The ongoing support of your Changemaker coordinator and all of the other tools, events, networking opportunities and resources that the Pocket Change Project provides are free.
You will need to pay for your energy audit (costs are in the $250 - $400 range) and for your registered energy advisor to put together your Retrofit Roadmap (which costs approximately $750-$1000 and up – some registered energy advisors may include the energy audit in the Retrofit Roadmap fee, if you do both with them). Although your registered energy advisor may answer a few questions for you at no cost, if you are asking them for additional substantive help you can usually expect to pay them an hourly rate for this additional work. Additional substantive help would include:
- acting as the project manager for your retrofit by sourcing quotes from interested and capable contractors,
- discussing the scope of the project with prospective contractors, as well as providing input and answering questions regarding quotes to help you decide which one(s) would be most appropriate for you
- Overseeing an installation as required to help the plan translate into high quality work.
It is up to you whether you would like to hire your registered energy advisor to do some of this additional work for you, or you would rather take some or all of it on yourself. Keep in mind that their professional skills are likely to save you time in researching and communicating with contractors, help you feel confident of receiving good value for your money, and can increase the likelihood that the work will be done properly, all of which will reduce the stress that this type of work often creates.
Keep in mind that not all registered energy advisors and the reports they provide are created equal. It is best to find someone who really knows the green home retrofit sector well, and these professionals can be in short supply – we will provide some recommendations as part of our retrofit coordination service.
Some homeowners may be eligible for grants, loans, or rebates to cover the costs of energy audits and roadmaps and any fees from a registered energy advisor. Down the road, there may be more funding available to help cover the costs of energy audits and Retrofit Roadmaps.