{"id":167498,"date":"2026-02-07T01:05:07","date_gmt":"2026-02-07T01:05:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/167498\/"},"modified":"2026-02-07T01:05:07","modified_gmt":"2026-02-07T01:05:07","slug":"diy-toolkits-from-county-aim-to-help-homeowners-find-energy-savings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/167498\/","title":{"rendered":"DIY toolkits from county aim to help homeowners find energy savings"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>A model home in North County. Homeowners have a number of options to find energy savings in their residences. A new county program offering DIY toolkits aims to help. (File photo by Chris Jennewein\/Times of San Diego)<\/p>\n

Monitoring daily water and energy use may seem like a daunting task for some homeowners, but a pilot program from the San Diego County aims to make it easier.<\/p>\n

The \u201cDo-It-Yourself Sustainability Toolkit<\/a>\u201d program provides residents of unincorporated communities with a range of supplies to assess water and energy usage in their homes. Each kit can be borrowed for two weeks at a time and includes infrared, refrigerator and water thermometers; a Kill-A-Watt meter; water pressure and drip gauges; pliers and a step-by-step user manual.\u00a0<\/p>\n

There\u2019s also giveaway items, such as a low-flow showerhead, LED lightbulbs, weatherstripping and more, which can be kept by borrowers after they return the whole kit. Meghan Kelly, the county\u2019s program manager of sustainable planning, said that these items were chosen as initial steps that homeowners can take to become more water and energy efficient.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s not just about sustainability. Using the kits can help residents with their utility bills as well.<\/p>\n

For example, Kelly said that LED lightbulbs can save around four times as many kilowatts per hour of electricity compared to incandescent lightbulbs. \u201c[Changes] are relatively small, but over time, you know, it can add up in real savings. If that\u2019s just one lightbulb in your house, look at how you can maximize that across as many different outlets that you have.\u201d<\/p>\n

She added that one of the most helpful aspects of the toolkits comes in the user manual<\/a>, which details how to \u201copen up your utility bills and really understand all of the information that is included there.\u201d <\/p>\n

Once homeowners have a better grasp of their energy usage, they can find ways to maximize efficiency, such as by identifying \u201cenergy vampires\u201d \u2014 appliances that use energy even when turned off \u2014 or what times of day electricity use is most cost effective.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe purpose is to help folks reduce their energy and water use, but it\u2019s also really about education,\u201d Kelly said. \u201cLike understanding when you\u2019re using energy and how much energy you could be saving if you shift things to off-peak hours, for example. A lot of folks don\u2019t know that, and just increasing awareness from that perspective really helps.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The U.S. Department of Energy said that \u201cdo-it-yourself\u201d home energy assessments<\/a> can help homeowners \u201cpinpoint some of the easier areas to address,\u201d such as by detecting air leaks. That alone can reduce energy bills by 10 to 20%. <\/p>\n

The DoE also noted that households can save approximately $225 per year by switching to LED lighting<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

There are currently 31 toolkits available to borrow, with enough giveaway items for 200 checkouts. They can be picked up from the County Operations Center on Wednesdays \u2013 residents must reserve them online\u00a0\u2013 or during scheduled pick-up event dates. <\/p>\n

Kelly said that the kits are designed to be checked-out once per household, and that \u201chopefully, once folks kind of read through the manual and go through the process, it\u2019s something they can take forward on their own.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Pick-up and return events are typically announced one month in advance, with upcoming dates at 10 a.m. Saturday at Spring Valley County Park, and also at 3 p.m. Feb. 12 and 19.<\/p>\n

In March the site will be the Ramona Branch Library. Kelly said that these dates are often scheduled in conjunction with other events or programs, such as the county\u2019s Equity-Driven Tree Planting<\/a> initiative, with the aim of leveraging high foot traffic at the locations.<\/p>\n

She added that there have been 30 total checkouts since the program started last October, and that these pick-up and return events have provided program operators with the opportunity to receive live feedback from borrowers. <\/p>\n

According to user testimonials, the infrared and refrigerator thermometers were deemed the \u201cmost useful for identifying where heat was being gained or lost.\u201d The most cited \u201clesson learned\u201d from users was \u201cidentifying which appliances were using more energy when plugged in, but turned off or on stand-by.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Feedback also showed that all toolkit users said they were \u201clikely\u201d or \u201cvery likely\u201d to recommend them to friends and family.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Provision of the kits was supported with $220,000 in funding from the Local Government Partnership Program. Distribution was initially slated to begin in March 2020, however Kelly said that lockdowns and distancing regulations during the COVID-19 pandemic made hosting in-person events nearly impossible. <\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t until October that the department was able to reinstate the program as part of the county\u2019s Climate Action Plan<\/a> (CAP), which includes 70 items aimed toward reducing greenhouse gas emissions.<\/p>\n

Introducing sustainability toolkits aligns with two CAP measures for unincorporated areas \u2013 to develop policies and programs \u201cto increase energy efficiency and electrification,\u201d in hopes of reaching\u00a0 30% electrification in residential developments by 2030, and \u201cto increase indoor and outdoor water conservation (including water efficiency, retention, recycling and reuse) in new and existing development(s).\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is one program that we\u2019re doing under our climate action plan, and we have more that we are working on,\u201d Kelly said. \u201cSo, I think things that we\u2019ve learned through this process will also be brought into additional future programming as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

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