What is the cost and payback period for common energy efficiency measures?
Cost and payback have everything to do with the size of your home and how you interact with it. Some folks replace an inefficient refrigerator with an ENERGY STAR model and then move the old one to the basement or garage and plug it in there. Ultimately, this will not do much to help their bills! Nor will installing the home energy improvements and increasing or decreasing the thermostat temperature relative to where you usually set it. That being said, air and duct sealing, adding attic insulation, and upgrading a major mechanical system like a furnace or heat pump can cost around $8000 before rebates or other incentives. Payback for a full retrofit can be as short as 5 – 6 years depending on how high your energy bills were to begin with.
