The Three Rs: Repairs, Remodeling, and Rebates

Most people have to face repairs or remodeling at some point. No matter how durable the item, the adage remains true: Nothing lasts forever. But when you take advantage of the work being done, adding energy-efficient changes as homes and buildings are repaired or renovated, you add a third "R" to maintaining a home or business: Rebates. Thanks to programs from Alameda Power & Telecom, incorporating the latest energy-efficient technology can improve the renovation and save money, too.

In the early 1990s, the Bay Area had just come through years of drought. "My kids are what you call 'drought babies,'" explains Joseph R. Landaeta, Director of Maintenance for the Community of Harbor Bay Isle. "At one point, they looked at rain and didn't know what it was, because they were born during the drought." The need to conserve one resource - water - got Landaeta thinking about using other resources more efficiently as well. As the director of maintenance for a community organization, Landaeta oversees a lot of electricity usage, including hundreds of common area lights that illuminate sidewalks and bike paths laced among almost 3,000 homes. "You do get to know a lot of light bulbs in this job," Landaeta says laughingly.

So as the Bay Area came out of the drought, Landaeta was serious about saving energy (and money) anywhere he could. About the same time, Harbor Bay began a project to make improvements and repairs to underground wires, including those that supplied energy for common area lights. With energy efficiency on his mind, Landaeta realized that this was also the perfect time to install more energy-efficient lighting. After learning about Alameda Power & Telecom's Commercial Lighting Rebate program, he received approval from the community's board of directors to install the improved lighting.

In the end, the result was something of a win-win-win-win-win situation. The Community of Harbor Bay Isle installed efficient lighting saving approximately $9,000 each year on their electric bill, in addition to receiving $5,000 in rebates for making these improvements. And not only was the lighting more efficient, but the lights are impact resistant, making them less vulnerable to severe weather and vandalism, therefore, saving money on maintenance too. Plus, the work was done at a time when other repairs and remodeling were already under way, minimizing duplication of work. The new lights are inconspicuous too, and often tough to spot during the day.

But Landaeta looks for savings everywhere, implementing many smaller changes that quickly add up. That includes a more recent project to replace the "Exit" signs at the Harbor Bay Isle Community Center with the more efficient light-emitting diode type, as well as changing overhead lighting. "The Exit sign lighting paid for itself within nine months, and the overhead lighting paid for itself in about 18 months," he explains. A similar change-out of bulbs, at Veterans Memorial Park, generated additional savings.

Next time you find yourself improving your business space, or finally getting around to a home improvement project, don't forget to think efficiently - and save some money in the process.

For more information on Alameda Power & Telecom's rebate programs contact Meredith Owens at 510-748-3947, or visit Residential Rebate Programs or Commercial Rebate Programs.