Home Energy Medics

Our energy auditor, David, was very thorough and professional. He took the time to explain concepts in air conditioning and heating if I had a particular question

Great!! These guys aren't cheap...but you get what you pay for. The head of the company came over later at night to work around our schedule before we signed a contract for the work and when he saw an issue he could fix easily for us, he asked us to borrow a screw driver and went to work and removed an old broken fan blocking our ducts.....before we have given him a penny or signed a contract. That alone was impressive and indicative of their dedication to fixing problems. They explained everything and checked frequently and then rechecked the changed air flow in the house after all the work was done. We recommended to many neighbors and all were happy as well.

There were some bumps in the road. The bathroom fan was not installed properly. When we noticed moisture in the attic we called HEM and they sent someone out right away. Scott, (the owner) was sincerely surprised and upset. (The foreman who was in charge of this work did not come back). Scott and his team came out several times until the problem was completely resolved and they even did some additional work without charge. Mistakes do happen and I was pleased at how hard they worked to completely resolve the problem. In addition I did e-mail Scott recently to ask his advice about some other work we are having done. He answered my e-mail right away and was a font of timely information.

They spent almost an entire day assessing my home's systems and gave me a comprehensive report. They may have literally saved my life and the lives of my family members by identifying a carbon monoxide back-drafting situation that occurred while a certain combination of appliances were running. They set up low level carbon monoxide detectors that helped alert us of the problem when it arose and before it became deadly, eventually leading to the replacement of our hot water heater. I would whole heartedly recommend a whole house energy audit from HEM to everyone if only for the information and peace of mind. They have done wonderful work for my neighbors and friends as well.

A very useful report, and they did not pressure me to buy their services to remediate it. Lots easier and more effective than trying to find all the leaks and issues on my own.

They were incredibly thorough. The tools they use and the length of time (5 hours) spent analyzing the problem from different angles was impressive. Between their written report and the in-person review, they made the explanations of problems and their proposed solutions easy to understand and we feel comfortable moving forward on the majority of their proposals in the next couple of weeks. I can't speak to the quality of the remediation work yet, but their energy audit alone was absolutely money well-spent.

The home energy audit was very thorough and they did a nice job not trying to upsell me but instead focused on where I could get the most bang for my buck. Not only is our house better insulated, but a lot of the air that had been coming in was unfiltered air through a crawl space, which had been causing a lot of allergy issues in the house. That is no longer a problem.

They were not as prompt to respond as I would have liked, but in general, I was happy with the service. And they came back for several follow ups when I had things I wanted touched up.

Scott and his Assistant were very professional and knowledgeable.  The audit was 5-6 hours.  It was not impactful to me and didn't require any pre-setup or post-cleanup on my part. It was easy and educational.  I would definitely hire Scott again and highly recommend him.

I've had home energy audits done by Chris Conway home energy, LEAPS, and now Home Energy Medics.  Home energy Medics did a very through review for air leakage in the home - from the crawl space in the basement to the attic.  The inspector spent several hours reviewing the home - including:  "blower door test" to assess air leakage; evaluation of CO producing equipment - water heater, gas stove, furnace; photos of areas to improve energy efficiency, thermal photos demonstrating air leakage, list of priority items in priority order to address improving energy efficiency (for our house this was a list of 21 possible tasks!).  I have done a lot of the energy efficiency work on my own - but Home Energy Medics can also arrange to have contractors perform the work.  We have a HV/AC system that is 20+ years old and they provided a vendor to come evaluate our system and provide replacement options.  Our inspector was very knowledgeable and did a terrific job evaluating our home - recommend Home Energy Medics without reservation!  Definitely worth the investment of $395.

They were very responsive, thorough and took the time to answer all my questions. They also went the extra mile to help out with the rebates. I would definitely hire this company again - it was a great experience and I've been very satisfied with the results.

From the start, the communication from Vicki, their customer service rep, was excellent. Mody, the auditor, was extremely thorough and personable (he was at our home for several hours), as well as being a great teacher. He showed us unexpected places and ways that our house was leaking energy (for example, the strike plate on one of the bedroom doorways was the source of a mini-cyclone once the house was depressurized), as well as educating us on various remedies and causes for moisture issues, etc. He even took a look at our dryer vent! We were very pleased and impressed with the value the audit has provided thus far. We are awaiting the final audit report (which can take a couple of weeks to generate), which will have full details of what could be done (and costs) to improve our energy consumption. Even without that report, I highly recommend having the audit done. I think it is very useful and educational for any homeowner, well worth the money and time spent.

