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Community Corner

At State Fair, Maryland firm shows how to boost energy savings, comfort

In addition to checking out the livestock, going on rides, and taking advantage of all the fun options at the Maryland State Fair, attendees can find out how to make their home or business more comfortable year-round while saving both energy and money, along with the environment. Zerodraft Maryland, based in Towson, offers several such programs for both homes and businesses – and at little or no cost to consumers or businesses because of a voter-approved utility surcharge under the “EmPOWER Maryland Act.”

For homeowners, Zerodraft offers two programs: Quick Home Energy Checkup and Home Performance with Energy Star:

Quick Home Energy Check-ups (QHECs) – A Quick Home Energy Check-up (QHEC) is a fast, easy way for both homeowners and renters to reduce energy consumption and costs, and at no cost to them.  During a QHEC, a trained energy technician will assess a home's current energy use, recommend energy-saving improvements, and install up to $150 worth of basic energy-saving devices, such as efficient light bulbs, showerheads, and “smart” power strips.

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Home Performance with Energy Star (HPwES) – Under “Home Performance with ENERGY STAR,” homeowners typically pay only $100 for a full home performance energy audit. Zerodraft’s team of certified home energy auditors will test a home and recommend a variety of improvements that cut energy costs while boosting comfort and energy efficiency. Customers are then eligible for up to $3,150 in utility rebates for these measures.

And for business owners (including multifamily housing), Zerodraft offers the Walk-Through Energy Assessment (WTEA) Program for Small Business. This audit usually is conducted at no cost and includes a number of free “direct-install” measures that will begin saving energy and money immediately. Next, with the owner’s approval, a Zerodraft technician will install cutting-edge LED lighting upgrades and other improvements, which can normally be financed to be cash-flow positive from the first month. Recent advances in lighting technologies mean that many businesses now pay triple what they actually need to for lighting.

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Zerodraft will be at Booth 68 in the Exhibition Hall for the entire Maryland State Fair, from Aug. 23 – Sept. 2.

Zerodraft Maryland (www.zerodraftmd.com) is a full-service residential and multifamily energy consulting and retrofitting company based in Towson, MD. Our mission is to help homeowners and residential property managers simultaneously save money, energy, and the environment. We continuously pursue the most effective products, techniques, and technologies to drive building energy and maintenance costs closer to zero. Since our founding, we have performed over 25,000 energy audits and checkups of homes and apartments throughout the state and built up a team of some of the most experienced home performance professionals in the region.

Zeronet USA (zeronetusa.com) is a full-service commercial energy consulting and retrofitting company serving the mid-Atlantic region, whose mission is to help building owners simultaneously save money, energy, and the environment. We continuously pursue the most effective products, techniques, and technologies to drive building energy and maintenance costs closer to zero. Since our founding, we have performed over 300 commercial and small business energy audits throughout Maryland and beyond, and retained some of the most experienced commercial energy efficiency experts in the region.

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