“The goal of our company is to make energy efficiency and renewable energy the norm,” says Sean McGraw, Founder and Visionary of FOR Energy.
This company is helping to keep Arizona green by performing energy efficiency audits and offering their expertise on sustainability solutions for homeowners and businesses. The majority of FOR Energy’s business focuses around residential jobs and projects.
“The FOR Energy audit process is a simple discovery on what’s happening in the house. Every home is built by a different contractor in a different time period. It’s a true test of how the home is built and how efficient it is,” says McGraw. “The results vary when we take someone through the process: it could be built to a high standard or it could [have been] built 30 years ago [with] issues [that were] neglected in the building process or with [incorrect installation]. The value in the audit is finding the roadmap to becoming more sustainable within your home.”
Sean McGraw
McGraw explained that the company provides two levels of service in home energy audits. Their Home Energy Audit is $99, but they also offer free Home Energy Check-Ups for anyone, regardless of whether they are existing customers. “Both of these options exist to help people understand how they can live more sustainably,” says McGraw.
In the state of Arizona alone, FOR Energy completes just over 2000 energy audits each year.
“[That’s] just in Arizona, the only place we offer energy efficiency [audits],” McGraw explains. “Solar efficiency is what we offer in other markets.”
FOR Energy has other locations scattered across the United States. Besides Arizona, customers can be found in
Nevada, Florida, New Jersey and South Carolina as well.
McGraw’s Tips for a Sustainable Home
- Understand your utility bill and the rate plans you’re on. When you understand your rate plan, it’s a huge opportunity to save a significant amount of money. Especially if you’re on a demand plan or a time of use plan.
- Install a timer on your water heater and set it to coincide with your use of hot water. This only applies if you have an electric water heater — it doesn’t apply to gas heaters.
- Invest in a smart thermostat, like Nest or EcoBee. [They] keep you comfortable [and] run your unit less. They can save you significant amounts of money! [For example, if] you’re not home and you forgot to turn your thermostat down, Nest recognizes [that] and does those things for you.
- Turn fans off when you’re not in the room — all the fan does is make it feel cooler. Fans cool people, they don’t cool rooms.
- It’s 2021, so use LEDs in every instance you can. They’re cheaper overall on an annual basis.
- Run your pool pump outside of peak season.
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