When Petaluma resident, Amy Rider bought a 1,200 sq. ft. Victorian ranch-style home near downtown last May, she knew energy upgrades would be in her future.

“We were waiting to see if the rebate would happen. So we signed up. It’s not complicated for the user. For us, it was a very seamless project,” said Rider, who works as a sustainability manager with KEMA Associates in Cotati.

Her home had no insulation, which was not uncommon for houses built in the 1890s.

“It’s intriguing to me that previous owners never put in insulation. I guess they just turned up the heat and ran it more often. Now we don’t have to,” she said.

The Energy Upgrade California program in Sonoma County is helping homeowners like Rider take a “whole house” approach to making energy improvements, with rebates up to $4,000. The program includes guidance on finding certified contractors, obtaining financing and selecting a rebate package.

For the Riders, the process took about one month during which time they focused on updating windows, looking at airflow and redesigning the furnace ducts for increased energy efficiencies.

“We had a 44 percent performance improvement and got the entire $4,000 rebate,” Amy said.

Petaluma City Councilmember Tiffany Renee likes the program and encourages anyone with an older home to explore his or her options.

“Some of the greatest opportunities for efficiency are in the older and historic homes of Petaluma. So if the work is being considered anyway, it saves time to have qualified, knowledge people there to assist homeowners in undertaking quality, historic preservation,” said Renee.

Renee added that the City of Petaluma has taken great care with retrofitting historic homes by bringing in a Deputy Planning Director in the Planning Dept. with historic preservation experience.

“Heather Hines can work with homeowners to identify the best ways to address energy efficiency in historic homes. Once a homeowner has received a home energy analysis they will want to contact (her) to address retrofitting and preservation plans. She can work with the homeowners to provide contacts for qualified contractors that understand the preservation requirements in Petaluma,” said Renee.

Energy Upgrade California is a partnership between utility companies and state, federal, and local governments, who work together to help property owners learn the benefits of energy efficiency and to get rebates for implementing energy efficiency.

Funding comes from multiple sources, including federal stimulus funds (American Reinvestment and Recovery Act), the U.S. Department of Energy Better Buildings Program, the California Public Utilities Commission and the California Energy Commission.

The rebates are funded through energy utilities — that's PG&E in Sonoma County — which have set aside funds for energy efficiency. In some places cities and counties also offer their own rebates.

Most PG&E incentives are funded through an existing energy efficiency surcharge on utility bills.

Right now there is no stated deadline for this program. But similar programs have ended when the money set aside for funding decreases. So, if you’d like to tackle eliminating energy loss in your home, visit the website or call Energy Upgrade California in Sonoma County at (707) 565-6470 for free help navigating many options.