In the fall of 2022, Dynamic.RE reached out to us for their fourth project with GreenLight Solutions to create an educational tool about energy efficiency for their clients. In past semesters, Dynamic and GreenLight worked together on many projects to make homeownership sustainable. This semester they aimed to expand their website to include more resources for their clients. After looking at currently available energy efficiency resources for homeowners, we found that there is a lot of guesswork and money that goes into making a home more energy efficient. We tackled that issue by creating 2 resources: a video detailing the process of getting an energy audit and an ebook that lists easy and cost-efficient “Do it Yourself” home energy solutions. Our first objective was to conduct a home energy audit to use as a case study to document the process. Our team met to collect information on what an energy audit is and what it would look like for homeowners who may be interested. We reached out to a local company, FOR Energy, which specializes in home energy audits. We set up an appointment with them to do an energy audit on the Dynamic home office. We set out to record 15 clips and ended up with 34 clips for the audit. During the audit, we asked questions related to home energy efficiency and gathered a great deal of information to use for our final deliverables. Once the audit is completed, FOR Energy offers a follow-up report review for all of its clients. This review goes over all of the collected data and provides solutions to home issues. By attending this meeting, we gained insight on areas where a home is most likely to be losing energy and what improvements can be made. We also realized how expensive it can be to replace or repair different areas of a home to make it energy efficient. As a result, we came up with the idea for our Ebook. The second objective of our project was to accumulate all of the information we had learned, along with additional research, to create our Ebook. The Ebook aimed to provide people with ways to reduce their home energy usage without having to break the bank. To do this, we came up with a list of 11 DIY home improvements. This list included a variety of easy switches that can be made in the home, such as replacing light bulbs with LEDs, switching to a smart thermostat, improving weatherstripping around doors, and more. Each home improvement listed in the Ebook is accompanied by a detailed paragraph that explains how and why making these switches is important for decreasing energy usage to create a sustainable home. Now, Dynamic has new resources on its website where its clients can go to learn more about home energy efficiency and the energy audit process. Readily available information for their clients helps real estate and home ownership become sustainable. Our team of Solutioneers gained valuable hands-on experience in home energy audits, learned about the most notable areas of the home where energy is wasted, and what solutions exist to prevent energy waste. Making a home more energy efficient can be a daunting task, especially considering the high cost that companies charge. This project took the guesswork out of the process and gave Dynamic’s clients and anyone looking for more information, clarity on what the energy audit and implementation process looks like, and gave easy and cost-efficient solutions to help property owners everywhere make an impact. Written By: Lauren Taylor Lauren Taylor is a Sophomore at Arizona State University studying for a Bachelors of Science in Sustainability with a concentration in Energy and a minor in Project Management. This was her second semester in GreenLight Solutions and she held the role of Project Lead for the Dynamic RE team. Outside of GreenLight Solutions, Lauren is an Energy Efficiency Specialist for the Industrial Assessment Center at ASU and is currently working on a project funded by the USDA to provide energy audits for rural areas of Arizona.
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