AND THE WINNERS ARE...

$2,500 Makeover

Jim Duncan (Crozet, Albemarle County; 2278 SF)
Contractor: APM-Energy

Jim and his family of four live in a pretty new house (2003) but pay excessively high energy bills while still suffering in a drafty house. Turns out only half of their attic is insulated, among other issues.

Learn more about the Duncan house.

$2,500 Makeover

Kathleen Brumbaugh (Palmyra, Fluvanna County; 2300 SF)
Contractor: Creative Conservation

Kathleen's family of four has been dealing with major comfort issues despit the fact that they live in a 2002 home. Her son's bedroom and husband's office above the garage are particular trouble spots. They've got a fair amount of insulation, but their duct work all sits outside the conditioned space.

Learn more about the Brumbaugh house.

$5,000 Makeover

Lisa Workman (City of Charlottesville; 1978 SF)
Contractor: AHIP

Lisa's family of three moved into this 1948 home about 20 years ago and have dealt with extreme comfort and moisture issues ever since. Their energy bills are moderately high but largely because they set their thermostats so low that they are freezing in the winters. And heavy rains create a river in their basement.

Learn more about the Workman house.

$10,000 Makeover

John Collmus (Charlottesville, Albemarle County; 2212 SF)
Contractor: Abrahamse & Company

The Collmus family of five plus their two exchange students live in a 1983 house with high energy bills and comfort issues. Among the main culprits are old appliances and heat pumps plus duct work outside of the conditioned space.

Learn more about the Collmus house.

Read the press release about the winning homeowners.

Read the press release about the winning contractors.

What's next for our winners?

The winning contractors have been matched with the winning homeowners, and work to achieve at least a 15% gain in energy savings will begin on the homes the week of October 17. Projected work includes air sealing, duct sealing, adding insulation, and the maintenance or upgrading of heating and cooling equipment.

In September the pool of Contest entries was narrowed down to 10 finalists, all of whom received free home energy assessments. The results of their assessments -- including the potential for energy savings -- were the key factors in selecting the winners.

10 Contest Finalists Announced!

On September 12 the following 10 homeowners were announced as the finalists. You can read more in the press release. During September they each received a free home energy assessment.

Kathleen Brumbaugh of Fluvanna
John Collmus of Albemarle

Christian Dahlhausen of Charlottesville
Jim Duncan of Albemarle
Bill Frannsen of Greene
Michael Payne of Greene
Jon Salides of Albemarle
Hubert Shaffer of Abemarle
Rob Tharpe and Trent Coleman of Charlottesville
Lisa Workman of Charlottesville

Nonprofit Challenge Winners Announced!

Habitat for Humanity of Greater Charlottesville, Computers4Kids and WriterHouse win $1,000 in Contest's Nonprofit Challenge. Overall, 534 of the 1,200 contest entries included non-profits in the Nonprofit Challenge category; 210 different nonprofits were entered. Read more.

Lower utility bills.

More comfortable living spaces.

Healthier indoor air.

With home energy improvements and the right financing program, you can achieve all of these on almost any budget.

For 4 luckly homeowners, they'll win them in the PowerSaver Home Energy Makeover Contest.

20 Prizes!

• 1 entrant will win a $10,000 home energy makeover

• 1 entrant will win a $5,000 home energy makeover

• 2 entrants will win a $2,500 home energy makeover

• 6 entrants will win a professional Home Energy Assessment in weekly drawings (estimated value is $500) starting July 15, 2011

• 10 finalists will win a professional Home Energy Assessment (estimated value is $500

LEAP Certified Contractors will work with the four contest winners to improve their homes’ performances with makeover projects such as air sealing, duct sealing, the addition of insulation, and the maintenance or upgrading of heating and cooling equipment. 

All winning home makeovers will realize an efficiency gain of 15% or more. Those who achieve 20% or better savings will be awarded a Home Performance with ENERGY STAR certificate.

The Smackdown: LEAP Certified Contractors Compete for Makeovers

The competition within the contest is the “smackdown.” Once the winning homes have been selected, local LEAP Certified Contractors will compete to perform the work by presenting proposals. For each home, the company whose proposal achieves the deepest energy savings at the specified price points will win the work on the home. 

That’s right, contractors will compete to bring you the most savings for your dollar!

Questions? Email info@leap-va.org.

PowerSaver Home Energy Makeover Contest brought to you by LEAP and UVA Community Credit Union.