It is the house that the Energy Office built.
A new display in Urban Options, 405 Grove St., is showing homeowners how to cut their energy bills drastically.
Built by a professional exhibit company, the display is stained in a natural wood stain and is seven feet tall and nine feet wide, taking up an entire wall. It features two crosscut views of houses with light-up signs pointing out ways homeowners can make their homes energy efficient.
The signs point to such changes as using newer appliances, improved insulation and caulking air leaks in windows.
Patrick Hudson, executive director for Urban Options, said the energy museum received a grant from the Michigan Energy Office, which is under the umbrella of the Department of Consumer & Industry Services.
The grant of $10,000 was invested into the construction and public relations of the display.
He said the display was built specifically with a furniture look to it.
“(We wanted to) relate the message of cost saving that goes into remodeling your house,” Hudson said.
Hudson said a typical two-story house spends $1,387 a year on energy consumption. He said the exhibit shows that with some minor changes a household can lower their bill to $774.
“We are hoping to help people save millions,” Hudson said. “The simple way to describe it is couched in its title, ‘Where can you save money?’”
But showing others how to save money and energy isn’t the only benefit from the new display.
Sherrill Baldwin, outreach coordinator for Urban Options, said the display has made their day-to-day operations much more manageable.
“It makes the tours really easy, especially since we do a lot of tours for students and most students haven’t ever owned a home, they have lived in their parents’ home,” she said.
The decision to give the grant money to Urban Options may not have been an easy one.
John Sarver, supervisor of technical assistance for the Energy Office, said only half or one-third of the places which apply for grants receive them.
Sarver said the applicants must submit a proposal and include a budget and work plan. He said the plan is what counts most in winning the grant.
“Urban Options has a proven track record, they have quite a few people going through there,” Sarver said.
The concept of the display will be something homeowners will be interested in, he said.
“They are making a comparison of a typical house to an energy-efficient house, and using a typical house is something a lot of people can relate to,” Sarver said.
