Howard Katzman Building Performance Consulting

We needed more help than we even knew we needed when deciding what HVAC system to buy. Thank goodness we discovered Howard and his services while searching the internet for environmentally friendly products and solutions. He is incredibly knowledgeable in the areas of energy conservation, insulation, moisture management, and more. Our investment in his services was worth every penny. We knew very little about HVAC options and companies that could be trusted to do the installation properly instead of quickly or cheaply, so his services perfectly matched our needs. He thoroughly assessed our old house, crawl space to attic. He explained the results and made recommendations related to our stated goals. He educated us about possible replacement options and recommended a company that could be trusted to do the work. He helped us look at and understand all the parts of the company’s proposals. When we needed to modify our goals, he immediately shifted gears with us in a way that let us know he was firmly on our team. He inspected the work of the contractors and subcontractors and helped us communicate with them when the work was not done the way they said it would be. He consulted by phone, in person, and by zoom for these meetings. I shudder to think where we would be now if we hadn’t had Howard’s expertise and support. It was like having a brother in the business who would be sure that we were getting the products and services we needed. We will not hesitate to call on him again if the need arises.

We live in a 1920s craftsman bungalow. We love the look and style of the house, but the energy efficiency is obviously not the greatest. We called Howard to try and get some help to try and make our old home as energy efficient as possible. Howard was a pleasure to work with and was not afraid of getting dirty. He crawled around in our crawl space and our attic and ran a blower door test and found multiple things that would help increase our overall home efficiency. A day after his inspection he sent an email with photos and recommendations, some of which included links to products that would help and some of which were safety issues (HVAC and Hot Water Heater Exhaust issues, etc.) He also listed recommended contractors that would be great to conduct the work. Since, we've done all the work he recommended. We JUST got the work done, but I'm confident it will help tremendously. I would recommend Howard to anyone trying to make their home not only more energy efficient, but safer. As a bonus, he's also super responsive and friendly.

Working on our first EarthCraft certified project was a challenging task for us. We needed all the support we could get. Howard Katzman Building Performance Consulting helped us to make it happen! Their in depth knowledge, professional approach and responsiveness made them a big asset for our project team. We learn a lot from them and highly recommend them.

Although our house is only 10 years old and relatively energy efficient, we noticed the energy usage increasing. Howard did a thorough review ands found the source of the problem. He then suggested contractors and when we chose one, he provided oversight of the project to correct the problem. In addition to improved efficiency, there is now more even distribution of heat and cooling. We wouldn't hesitate to recommend Howard for a home energy project.

We had a great experience with Howard. He thoroughly checked out 1930's bungalow out and made plenty of recommendations - but also let us know what options for improvements wouldn't really benefit us...he kept us from doing things that would cost a lot of money and not save us at least as much money in the long run. Howard provided a full report of his findings and later recommended a heating and air service for us to use. He also asked for our opinion on the heating and air guys he recommended so that he could make sure that his recommended partners are performing in a way he finds suitable. I'd recommend Howard's services if you're concerned about the efficiency of your home and are unsure of how to move forward - I feel you can trust his assessment.

Howard is very professional and knowledgeable. I chose Howard through the Georgia Power home energy audit program. I wanted the audit performed by someone who was independent of any future services. The audit took approximately 4 hours. Howard conducted a very thorough examination of the house and attic including a blower door test to check total home air leakage. His follow-up report was very thorough and easy to understand. There is a $150 rebate from Georgia Power for conducting the audit which I have received.

It went really well and Howard took very good care while working in my home.

Howard Katzmann did a Home Performance Assessment for me. I was very impressed by his professionalism, honesty, follow-up and customer care. Howard responded to my initial contact in a timely manner. He quoted a price based on the information I shared on my house specifications. Howard followed up with forms that supplied him with additional information and a reminder call prior to coming for the appointment. On the day of the appointment Howard explained aspects of what he was doing and why. By the end of the appointment he gave me some initial feedback of his findings. The surprise came with the collection of the amount due for the service. Howard realized that the quoted price was incorrect, based on house specifications he discovered during the appointment. Howard reduced the price I needed to pay! The complete report arrived in about two weeks and Howard called to see if I had any questions. He is also willing to suggest professionals to take care of the issues I want to address. Howard is for assessment report follow-up questions and professional recommendations whenever I may have them.

Once I understood that in addition to insulation and the HVAC system (furnace & air conditioner) I needed to look at/understand how much leakage (air infiltration) my home had and how much heat and AC I was losing from my duct system that ran through the attic. I hired Mr. Katzman since he was an independent consultant who was not going to try to sell me insulation, a new HVAC system, etc. Before he came to my home he sent me a survey of questions including getting my gas and electric bills for the past year. On the day he did the assessment he started by asking us what issues we had (any parts of the house uncomfortable, how much we use the 2nd floor of our home, etc.). He then conducted numerous tests/measurements including air infiltration and a duct leakage test. I asked him if it would pay to “foam” the inside of our attic roof. His 1st question was “How long do you intend to stay in the house?” He told us that although foaming the inside of the roof would increase energy efficient, it would not pay for itself for the amount of time we expect to stay in our home. That’s the kind of help/advice I need! Once we got his test results they showed that approx. 30% of the heating & AC from my attic based HVAC system was leaking into the attic and sealing the ducts would improve comfort and save $$. Based on the air infiltration test he recommended air sealing the attic knee walls and some attic joists (again, after considering cost and benefits). We implemented those improvements. I was very pleased with the expertise and professionalism of Mr. Katz and his eye to cost/benefits of putting improvements into the house. Highly recommended. - BTW: The price I paid him was BEFORE a Georgia Power $200 rebate (which Mr. Katzman processed for us). Net cost was $450.