Overall very well; emptying the attic (17 years of clutter for a home with no basement) prior to foaming was a big home project! House is much tighter and more efficient post-project; HEM servicing as the general contractor for all the upgrades made the project doable given our busy lives...Large attic foaming was $20K, $10K for rest of project.

The professionals at Home Energy Medics were a pleasure to work with. They performed an extensive, detailed and scientific assessment of the energy efficiency of my home, provided a detailed report with photos and explanations, and spent time with me discussing my needs and priorities. It was my decision whether to move ahead with further work and I felt no pressure, but they were available, responsive and generous with their time in explaining their recommendations. The further work was done quickly, efficiently, professionally and on-time. The project manager kept in contact with me about the work schedule and even any minor changes in the plan. I wish all companies were as reliable, professional and responsive!

Home Energy Medics did an A class job, on time and on budget. Lauren Kuhn, project manager, was a pleasure to work with.

There was lots of solutions mentioned but too costly. I did not pursue any of the solutions mentioned other than caulking.

This went well. These were some of the items identified during a home energy audit by HEM. The Aeroseal duct sealing made a difference that was obvious within a day, and we are very happy with that. Before, there was a large temperature difference (11 deg F) across the three floors of our townhouse. During the summer, it'd be very cold in the basement, and too warm upstairs. It turns out that a lot of the cold conditioned air was leaking into the basement, and never making it upstairs. After cleaning and sealing the ducts, the entire house stays comfortable. Hopefully this also means the air conditioner is running less, to save us money. It was a neat process as well - you can watch the diagnostic metrics change in real time as the sealing takes place. ---- We also had several bathroom exhaust fans replaced. The price for this portion initially sounded a bit high for this task, but it was much more than just replacing the fans. It was also replacing the ductwork; our existing ductwork was done improperly in many ways. HEM made sure that the best materials and techniques were used, in line with modern building science (so far as I know, at least) - this is what you are paying for. No lazy shortcuts. The new fans themselves are great - very quiet, and HEM tested them afterwards to show there was sufficient flow. ----HEM uses subcontractors to do the work, which was new for me. But they use subs who know what they are doing, and HEM also supervised them to make sure they'd it right. Also, all the drywall repairs and painting were done very well.

Some good, some bad. The ductless mini-splits are a marginal primary home heat source during periods of very cold weather (only a few days/year). One of the biggest unresolved problems: they sawed up the attic flooring (was very solid 4x8 plywood sheets) into small pieces to do some work, rather than remove them whole. They then reapplied the little pieces, leaving multiple weak seams that bend and creak whenever we walk over them. This was converted into living space, so we find this unacceptable. Other work was performed mostly satifactory, but I had to stay on top of them, requesting multiple cleanups, pushing them to complete on time so we could move in, and each discussion with the arrogant owner was frustrating. I should have reconsidered right at the first consultation when he told that he had invested a lot in his training and he wasn't going to give it away for free when I was asking questions. They litteraly had me over a barrel because the only way we could achieve any of the work was through a home energy efficiency loan (which the company owner knew), and thus had to use them for ALL work. I had obtained 3 quotes to replace the roof beforehand, and HME charged me double what the highest quote was. The owner kept telling me "I told you we weren't the cheapest, or the most expensive". He was right, not the cheapest by far... and I wish we had not rushed into a big loan and project before moving in. In the end my advice is to shop around and use a specialty contractor for most work, since all the major systems were subcontracted anyway.

After the audit, we had them implement a portion of the suggested remediations, specifically duct sealing and air sealing in the garage ceiling. We noticed a dramatic improvement in the air flow through the duct work and the warmth of the two bedrooms above the garage. It wasn't inexpensive, but we both felt it was well worth the expense.

Very Well! They finished on time and the workmanship was high quality. It's been 1 year since I've had the work done and seen drastic reduction in my summer and winter electric and gas bills - greater than 50% savings. I imagine the ROI for the job will be 10-15 years based on the cost of job and my annual energy savings. This is great for me because I plan to be in the house long-term and enjoy knowing that my home is energy star performance rated now. The real comfort benefit is that every room in my home now has a consistent temperature. The upstairs used to be so hot and now it's quite comfortable and same temp as downstairs.

