Upgrading your home efficiency responsibly optimizes the value of your home, in turn, appealing to potential buyers and increasing overall property value. OPALCO’s Switch It Up program provides you with the necessary tools to implement improvements to your home; offering five or ten year terms with 2% amortized interest rates for projects under $100,000. Heating systems, home appliances, fiber internet and EV chargers are just some of the qualifying projects you can take advantage of to improve your property, save money, and most importantly preserve our local Island energy.

Qualified projects for heating systems include: ductless heat pumps, ducted heating systems, smart thermostats and automated controls. Optimizing your heating systems allows for precise and efficient room-to-room control. It lowers both energy and installation costs, and is an overall more efficient operation then the traditional systems. 

The Switch It Up Program also offers optimization on any Energy Star rated appliances. This includes heat pump water heaters, induction stoves, heat pump dryers and many others. Energy Star ratings are given to those appliances manufactured by any of the thousands of Energy Star partners, and independently tested and verified by the National Fenestration Rating Council based on guidelines set by the US Environmental Protection Agency. Optimizing these appliances reduces energy costs, prioritizes convenience, and is environmentally friendly above all. 

High speed fiber has the capabilities of reaching much faster speeds, along with more user control and savings. It also provides security and reliability through physical durability against external factors such as the fickle island weather we so often endure. Contact Rock Island here to learn more about how you can ‘Switch It Up’ with reliable and fast fiber internet. If you are considering selling your home, the installation of high speed Internet is the #1 top requested home feature Buyers are looking for. 

Electric cars are becoming more and more popular all around the world, and for good reason. Electric vehicles will undoubtedly be replacing all petrol or diesel vehicles in the future in order to meet greenhouse gas targets and help preserve the overall health of the planet. Currently, 1 in 6 new vehicles sold in Washington State are electric. OPALCO’s Switch It Up program enables electric car users to install EV chargers right at home; saving drivers thousands per year and allowing all island residents the opportunity to go electric with ease. 

The Switch It Up program provides homeowners with the necessary tools to optimize property values, save money, and ultimately make the responsible choices so vital to the preservation of our beautiful island. An investment in energy optimization throughout your home lets your potential buyers know you are efficient, responsible, and interested in the value of your property even after you have moved on. Are you ready to make the switch? Apply or find out more information on OPALCO’s website here. 

We at Orcas Island Windermere, pride ourselves on energy saving; equipping our brand new building with min-split or direct HVAC units, energy efficient windows and insulation, and LED lighting throughout our state of the art building. Stop by our new building on Main Street for a tour, or find out more about our own energy values and sustainability on OPALCO’s Ruralite Magazine Member Story “A New Energy Efficiency Leader in the Heart of Eastsound.”

Sources: 

“Switch It Up.” OPALCO, 25 July 2023, www.opalco.com/save/the-island-way/switch-it-up/. 

Bouchey, Krista. “Member Story: A New Energy Efficiency Leader in the Heart of Eastsound.” OPALCO, 19 Sept. 2023, www.opalco.com/member-story-a-new-energy-efficiency-leader-in-the-heart-of-eastsound/2023/09/.