You Choose the Savings

The majority of homeowners in the Atlanta metro area have their electricity provided by the Georgia Power Company.

Georgia Power has an existing home energy efficiency rebate program that they refer to as their "Home Energy Improvement Program" (or HEIP for short). One of the coolest features of their program is the fact that you can increase the amount of your rebate by increasing the level of your home's energy performance.

For instance, if your home qualifies for the Whole House Program and you increase your home's energy performance 30%, you could qualify for a rebate up to $2525. And at a 30% level, the reduction in the Total Costs of Ownership for the Atlanta Case Study home is $60,356 (a reduction of 7.6% off the total Cost of Owning Your Home)

If you raise the bar to meet the 40% level, you could qualify for a rebate up to $4,000. And at the 40% level, the reduction in the Total Costs of Ownership for the Atlanta Case Study home is $77,106 (a reduction of 10.27% off the total Cost of Owning Your Home).

And if you take it to the limit and  improve your home 40% level, and then add a $15,000 Solar PV system, (combining to reach a 75% improvement in energy savings) you could qualify for a rebate up to $4,000, plus a federal income tax credit of an additional $4,500.  At this level, the reduction in the Total Costs of Ownership for the Atlanta Case Study home is $137,035 (a reduction of 17.3% off the total Cost of Owning Your Home).