Christopher Frye

Report Christopher M. Frye Elance Job ID: - Elance Job Name: EE Rebates / Green Measures (Homeowners) Service Area Defined There are two specific radii upon which the analysis of available rebates is focused: A 30 Mile radius around Denver and a 20 mile radius around Colorado Springs. Report Christopher M. Frye Counties Covered1 Denver Scope: Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Denver (100%), Douglas, Elbert, Gilpin, Jefferson, and Weld Colorado Springs Scope: El Paso, Fremont, and Teller The attached spreadsheet also provides two tabs for each area indicating the zip codes within the selected counties. Utility Service Territories Colorado Springs: Black Hills Energy, City of Fountain Utilities, and Colorado Springs Utilities Denver: Xcel Energy, Center Municipal Gas, Light & Power, Frederick Municipal Light System, Longmont Power & Communication, Intermountain Rural Electric Association, and United Power Key Zip Codes Based on top 3 cities by population in each county (zip code centroid): County Denver Radius Adams Arapahoe Boulder Denver Douglas 2 Elbert Gilpin Jefferson 3 Weld Colorado Springs Radius El Paso 4 Fremont Teller Largest Place (Population) Population 1,302,861 117,623 278,131 100,160 610,345 45,691 Thornton Aurora Boulder Denver Castle Rock N/A Central City Lakewood Frederick Colorado Springs 638 141,937 8,336 406,477 399,827 Woodland Park 6,650 Zip Code Centroid (Google Earth- N/A 80863 County Population (2009/Census) 3,005,691 440,994 565,360 303,482 610,345 288,225 Percent of Total - N/A 5,604 536,922 254,759 626,227 604,542 - 21,685 31 Source: US Census, American Community Survey (2009 Population). Elbert and Fremont counties contribute small portions to their respective radii. 1 Based on any part of the county falling within the radius as described in page 1. Elbert County: Includes small portion of radius (NW Corner). 3 Largest city not in 30 mile radius; Frederick is largest city within radius. 4 Fremont County Includes small portion of radius (NE Corner) 2 Report Christopher M. Frye Homeowner Claim Information The following information is provided by the Insurance Information Institute; actual raw data from insurance surveys or other information that would allow one to create custom cross tabulations was not available as of this submittal. The Insurance Information Institute sees its mission as [improving] public understanding of insurance – what it does and how it works. Data presented on the III website is either provided by the institute or reprinted with permission from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC). I’ve provided a sampling of data collected from the website and sourced as appropriate. Average Homeowner Losses,- Cause of Loss Property Damage Fire, Lightning, and Debris Removal Wind and Hail Water Damage / Freezing Theft All Other8 Average (Property Damage and Liability-Not Shown) Source: ISO Claim Frequency6 Claim Severity7 - $25,375 $7,554 $5,895 $2,609 $3,850 5.78 $7,864 Homeowner Insurance Losses by Cause,- Cause of Loss Fire, Lightning & Debris Removal Wind and Hail Water Damage/Freezing Theft All Other Property Damage8 Liability Bodily Injury and Property Damage Medical Payments / Other Credit Card / Other9 5 - - Percent of Losses Incurred- - - - - - - 2008 For homeowners multiple peril policies. Excludes tenants and condominium owners policies. Claims per 100 house years (policies). 7 Accident year incurred losses, excluding loss adjustment expenses, i.e. indemnity costs per accident year incurred claims. 8 Includes vandalism and malicious mischief. 9 Includes coverage for unauthorized use of various cards, forgery, counterfeit money and losses not otherwise classified. 6 Christopher M. Frye Report Green Measures for Homeowners10  This list is not exhaustive, but I believe provides a good summary of nearly all of the most practical things a homeowner can do to be green or reduce their carbon footprint. Appliances / Electronics:    Clothes Washers/Dryers, Computers, Dishwashers, Home Audio Equipment, Refrigerators and Freezers, Room Air Conditioners, Televisions, DVDs, VCRs, and Water Heaters Use products (GreenSwitch is one) that allow one to turn off several devices at once upon leaving the premises. Get rid of the refrigerator in the garage (during summer months, the compressor is running nearly constantly) – refrigerators makeup almost 80-90% of load. Home Energy Assessments:       Certain aspects of home energy assessments require a trained professional but there are a number of things that homeowners can do on their own to assess their energy profile. Based on walking through the house, make a list of all air leaks (energy savings from reducing drafts can be 5-30%); these are most likely at seams such as along the baseboard or edge of the flooring and at junctures of the walls and ceiling. Other areas include: electrical outlets, switch