energy use in my home? The action steps on the second page of the report are designed to provide ideas on how to reduce electricity AND natural gas use in your home. You can find more information on saving energy and money at www.austinutilities.com.
• What is consuming the most energy in my home? Typically the largest energy use in our area is heating. Other main categories of energy use in our area include your water heater and appliances.
• Why did my energy use go up/down compared to last year? There are many factors that influence energy use, including:
  • Your behavior and the behavior or your other household members (e.g, How often you use appliances, lighting and other devices in your home)
  • Type of appliances in your home (e.g., Age, condition and model)
  • Number of household members in your home
  • Weather
• If I'm trying to target and reduce electricity use in my home, what should I focus on? Electricity may be used to power some or all of the following:
  • Air Conditioning
  • Refrigerator
  • Freezers
  • Lighting
  • Computers and other electronics
  • Television
  • Clothes Dryer
  • Stove or oven
• If I'm trying to target and reduce natural gas use in my home, what should I focus on? Natural gas may be used to power some or all of the following:
  • Heater (e.g. furnace)
  • Water heater (and appliances that use hot water, such as a washer or dishwasher)
  • Stove, indoor grill and/or oven
  • Fireplace
  • Clothes dryer
• How can I tell how much energy my appliances are using? Austin Utilities can't determine how much energy your specific appliances use. However, products are available that can measure the usage of any appliance that you plug into them. Kill-A-Watt © meters are available for Austin Utilities customers to check out from our office for no charge.
• How do I know the relative efficiency of my current appliance, device or other household item compared to other products available on the market?
• Generally speaking, older items are less energy-efficient than newer items. So if you know the age of your household item that can be a great starting point to get a general sense of its efficiency. You can also consult the owner's manual for the item for more specific information. The manual will usually describe the energy usage of your unit in terms of watts or BTUs. If you don't have the owner's manual, it may be available online or by calling the manufacturer. You can also look at the power plug or battery box for the item, which sometimes has a label indicating the wattage that the item uses.
• The U.S. Department of Energy provides guidance on how to learn about the efficiency of a particular product and how best to choose various household items. For items for which ENERGY STAR© is available, you can usually look up and compare specific models at www.energystar.gov. Otherwise, consult the owner's manual or product label information for the model you think is more efficient and compare it against what you already own.

About Energy Use

• What is a kilowatt hour? One kilowatt hour equals the use of 1,000 watts of energy for one hour. A kilowatt hour is the measure of electrical energy commonly used for electricity billing. For example, a 100-Watt bulb operated for 1000 hours would consume 100 kilowatt hours (100 Watts x 1000 hours = 100 kWh).
• What is a CCF? A CCF is the measurement of natural gas volume commonly used for billing. It means one hundred cubic feet. One CCF equals 100,000 BTUs.
• What is the Energy Index? The Energy Index is a measure that combines electricity (kWh) and gas (CCF-100 cubic feet) into a single number.

Contact Us

• Have a question or comment about your report? Email us at energyreports@austinutilities.com or call us at 507-433-8886.