Energy Smart Home Performance

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I was looking for help on how to solve a severe ice dam problem.  While doing internet research on how I might solve this problem I ran across the Energy Smart Home Performance website.  Their approach to solving home performance problems made a lot of sense to me.  Instead of just looking to fix the symptom (ice dam) their approach is figure out the likely cause(s) and address those.  In other words, look at the entire house as an interconnected system.  Luckily this company is located in NE Ohio so I contacted Nate Adams and he came out for an initial consultation with my wife and me in March 2015.  We talked about the ice dams but he also kept asking additional questions to see if there were other areas of the house that we would improve if we could.  I mentioned that my 2nd floor office and the master bedroom were either too warm or too cold and in general the 2nd floor temperature was significantly different from the first floor.  Long story short we hired Nate to do a complete analysis of our home?s performance.  It started with a blower door test allowing him to identify the amount of air leakage and where those leaks were.  The infrared camera images showed some huge air leaks in the top plates on the 2nd floor, the soffits in the two 2nd floor bathrooms and the knee wall in the master bedroom.  He then developed a complete plan to address our issues and concerns.  The plan included specific steps to take, along with estimated costs for a contractor to do each one.  Nate?s service included a three tier model (Budget, Sweet Spot, Complete) and we then met to develop a comprehensive plan of which steps we would do and who would do them.  I?m a DIY?er so I ended up doing a lot of the work myself (saving myself a significant amount of money) and allowing us to do almost everything in the Complete model.  Nate was heavily involved in the entire process from helping me find contractors to perform some of the work to answering all of the questions I had along the way.  Nate is not a general contractor, he is a home performance consultant and is generally paid by the hour so he can do as much or as little as you want.  He generally doesn't do most of the actual work himself, that is done by contractors or yourself, but he can act as your agent with the contractors if you wish and he has contacts with a number of excellent contractors depending what work you need done.

Upon completion of the project we had reduced the blower door number by an outstanding 44% from the initial measurement.  This was done through a combination of air-leak sealing (rim & band joists, knee walls, top plates in attic) using spray foam, spray foam insulation in the master bedroom cathedral ceiling (done in conjunction with a roof replacement), removal of fiberglass attic insulation and replacing with 18? of blown in cellulose, and a number of smaller items.

It was a fun project that took about 6 month?s elapsed time from my initial meeting with Nate until it was all done.  I learned a lot during the project and Nate was great to work with.  Although we?ve only had a limited ?test period? our home already feels much more comfortable with no big temperature differences between the 1st and 2nd floors and my office and the master bedroom are much more comfortable overall.  We?re looking forward to the energy savings these changes will bring but that was not really the major reason for doing the project; for us it was really more about having a comfortable home where we can enjoy being in any part of the house.

Nate was very professional and knowledgeable. He tested the home with a door blower, infrared photos to detect heat transference, in-depth inspection of home, and a comprehensive interview. An energy model was developed from all the data and photos from the initial audit. From all this information Nate come up with an exhaustive plan for improving not just the energy efficiency of the house but also ways to improve the comfort, health and safety of the home. The plan is like a road map that spells out what needs to be done to reap the most benefits with opportunities for saving money by doing it yourself clearly defined. We had hired Energy Smart Home Performance initially because of problems with ice dams on our roof but we found that there were bigger issues that need to be addressed also. Now that we know what to do we can make good decisions as we proceed with our home improvement.

Nate did an excellent job of orchestrating this project.  Our home was a leaky wreck.  It could never keep a consistent temperature and our bills were sky-high.  Last winter our home dropped from 68 to 49 in 6 hours during an overnight outage.  We contacted Nate with Energy Smart Home Performance and he agreed to come out to perform an audit.  We were so impressed with him and his meticulousness (painstakingly photo documented every inch of his audit with photos and commentary which he emailed to us for our records) that we agreed to move forward with the project even though the price was initially higher than anticipated.  The results were a resounding success!
Our blower test went from about 5500 to 2300 before and after.  Our gas bills from this most recent winter were halved when compared to the MCF usage and cost from last year.  The house now keeps a constant temperature.  He was always available to speak about the project, consistently polite and punctual.  A real stand-up guy who ensured every detail of the project was performed to perfection.  We are really satisfied with the results.

I insulated my home as part of my gas supplier?s Energy Star program.  Energy Smart Home Performance evaluated my needs and suggested a comprehensive program of insulation and air sealing. They found excellent contractors and oversaw every aspect of the work, which was done so carefully that not a trace was visible when they had finished. Before their work, the temperature could vary by as much as 10 degrees from place to place in my home. Now that?s down to 1 or 2 degrees. When the work was done, the gas company certified that energy leakage from my home had been reduced by more than 20%, which the classified as excellent, earning me a rebate of $1,200 and qualifying for a $500 tax credit in addition. I can highly recommend Energy Smart to anyone who wishes to improve the energy performance of their dwelling.

Everything went well, and it was a great experience.  The crew arrived on time, did excellent work, and actually charged less than I estimated.  We definitely noticed a difference after they completed the job.