plates, window frames, baseboards, weather stripping around doors, fireplace dampers, attic hatches, and wall or window-mount air conditioners. Gaps around pipes and wires, electrical outlets, foundation seals and mail slots should be assessed. Inspect windows/doors for air leaks; if you can see daylight around a frame, there is a leak. Perform a basic building pressurization test: o Close all exterior doors, windows and fireplace flues; o Turn off all combustible appliances; o Turn on all exhaust fans to suck air out of the rooms; o Incense sticks are a good tool for identifying leaks indicated by smoke wavering. Outside of house, check all exterior corners, where siding/chimney meet, and other areas where two building materials meet (foundation/siding). Insulation    Heat loss through ceiling/walls could be large if insulation is less than recommended; this is particularly a problem for older homes that were built when codes were more lax than today; Attic hatch is a definite area where heat loss can occur and purchasing weather-stripping or a replacement hatch which provides for an adequate seal; Add additional infill insulation if used in attic spaces; Heating/Cooling Equipment  10 Inspect heating/cooling equipment regularly (at least once a year); for forced-air furnaces, check or replace filters regularly A good deal of this information is based on the U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy section entitled Energy Savers; additional information based on various utility websites. Christopher M. Frye   Report Roughly 40% of a household’s energy bill goes towards heating/cooling – however, maintaining your HVAC system or better yet, purchasing a high efficiency A/C (SEER rating of 14+) will do nothing for energy bills if insulation, air sealing is not completed. Programmable thermostats are a good investment to take advantage of hours during the day when the house is not occupied (generally set points are set close to 78 degrees during the day in the summer and 62 degrees during the winter). Ducts   Improperly sealed ducts can lose up to 60% of the heated air before it reaches the register. Generally duct work should be performed by a professional, but if you do it yourself, it is recommended that mastic, butyl tape, foil tape, or other heat-approved tapes be used when sealing ducts. Landscaping   Trees, vines, or other trailing vegetation can help to shade the house in the summer. Carefully positioned trees on the south or west sides of the house can save up to 25% of the energy use a typical household consumes. Water Heating         Typically uses about 10-12% of a home’s energy use Lower the thermostat on the water heater, general rule-of-thumb is 120°. Insulate the hot-water storage tank (if electric, be careful not to cover the thermostat; if gas, be careful not to cover the water heater’s top, bottom, thermostat or burner compartment). Insulate the first 6 feet of the hot and cold water pipes connected to the water heater. Install heat traps on the hot and cold pipes at the water heater to prevent heat loss. Drain a quart of water every 3 months to remove sediment that impedes heat transfer and lowers the efficiency of the heater. Consider installing a drain water waste heat recovery system; these can achieve energy savings of 25-30% according to a recent Department of Energy study. Consider the installation of a solar water heater (these are generally more economical for new construction; retrofits can sometimes be expensive). Windows     Account for 10-25%; generally double-pane is more energy efficient. In colder climates, select windows that are gas filled with low emissivity coatings on glass to reduce heat loss. Use ENERGY STAR compliant products. Lower the U-factor, the better the insulation; in colder climates, choose low U-factor. Christopher M. Frye Report Lighting     Replace all incandescent with CFLs; this alone can easily reduce electric bills and likely pay for the investment within a few months. Consider the use of controls or timers for lighting. Take advantage of daylight by using light-colored, loose-weave curtains on your windows to allow daylight to penetrate the room while preserving privacy. LED lighting, which uses even less than CFLs, is another alternative to incandescent if available. Home Office   Use ENERGY STAR labeled products (computers, fax, printer, etc). Use power strip with computers and especially with things like cell phone chargers and other appliances that contribute to “phantom” load – energy draw that continues even when adapter is not plugged into devices. Renewable Energy   If considering rooftop solar, installation is senseless if every energy efficient upgrade that can be completed on a house is not done; ensuring a tight building envelope will ensure maximization of self-supplied energy use and minimization of electric bills. Use solar-powered outdoor lighting.