They showed up on time. Other than the owner, everyone was pleasant to work with. They were thorough and clean. The problem I had with the owner was his push to make my home as energy efficient as possible. His passion blinded him to honoring what I wanted and was willing to pay. Were it not for my 11 years working in the energy industry, Bachelors in engineering, and strong personality that can push back against bullies, he would have rolled over me and the work would have cost me $12,000 more. I spent weeks researching and calculating what was the best decision for me to make. Yes, my home would have been more energy efficient if I'd done what the owner wanted, but I decided I not in a financial position to do that at that time. Thank goodness LEAP and the project manager were there for me to work with when I needed. They were both superb.

Dave Daly, Attilio Manziano-Verrilli and the teams they brought in were great. Both were very responsive to emails, texts and calls and Attilio (manager of the work crew) kept us updated with photographs and descriptions of the work being done. When mold (UT OH!) was found in one of the air systems, they removed it ASAP, no questions asked. Even two weeks after the last work was completed, Attilio came by to check the air/humidity and also have a crew member fix some nail pops in the ceiling as a result of walking on the floor above in the attic. They went above and beyond to ensure we were happy, satisfied clients.

From the audit through to the end of the process, working with HEM has been great. HEM was not the first company we seriously considered, but after we talked to them about our wishes and concerns, it quickly became apparent that this was the company to go with. And that is due to the unstinting efforts of HEM’s project manager, Attilio Manziano-Verrilli. He made our complicated project run smoothly and without a hitch. Attilio’s attention to detail, his careful shepherding of all phases of the job have been exemplary. He is the embodiment of customer service, and a lovely person to deal with. Anyone who uses HEM for their energy work will be so lucky to have him. I wish I could keep him for all our remodeling work. The crew Attilio used for our project were super guys. The main players, Marcelo, Victor, and Remberto were knowledgeable, extremely hardworking, and always a pleasure to have around. On the days they weren’t there, I missed them. I was particularly concerned about dust generated in the remodel, since ceilings had to be opened in our bedroom and master bath. Attilio and Marcelo, the lead energy contractor, worked to come up with a plan that allowed us to keep all but one piece of our bedroom furniture in place since we had no place to store it, and wrapped up everything in the bedroom, including closets, like Christmas packages. They also built a moveable frame over the gift-wrapped bed to stand on to open the ceiling and hoist guys into the space above to do the necessary work. And that’s just one example of the care Attilio has taken with the project. When other subs were brought in do work, like blowing in the cellulose, and sealing the ducts, Attilio was always on hand to make sure those subs took the same care with our house that his crew did, and to answer any questions we might have. In the attic, what little insulation there was was removed, and the space fully insulated to R-49. The crew created a platform so we would have some space for storage, and insulated the attic hatch. It was a labor intensive work, because we went with non-toxic cellulose insulation, rather than sprayed foam. It was a hot, dirty operation, and my hat is off to the crew who performed the job so admirably. Once the ceiling was open, Attilio and Marcelo found that the source of damp walls in the two upstairs bathrooms was the result of condensation from ventilation fans that had not been properly vented through the roof, but only into the attic. They fixed them, and repaired and painted the walls. Whenever change orders were called for because of unexpected problems like that, Attilio provided a full explanation of what was found, an estimate of the work required, and brought over the change orders, leaving us a copy. He leaves nothing to chance, and is always available by phone or text. HEM also sealed our basement crawl space, again using cellulose and a heavy duty vapor barrier. They retrofitted 26 can lights with sealed LEDs, and switched out our old dimmers for new ones that work correctly with the LEDs. We worked with Attilio to select the correct Kelvin temperature of the lights for our needs, which was a great bonus. The final part of the project was the duct sealing. Based on tests performed before and after the sealing, our ducts were leaking 339.4 CFM (cubic feet per minute) before the work began, and brought down to 34 CFM. With all that was done, we are looking forward to living in a home that is more energy efficient and cleaner (leaky ducts pass a lot of dirt into a house) than the one we started with.The process took longer than any of us anticipated thanks to problems that were discovered along the way and taken care of, but Attilio and the crew soldiered on without complaint. They have treated our house with a care most people would only extend to their own properties. It’s hard to see how anyone could have done it better.

