Watsonville Family Gets Home Makeover from PG&E

A Watsonville family benefited from Energy House Calls, a pilot PG&E campaign that shows real home energy "makeovers" and demonstrates how families can save energy and money.

PG&E launched the “Energy House Calls” program Aug. 3. It will run through Oct. 31 in four pilot markets: Fresno, Contra Costa, Central Coast and the North Valley with a goal of helping families take advantage of a suite of PG&E programs and services.

Watsonville Family: the Otvos

Peter and Gina Otvos live in a 1400 square-foot home with their daughters Blanca, Ava and Marie. The family loves to entertain their neighbors, but times have been tough since Peter was laid off.

Energy Challenge

The Otvos family’s kitchen is a disaster. The refrigerator is on its last legs, and the stove and dishwasher are non-functional. Things aren’t much better in the garage, where their washer and dryer are hopelessly out of date and waste tons of energy. Peter and Gina cut costs everywhere they can, yet they struggle to pay their energy bill.

Energy Solutions

The Otvos kitchen needs a complete energy makeover.

• Energy-efficient refrigerator, stove and dishwasher.
• Energy-efficient microwave, above the new oven
• New cabinets above the countertop to make it fit the new appliances
• Replacement for fluorescent light
• Energy efficient light fixture over a new table and chairs
• Paint for the cabinets and walls reenergizes the room
• Window dressings allow for passive solar savings

Energy House Calls Campaign

The Energy House Calls will feature PG&E products including: Energy Efficiency (rebates, appliance recycling, lighting, TVs), SmartRate™, SmartAC™, My Energy and the Home Energy Check-up, Solar PV, Solar Water Heating, SmartMeter, Energy Upgrade California, AC Quality Installation and AC Quality Care. Content has been created for 6 video “makeover episodes” (similar in style and tone to shows you would see on HGTV or DIY networks). An additional 11 "How-To" shorter form videos will educate customers about specific programs or projects.