Nate was very personable and professional in the initial meeting and providing the estimate.   We called later with a section that was missed and one part that needed cleaning up.  He sent out someone to take care of it who was again polite and professional.  They completed the paperwork for the rebate and assisted with the paperwork.  I always got an immediate response to my calls or emails.  The entire process went very well and I would not hesitate to use them again.

This went fine. They technicians were very courteous and I was happy with their performance. They installed standard blown in insulation but did a lot of gap sealing work too. It is was busy time of the year for them, but they communicated well with getting the appointment scheduled. I was very satisfied. They were not the cheapest bid I received, but I got my money's worth.

The crew chief arrived at 8:00 AM and his crew arrived shortly afterwards. He went over with us the details of the job and then worked to instruct the crew about the details that were different than usual concerning our job. He stayed at least 3 hours. The crew got started immediately.
The crew installed a roof vent to connect a bathroom vent fan through the roof instead of out the soffit vent in the eve overhang. They also insulated both skylight tunnels and four recessed spotlights in the kitchen overhead. Several other small leakage issues that were detected were also corrected. Then the attic was filled with the cellulose insulation material to a R44 value.
In the garage the overhead was filled with blown in fiberglass insulation and F. G. batting where necessary. Several leakage issues were corrected and the finished surface was patched where it was opened to insert the insulation. I asked for temporary patches because the whole overhead will need to be re-plastered from previous work.
In the garage furnace room they sealed the large opening tunnel between floor joists that went out to a 2 foot bump out in the back of the house. The open end in the room was closed with F. G. batting awaiting some additional work to install a new overhead in this room.
The job was checked with the door fan test to check the effectiveness of the job and to compare the results with our previous utility company energy survey. The numbers revealed a large decrease in leakage. Our utility company will further test this job in the next few days.
The crew worked very hard and presented a good professional attitude toward their work. They were very careful where the house was concerned and worked smart and safe. Their site prep and clean up was especially well done. If we decide to fill our outside walls with additional insulation we will contact this company for the job.
The office person was very courteous, knowledgable and helpful. She followed up promptly by providing us with the  paperwork we needed for our energy rebates and asked us to call if we had any questions or concerns.
We are well pleased with this job from the time of the original estimate to the end of the day of completion. We have already noted that our AC is not running as often or as long as it has in the past.

Our home is 4 1/2 years old.  Our job was a good size and rather complicated given the design.  We had multiple issues that were obvious and some that needed some creativity and detective work.  Some of the insulation work was performed incorrectly, shabbily and in some cases just simply missing!  Nate and his TEAM were awesome!  The guys were on time, well-trained, informative, methodical, good humored, polite and so appreciative of our business.  Nate's estimate skills are amazing considering the tweaking that was necessary to deal with the surprises behind the walls.  Clay was great working with the crew and coordinating with Nate.  We look forward to a much warmer and more comfortable winter along with lower energy costs.  It is so refreshing to work with a company that is passionate and committed to what they do!

Energy savings audit conducted. Our gas company did the testings using Energy smarts guidelines. Object was to save us money on our heating bills. Corrections were made and we are saving money on our home energy expenses!

Fantastic! I originally met with Nate, who is very personable, as well as professional. He reviewed the report generated by Good Cents and stated he had worked with them many times in the past, referring specifically to Brian who had completed the energy audit. I felt very comfortable discussing the report and my concerns with Nate. (We also had quite a discussion about our dogs!) Nate provided a detailed quote at that first meeting, including multiple options for the R-value of insulation to be used. He took the time to explain differences in price, uses and quality of cellulose and foam insulation. He also made me aware of parts of the project that would be required to pass any test out for the Dominion East Ohio rebate program, such as air sealing between the garage and the basement. He provided breakdowns of all costs and expected rebates for his work. He also provided recommendations for an HVAC company to service my furnace. Due to work schedule and commitments, I was not able to schedule the work until the end of May. Even though it had been since February, Nate remembered the job and honored his original quote. We were able to schedule a mutually agreeable date for the project. I was contacted by Clayton, his project manager to confirm the appointment. Although the crew was a bit late due to traffic issues, Clayton arrived right on time and walked through the house with me to review the work they would be completing. The crew worked diligently throughout the day and were able to complete everything in 1 day instead of the estimated 2 days. They were all very respectful and friendly. I was happy with the work, but did find that they had overlooked sealing the corners of my living room and kitchen areas, which have wood paneling. I called Nate to discuss it, and he assured me he would talk with Clayton and the tech to figure out if they did miss these areas. He advised me I could short pay the final invoice for this work until it could be corrected. I felt comfortable enough with my conversations with him to just pay in full and wait to hear back. Clayton called me and arranged to come out to check and complete any unfinished work. He spent probably close to 2 hours checking their work and completing the air sealing that had been missed. He was very pleasant and friendly while he did this and probably went above and beyond the scope of what was missed. I appreciated their willingness to correct the issue. Nothing was ever confrontational and neither Nate, nor Clayton was ever defensive about it. Energy Smart filed all the necessary applications and documentation with Dominion for my rebates. The entire process was seamless and required little effort on my part. I was impressed with all of my dealings with every employee of Energy Smart Insulation, and especially with Nate, the owner. I would recommend them to anyone and would use them if needed for future projects.