His report was excellent; he had a very clear list of things we could improve, along with their priorities.  He was also very responsive on follow up, and communicated with the contractors we eventually hired to do the work.  One of the main reasons we chose him was that he is "independent" (he does the assessments, but not the work).  But he also made good recommendations for contractors, which worked out well.

I am very pleased with the service provided by Mr. Katzman.  He spent about four hours looking at all elements of insulation of my home and did a very thorough job in looking at all elements of the system, including HVAC ducts, openings in basement and attic, and wall and ceiling insulation.  In addition, he has been very response to follow-up questions and  help with the selection of a contractor to do remediation work.

Mr. Katzman spent the better part of one day conducting various inspections and tests of our homes various systems.  This was after requesting that we provide 13 months of electric and natural gas bills which he also analyzed. He explained every step of the process as he went about his tests and willingly answered any of our questions. Prior to leaving for the day he provided a brief overview of his findings and showed us several photographs he had taken to illustrate problem areas. We received the formal written report several days later with recommendations broken down into several levels - most important to less important.  He also included recommendations of what not to do. Finally he provided a list of suggested next steps and pointers on where to look for any rebates and tax incentives.
In my opinion, this was a professional done comprehensive evaluation of our home and well worth the cost. I highly recommend Mr. Katzman to others looking to improve the efficiency of HVAC, domestic hot water, and lighting.

Howard was prompt in responding to our initial inquiry and came to do the assessment one morning shortly thereafter. There was quick turnaround with our report, which identified key problems in our house as well as recommendations on how to improve these issues. While Howard only does assessments, he answered many questions we had (and we had many!) by email as we pursued bids from contractors to do the work. He is extremely knowledgeable and professional. Highly recommended!

Mr. Katzman’s assessment checked my home for:

1) Air tightness

2) Insulation

3) Heating and Air System, including duct works

4) Windows

5) Water Heating

6) Moisture management and ventilation

7) Combustion area / Fire Safety

8) Water usage

9) Lights, appliances, load use

He was very punctual (4 hour process) and professional, explaining each step and test. Once completed, Mr. Katzman removed his equipment, cleaned up after himself, gave me a verbal synopsis of his finding, and left.

The details:

The whole purpose for the assessment was for me to find out how I could improve the efficiency of my house and reduce its carbon footprint, and Mr. Katzman’s twelve page DETAILED report did just that! Each area of the assessment was thoroughly covered,
in detail, written in a manner that I could easily comprehend. At reports end, his SUMMARY of the “Recommended
Work Scope Packages” outlined “Good”, “Better”, “Best” improvements. Also included in the report are recommended “NEXT
STEPS”, including pictures.

I am a do-it-yourselfer, but I also know when I am out of my element. Mr Katzman is a building performance consultant, and does not perform the repairs (he is not a contractor on the side – one main reason I used his services), however, at my request, he did recommend one of several “green” contractors that would review my report and quote for the repairs.

In short, I am very satisfied with Howard Katzman, and would highly recommend his service to anyone considering a home performance assessment.

It went well - and is still going. Before we can do anything in the basement, we have to get it waterproofed. That should be soon. Before we can do anything in the attic, it has to be cool enough for us to get ride of a lot of stuff. That will happen this fall. We have a slow moving project but we are working through it and Howard is available to consult with as we move along.

Howard Katzman assessed my house and advised what rebates I
could qualify for. He went above and beyond in making sure I understood his
report and my options. Based on his information I moved forward with the Whole
Home Improvement option and am now expecting a significant rebate check from GA
Power. Money very well spent. My energy bills are lower already and my house is
more comfortable. I gladly give him 5 out of 5 stars.

We had a recent home energy audit performed by Howard Katzman of Building Performance Consulting and consider this some of the best money we could have spent on our new (old) home. Howard has the heart of a teacher and took time to explain his process and some of the science behind what he does. He even offered suggestions on small items that any homeowner can do for energy savings. Best of all, his final report ranks the improvements for best return on investment! Howard is the example for great service and professional advice!

We are very happy with the final results.  Our energy bills are lower and we can keep the house cooler in the summer along with warmer in the winter.  We now have new ductwork on the second floor of our home along with new HVAC and insulation. The old system now only heats and cools the main floor of our home.   The old ducts were re-wrapped and some dampers were added.  Our attic spaces have also been sprayed with foam insulation which makes for cleaner and more comfortable storage spaces

We have been extremely happy with our results! Besides having significantly lower energy bills every month, our home is so much more comfortable and cleaner. I am thinking about putting a TV, fridge, and cot down in my crawl space and creating a Guys Hangout. It is always a consistent cooler temperature without the humidity issues. We now use our attic for major storage for even delicate fabrics. Storage has always been an issue in our 59 rancher. Mr. Katzman utilized his experience in creating energy efficiency along with his years in construction and building experience to give us many options and benefits of those options we had not even thought of. Sealing the attic and crawl space and using spray foam insulation became cost affordable as we realized we not longer needed to add on storage space to our home. Our home is also much more quiet as well.
I would definitely recommend Mr. Katzman's service and we will continue to utilize him in the future.