After recently purchasing our 1977 split level house, we realized that it needed a lot of work and we needed assistance in prioritizing repairs. We found it very helpful to go through the energy audit with Dave Daly. My understanding is that the repairs are prioritized based on the energy savings each item will provide. We followed most of the recommendations, including insulating the attics, cantilevers, and a lower room in the house. The insulation work was completed in July during a heat wave, and we immediately noticed an improvement in the comfort of our home. Our favorite part of working with Home Energy Medics was having a project manager to oversee and double-check all the work that was completed. Our project manager, Attilio Manziano-Verilli, really did an amazing job of coordinating the different contractors. All the contractors used by Home Energy Medics did a great job and were very professional. Although we had not originally planned to have Home Energy Medics work on our crawl space, we ended up having them come and correct the encapsulation work that had been started by another contractor earlier in the year. Attilio went out of his way to coordinate our crawl space work with other jobs in the area in order to keep the additional cost as low as possible for us. If we could hire Attilio to manage all of our home repairs, we’d be pretty happy homeowners. Home Energy Medics also works with a company in Virginia to provide an energy certification for the house once the work is completed. We were not completely convinced we needed the energy certification. However, it is a chance to have a third party come and review the work, which is always useful. Our main priority was to improve how our home was functioning and the work that Home Energy Medics completed definitely made our home more comfortable.

We had a great experience with Home Energy Medics and our auditor, David. We had bought a townhome a few months earlier, and while our energy bills aren't that high, we are still interested in being energy efficient. We also had some comfort issues (hot upstairs, cold basement), and insects getting into the house through gaps. Plus we were curious to know more about the home we bought, and we were curious about the energy audit process. We called HEM and scheduled our audit with David. The experience turned out to be worth the price of the audit. David used a blower test, IR camera and other tools to identify where we could make improvements. He also made sure we didn't have any safety issues with our HVAC system. He provided a detailed report, with a prioritized list of improvements we could pursue. And he was very generous with his time: I ask a lot of questions about this sort of thing (I'm an engineer - as is David), and he was happy to answer all of my questions. He was with us for several hours. When the report was ready, he returned to our house to go over it in person, and answered many more questions. The inspection uncovered some issues that we didn't even suspect. The inspection covered aspects of the home that we didn't expect it to cover (like adequacy of bathroom fans). So we're glad we did it. HEM also provided an estimate for performing the improvements (through subcontractors). While there can be a conflict in having your auditor also perform the recommended work, I did not see any such problem here. All the recommended work had a clearly documented basis and rationale. David left the estimate with us, and applied no pressure whatsoever to get us to sign up to doing the work through HEM. He was even willing to answer my questions about the steps I would take, if I wanted to do some of the work myself. As it happens, we will have HEM perform a portion of the work they recommended.

I have a very tall townhouse which creates a problem for my HVAC system.  The upper level is always hot and humid.  I've called several HVAC companies to check on my system and each company I've called out to service my system has said my systems are running perfect.  One of the companies recommended purchasing a dehumidifier to help pull the moisture from the air thus making the air conditioning more efficient in cooling down the air.  The suggestion worked but who wants to be running a dehumidifier 24 hours a day, 7 days a week?  

After much research I came across Home Energy Medics.  By the time I called them to set up an appointment I was so frustrated with my house, the home builder, mother nature for her sun and humidity, and all the asphalt and concrete in the DC area that contributed to the high temperatures.  Home Energy came in and performed an energy audit on the house.  The energy audit took about 4 hours.  They closed down my house and used a blower door to depressurize the entire house.  Then they set the temperature inside to the opposite of what the temperature is outside (when I initially had the audit performed it was cool outside so they cranked the heat inside the house).  They then tested for air leakage and infiltration using infrared cameras throughout the house to look for the leaks.  They also evaluated my insulation and checked for combustion safety.  I'm sure they did other fancy things but the house was so unbearably hot, I left and ran errands.  The written report came a few days later.  I'll admit the cost to fix my inefficient house was not something I was prepared for however, Arlington County gives a tax credit for making your house more energy efficient which helped to offset the cost of their recommendations.  All I cared about was having a cooler upper level (no offense to Greenpeace).  The company came in and tore up some drywall to get to some areas of the house that was leaking air as well as other things from their report.  

The final verdict? My house was given back to me in the same state as when I handed it over to them (if not better).  They fixed the drywall, repainted my walls, and cleaned the house.  WOW!  I wish they had to tear up drywall on the first floor too because I could use a fresh coat of paint in the living room and dining room.  HA!  And the painters they used were awesome.  I might call them to come back and paint the rest of the house.  You can't even tell where the drywall was cut.  The crew did an excellent job.  Everyone was so professional (on time, clean workspace, well mannered) they exceeded my expectations.  I'm no longer using my dehumidifier and the air on the upper level is soooo much better.  My only regret is waiting 8 years to find Home Energy Medics to fix my house.  I wish I knew about them sooner.  It was worth every penny and I couldn't be happier with their service.