Energy Smart is a class act.
Because my wife and I were particular about what we wanted done with our attic, and because our approach changed over several months, I telephoned and emailed Nate many times prior to accepting his quote.  Although it was his busy season, Nate always responded via phone or email (generally within a couple of days), and I found Nate willing to have in-depth conversations about how to deal with our particular situation (our attic floor joists would not permit blow-in insulating to R-49+, the rafters did not allow for much more R-value, and besides, since the floor needed a renovation, we wanted to concentrate on our insulating down there; Nate patiently worked with me as I spitballed, then abandoned, the idea of raising the attic floor, then Nate figured out how to accomodate my request for both blow-in below the floor and batting above, as well as haul away).
The work itself took a day, as was expected; the crew worked professionally and courteously in the 100+ degree attic environment, and their test out confirmed that  our house's air tightness was considerably improved (their blower test indicated a ~700 point improvement, from 4654 CFM50 down to the mid 3900's).  Crew clean up and haul away was diligent.
Price of work, even before our anticipated $944 utility rebate, seems reasonable for our market, considering this was not a straight forward insulation gig.
Basically, everything came off "as advertised."  A pleasure dealing with Nate and company; I highly recommend Energy Smart Insulation.

He's wonderful. I like everything about them. They were professional and I loved that the workers were very down to earth and actually fun to be around. They did the work wonderfully, finished everything up in the time that they said they were going to. I couldn't have been happier with them.

No problems, they did what they said they were going to do and did it well.  Highly recommended.

started and finished work on time. professional and courteous employees. did a thorough job.

I met with Nate, the owner of the company, for an estimate, and he took the time to thoroughly explain his recommendations and was very straightforward about the energy savings we could expect as well as the rebate we could expect. I met with two other contractors, and although Energy Smart Insulation's bid was not the lowest, I was very impressed with the level of expertise and felt I could count on this team to do a great job. Three people arrived on Monday morning right on time and got started right away. I had to leave for work, and late in the afternoon the team leader, Clayton, called me to let me know that they were finished and would be leaving and locking up after themselves. I was impressed because the job took about half the amount of time estimated. When I got home, I could actually tell the difference in the house because the draftiness was reduced on the first and second floors, and the second floor and attic in particular are much cozier. I was surprised that I could feel the difference right away. I recently got my gas bill, and I was happy to see results there too. Although it's hard to tell from one month to the next what the gas bill will be due to fluctuations in the outside temperature, I would estimate that we saved more than 30% on our bill. Also, I should mention that the workers left no mess whatsoever. I would highly recommend Energy Smart Insulation and in fact I have recommended the company to a friend and a colleague already.

Nate and everyone involved with installing new insulation and sealing the house I own was extremely efficient and very courteous.  Everything seemed to be very thorough, and they were very courteous when it came to filling out the forms for the FirstEnergy Ohio rebates.  While I had an opportunity to work with other contractors, I am really glad I stuck with Energy Smart.

I interviewed two insulation contractors prior to Nate. His estimate wasn't the lowest but the price wasn't the most important aspect, in my mind, when selecting contractors.  I was after quality, responsiveness, knowledge and no bull$hit. Well, Nate is either a good psychologist or a truly the one contractor I was looking for. The job was done well and on time. The guys had to come twice to finish the project, explained what exactly they did and left no traces after themselves. Very clean and punctual!
I find this insulation to be more effective in improving my daughter's room temperature than the zoning system installed last year by Sal's.

These guys are awesome.  Super-professional, super-smart about their industry, super at educating customers, and super-interested in maximizing value for their customers.

The crew was polite and professional. I'm not an expert, but it appears that they did a good job - I guess the proof will be with how much of a reduction in icicles I'm going to get this winter along with some energy savings. I was pleased that they did a good job cleaning up - I've had contractors leave my house and I've had to clean up after them. I also thought it was a nice touch that they thanked me for the work before they left. All in all , I was very pleased with the work done and I will definately pass along by word of mouth also that this company does good work.

Energy Smart Insulation company was efficient and completed the work in a timely fashion. 

Energy Smart Insulation was great to work with. As busy as they are, you need to plan ahead and get with Nate!! Nate did a great job in communicating with us regarding the fixes that were needed to our roof and to our ventilation system within our house. As Nate's crew was in our attic, they found several other problems with our cold air return ducts, and they took care of it! In my opinion, Energy Smart Insulation went above and beyond what they were hired for. You can't ask for anything more. Thanks to Energy Smart Insulation for all your help.

It went great from start to finish. Nate is very pleasant as well as the entire crew. They were informative, professional, communicated clearly and did a great job.

Services were performed over two days. The workers were on time, very polite, and cleaned absolutely everything. We had several estimates and this company provided the best quality for the price.  We have already noticed a big difference in how warm our house is and would absolutely use them again.