After a Home Energy Assessment, we may recommend that some necessary adjustments be made to your home in order to improve your health and comfort while also saving you money.

Cost effective retrofitting is the process of using newer technologies to update your existing system, resulting in higher levels of efficiency and lower electric bills. The goal is to use cost effective retrofits that reduce the energy use of your home. Continue reading to learn more about the cost effective retrofits that we provide:

• Air sealing: Many air leaks are easy to find because of the uncomfortable drafts they create but other leaks in your home are typically hidden and out of site. Air sealing your home is one of the most cost-effective methods of reducing your homes energy usage. This improvement prevents the unconditioned outside air from entering your home and affecting the inside temperature and air quality. After our home performance specialist performs an air leakage test and locates these leaks, we can seal them shut. Sealing these leaks provides several benefits in addition to energy savings including draftproofing, insect control, improved indoor air quality and a reduction in humidity infiltration and the potential for condensation.
• Duct sealing: Have you ever had a problem with your air conditioner not delivering the right temperature of air to your rooms? Air ducts routed through your unconditioned attics or crawl spaces carry the air from your air conditioner or furnace to the rooms in your home. If these ducts are leaking, you could be losing over 30% of the conditioned air you are paying for while bringing unconditioned and contaminated air into your living space. Sealing air duct leaks will help you better maintain a constant temperature throughout your home. Having your duct system properly sealed can make your home more comfortable, energy efficient and healthier.
• Insulation Insulation may be newly installed, replaced or added to existing insulation but maximum effectiveness will only be achieved after proper air sealing has been performed. Different types of insulation provide different levels of energy efficiency. Our energy auditor will determine the most appropriate and cost effective insulations for your home. Areas of your home that may benefit from insulation include: interior of foundation walls, attic floors, attic access openings, exterior house walls, attic knee walls, drop ceilings and attic doors.
• Appliance and Lighting Replacements: Upgrading old energy consuming lighting fixtures and appliances with newer Energy Star ones can save you money down the road. We can help you from start to finish with these upgrades if you do not feel like tackling it on your own.
• Radiant barriers: Is your attic too HOT? Have you ever used an aluminum faced radiant barrier to keep the hot sun from radiating through your vehicle's windshield or owned a thermos bottle with a radiant barrier that kept your drinks hot or cold? Radiant barriers have been around for a long time and were used back in the 1950’s by NASA. Radiant barriers help reduce the effect the outside temperature has on the indoor comfort of your home by blocking the radiant energy from the sun. These radiant barriers help reduce your cooling system’s energy consumption, which will prevent your air conditioning system from working overtime and costing you extra money. If the air ducts  for your air conditioning system are located in your hot attic you may see excellent benefits from having a radiant barrier installed. Simply by installing a radiant barrier, your attic can be cooled down by more than 20 degrees during hot summer days. Radiant barriers may also be beneficial during the winter by radiating heat, that would otherwise have been lost through the roof, back into your home.
• Attic access covers: Attic openings are typically poorly insulated, if insulated at all, and have excessive air leaks around them. The unconditioned and dusty air from your hot attic in the summer and cold attic in the winter,  freely flows through the gaps and cracks around these openings to your indoor living area. This can cause nearby rooms to be very uncomfortable and energy bills to go up. Attic access covers offer an excellent improvement by providing an insulated and air sealed opening. Our custom attic access covers are built onsite for your specific need and are easy to open and close.
• Attic Shelving and Raised Platforms: Do you use your attic as a storage area? If so, you may be significantly reducing the overall performance of your attics insulation system. Boards on the attic floor might be compressing the insulation and  contacting the ceiling joists which allow thermal bridging or heat to pass straight through from your attic to the ceiling below. We install vertical attic shelving to help organize storage and reduce floor clutter and raised platforms to walk on that will not compress the insulation or allow thermal bridging. Our home performance specialist can discuss your specific attic needs with you during a home energy assessment.
• Water Saving Improvements: You can save money on your water bill and energy bill by upgrading your old plumbing fixtures and water heater with more efficient Energy Star ones. Let us help you start saving water and reducing your utility bills.

• Weatherization: Weatherization may include any of the above methods of energy efficient retrofitting, in addition to a number of other techniques. Weatherproofing your home will protect the inside air from outside influences such as wind, rain, and sunlight and in return make your home a more comfortable, healthier and energy efficient place to live.