"Overall working with Dan was a great experience. I had hired Dan to perform an energy audit. I had the attic insulated to R-38, but one room was still rather chilly. I needed the audit to pinpoint the issue. Now I know each area of infiltration and how to address each. Finally, Dan spotted an issue with my hot water heater. I'm especially grateful of this last point. Dan obviously knows his stuff and has the experience to back it up. I highly recommend him for energy audits."
"Jim Clay gave the most comprehensive quote for our insulation project. He suggested a couple of options which thought would help regulate the temperature in our home. He explained everything that ARC insulators would be doing to our home. He told us about rebates that would be credited to our bill because of a blower door pressure test and gas appliance combustion test. He presented a well-written quote. The technician for the tests and the technicians who did the insulation work showed up on time. They explained everything they were doing thoroughly. When the work was done, we did a thorough walk-thru before the techs left. We are satisfied with the work performed. We are satisfied with the money we paid. We would recommend ARC Insulation to anyone seeking recommendations."
"The gentleman that came to do the electric for my sump pump in the basement was a gentleman did great cleanup great work courteous kind very informative. This was the first step prior to having the drains put in. This was the Electrician and he was excellent."
My name is Darryl Goodman and I am retired from the military after 26 years of successful service. As a home inspector, I bring with me a strong foundation of professionalism, hard work, and a meticulous attention to detail. Leveraging extensive experience in both civilian and military construction, I possess a unique skill set that enhances my ability to assess and ensure the safety and integrity of residential properties.
"Climate Masters has always provided top quality service at a reasonable price. They arrive on time and they don't find "hidden charges" or try to claim something needs to be replaced when it does. They are a great company to use"
"Marco from R & G did an excellent job replacing the water heater at my rental property. I have called him many times for a variety of services at different locations. He is very professional, and I recommend him to anyone looking for HVAC services."
Up and coming Residential & Commercial HVAC Company. We Service all makes and models. Furnaces, Boilers, Water Heaters, A/C, Rooftop units and more. I've been in the Heating and Cooling business since 2012. I opened my own business in 2020 and named it Flow-Rite Heating & Cooling.
"Overall, the team at United Heating & Air Conditioning did an amazing job. Francisco was able to help provide great customer service and was able to answer all of our questions. We will definitely be returning and beginning to reference our friends and family. Thank you!"
"When we bought this house we were planning to renovate the basement. The previous owner had represented that it had never taken on water. The first weekend we were here, however, a torrential rainstorm caused the basement to flood. We realized we needed to waterproof it before we could do anything else, and decided that drain tiling was the safest way to go. Greg was phenomenally responsive from the start. He was very clear about what needed to be done and how they would do it. He also described some optional work but was explicit that it was optional and if it didn't fit within our budget that was that, and he wasn't going to push it the slightest bit. His quote blew away the bigger, well-known firm and was less than or on a par with some others. He also agreed to demo the walls for a slight extra charge, which otherwise would have been a huge convenience for us. Between then and the start of work I emailed him repeatedly with various questions and he responded almost instantly. When his workers took down the paneling we got the unpleasant news that we had huge cracks in the walls that would need to be tuckpointed and in one area a big chunk of foundation was jutting from the wall. That section of the foundation would need to be replaced and a support beam installed. We were more or less at Greg's mercy at this point -- we weren't going to halt work and bring in a series of guys to quote the tuckpointing & repair -- but Greg gave us an estimate of $2,600-$3,000. We can't know for sure, but suspect that this price was more than fair, and Greg stuck to it even though we think the work turned out to be more than they expected. The project manager, Jim, was fantastic to work with throughout, very communicative and accomodating, and the crew of five guys or so was extremely friendly and professional. All in all, A Perfect Crawlspace was a pleasure to work with and we could not be happier with the results. "
Energy Efficiency Auditing questions, answered by experts
Yes, barndominiums are energy-efficient as long as insulation professionals properly install quality insulation, windows, and doors. Utility bills for barndo living can be up to 50% lower than those for a traditional home. Make your barndo more energy efficient by working with contractors and HVAC professionals to strategically place windows, doors, and heating/cooling systems.
Installing weather stripping or upgrading to insulated panels can improve efficiency.
R-value measures an insulation material's thermal resistance, indicating its ability to resist heat transfer. A higher R-value signifies better insulation performance because the material is more effective at slowing heat flow. The R-value depends on the type, thickness, and density of the insulation material, such as fiberglass, foam, or cellulose. Each inch of insulation typically provides an R-value between 3 and 8. There is no single universal R-value; the optimal choice depends on your climate zone. Colder climates require a much higher R-value than warmer ones to maintain energy efficiency, keep the home warm in winter and cool in summer, and manage costs.
Blower door tests are measured in a few different ways, but the most popular are air changes per hour (ACH) and cubic feet of air (CFM) moving through the house per hour. A good ACH score is less than 2ACH, but 1ACH is better. This means the house experiences a total air change within 60 minutes (for 1ACH). For 2ACH, there’s a complete change every 30 minutes, and so on. CFM scores are similar in that a lower score means less air change, and therefore less leakage.
Costs depend on the property size, audit complexity, and whether additional testing (e.g., blower door) is included.
The Aurora, IL homeowners’ guide to energy efficiency auditing services
From average costs to expert advice, get all the answers you need to get your job done.
Discover the average home energy audit cost, what impacts pricing, and how to save money on your audit. Get transparent, expert-backed cost info for homeowners.
Thinking about scheduling a home energy audit? Learn how to improve energy efficiency, lower your utility bills, and hire the right local pro for the job.
