Green Market Solutions

I did that one. It was $100. It was good.  It gave me some idea about what I needed to do in the house to improve the energy efficiency around here. The guy that came out was really good. I tried to call them back later on. It was  months after I believe and I didn't get a response. Maybe the phone changed or something, I don't know.

My experience with this company was a disaster. You should know the person who performs the energy assessment is different from the person who writes the proposal who is different from the person overseeing the job who is different from the person who does the test out after the work has been completed. At the initial visit I expressed to the salesman that I wanted to be able to easily repair the drywall holes with spackle myself. The contract stated the holes were to be 3/4". I was assured by the salesman that there would be a crew chief overseeing the work to make sure it was done properly and the holes would be 3/4". The day of the installation, the crew chief spent most of his time here on a call so he was unavailable to oversee the work. The crew ended up drilling 16 holes 2 5/8" in size. At no point during the installation was I informed about the change in the hole size. After unsuccessfully attempting to fix the holes myself I contacted the company and requested they repair the drywall but they refused. I then hired someone and spent over $300.00 in materials and labor to repair the drywall.

After completion of the audit, I received a report that had incorrect energy use data. This, even though I provided auditor with utility bills. (Auditors statement of energy usage was high by a factor of 5). Contacted the company to discuss the discrepancy and it took many weeks to get a response. Though audit was completed in mid-February, it took until mid-May to get the report corrected and not until I resubmitted the year's energy usage. Part of the audit was to include a face-to-face discussion of the report and recommendations for energy efficency improvements but that was never brought up or scheduled.
Overall: Cost was reasonable but it took too much personal time to track down someone to correct discrepancies in final report.

1.  Green Market Solutions (GMS) recommended 11 inches of blown fiberglass on top of the existing loose-fill fiberglass insulation that I already had in the attic.  They added cellulose in the garage ceiling, and in the basements, the current  R-11 foiled-backed batts were sufficient.

2.  GMS performed many Safety Combustion test on the water heater, heating system, and appliance zone, and I received a pass in all areas.  The exhaust flue draft and/or CO emissions could not be tested on the heating system, but one was performed on the water heater and I passed the test.

3.  GMS offered come building performance reminder and do- it-yourself recommendations as well as offered ways to improve your lighting and how to conserve water in your home by installing low-flow shower heads and faucet aerators. 

4.  Each home is given a Blower Door test.  This test accurately measures and quantify Air Leakage.  I had very, very low leakage, 1,680 cubic feet per minute, and did not need any additional testing the insulation was added which could have cost me an additional few hundred dollars.

5.  They also replaced the attic hatch with a new piece of drywall and air sealed it with weather stripping, and insulated it with a rigid foam board.

6.  Although it was found that I would save only $100 annually on my heating and gas bills, I was glad to find out that the state of Maryland would pay 1/2 the cost in adding the insulation, and besides that, GMS offered me a one-year same as cash payment option which made this project very affordable.

7.  GMS also provides you with a home Performance Report, in a booklet, just made for you, with pictures that show the thermal loss of heat and air in your home in various part of your house.  There are several charts, graphs, and diagrams that will help explain your situation and their recommendations.

I am very pleased with the work that was done by Green market Solutions, and I am glad to know how I stand as far as my energy needs are concerned. 

I was really impressed with them. I had learnt about them at a fair. I liked them. They were very good. They send out, for $100, a person who is trained and certified to do energy audits. With a thermal scanner, they measure the air flow through the house to calculate the energy. It is a three-hour inspection. They will give you a proposal of what needs to be done along the energy savings calculation and the payback period. You can take report and go elsewhere to get the same done. Since they are certified, I can get rebates from my county. I was considering having attic insulation added to bring it up to standards. They determined that there were air leaks going vertically through the walls. They gave me suggestions and break-up of the costs and paybacks. They were really good. The guy that came out was certified. He was well qualified, very professional, and very helpful. He was actually an architect by training. He had retired and had received training to become an energy auditor. I would rate him very highly. The guy, who came back to make the presentation, did an excellent job as well. His name was Tim Taylor. The presentation was very factual. It was a thin brochure that did not overwhelm me. It was a 20-page report with the photos from the inspection, thermal images, tables based on my actual energy bill. It gave a very detailed breakup of all the options available to me. The presentation was not pushy. It was very informative and open. It was all well worth it for $100. The quality of their inspection was very good; they were very thorough. They had very expensive equipment. They showed up when they were supposed to. I would use them in the future.

I found this company when I went to a home show in Rockville.  It took their info and eventually called. The cost is what got me to call. The original cost for the assessment was $400, but they were doing it for $100.  Even if I had paid the full $400, I would have to say I certainly got my money's worth.  Most of the specifics are in my previous response.  To sum up, it was a great experience.   I am so glad that I got the assessment and had work done to make my home tighter and more efficient.  Green market made the whole process painless, efficient and worthwhile. 

They did a really good job. I wanted to make sure my home was energy efficient and this audit was an eye opener for me to understand how things work and what we can do to make it better and save some extra dollars. It’s recommended highly for people to do for their homes and we had a good experience with this company.

I was happy with the audit. I found the results were thorough and extensive, they sent a second person out to check as well. They were a little hard to get a hold of throughout the process. But they made some very good recommendations and followed up well.