Trinity Environmental

Laura did an energy audit on our house. She delivered a full report a few days later, plus a document of questions to allow us to easily send out an RFP to various insulation companies. She also went over a lot of what she found with us while she was still on site and was happy to explain things. Our house is a little weird, so the audit process was fairly lengthy, but she was very patient and thorough.

Laura's analysis, home report, and bid request sheet were very professionally done. The inspection was done on schedule and we received our report within a matter of days. Laura took the time during her inspection to thoroughly describe what she was looking for and why it mattered in terms of the audit. She answered any questions I had during the audit as well as described and prioritized the necessary changes we should make. Laura made asking questions easy and she provided great answers. Her work was professional and I have no problem recommending her services.

Laura was great about helping with rebates for her service and being accommodating in scheduling times to come out for the initial energy audit and then for the return visit following completion of the work. She provided very helpful recommendations!

Laura was very thorough in explaining the testing she performed and her recommendations. One concern for me was pricing and she organized her recommendations by priority (what would yield the most savings for my money). She was very helpful in explaining the available rebates available with current programs (Green Madison and Focus on Energy). I wish all contractors provided Laura's level of service....it would have saved me so much money through the years!

Before the review, Laura sent the following list of what is included in the the home evaluation process:

1) A blower door test – this tests the homes leakiness and identifies areas that should be air sealed. (one reason for energy loss is leaks and the need for air sealing)
2) I use the InfraRed camera and a smoke stick when the blower door is in operation to identify potential problem areas (areas of leakage are “visible” with the IR camera technology)
3) Ventilation testing – I test the air flow of your bath and kitchen fans and any other ventilation equipment you might have - and include in my report if your home has adequate ventilation according to the newest indoor air quality guidelines.
4) Thermal envelope – I check all accessible areas - attic, crawlspaces, foundation, sill box area, and above grade exterior walls for proper and adequate insulation installation.
5) Combustion safety – I test your furnace and water heater to make sure that they are drafting properly (moving carbon monoxide up and out the chimney) and that they are burning efficiently. I also check your entire gas line system for gas leaks.
6) I write up a very comprehensive detailed evaluation report of what your opportunities for improvements are and how to go about fixing them – OR which contractors to hire. The report includes all the testing results – including furnace/boiler, water heater performance and safety. It translates what the blower door results showed – i.e. how leaky is my home and where are the leaks. I report on levels of insulation that you have versus what you should have. I cover everything from ventilation/indoor air quality guidelines to acceptable humidity levels in homes. I include digital infrared photos of areas of leakage and how to fix them. I report on the priority of all the different improvements you could possibly do. I prioritize according to return on investment – and comfort.
Every item was done, her report was comprehensive and I was overwhelmed with the excellent job she did -- it was far beyond my expectations.

Laura seemed knowledgeable, thorough, and not in a rush, and seemed to be engaged in her work. It's too bad she doesn't also perform the services she recommends, because I would trust her completely.

Laura was amazing! She arrived on time and took the time to explain everything to me - even some little suggestions about things that don't really have a place in the report but are great to know. She was really easy to talk to and ask questions of. There were a lot of people and my two dogs in my house at the time she was here, and she totally went with the flow and didn't seem annoyed by the chaos.
I heard about her through the Green Madison program, and she was great about promptly replying to e-mails. She was able to schedule within a week or so and got the report back to me within a week after the appointment too.

I knew my house needed work as I had ice dams and my roof was leaking. Laura had great reviews and was able to schedule me in before I had my roof replaced. She did a great job of pointing out the areas needing improvement, many of which were in areas that I could only access when the roof was open during re-shingling. I was able to schedule the air sealing and insulation while the roofers were working. Most all the work has been done for about a year and I have noticed a significant drop in my energy bills. And no more ice dams!

This month Laura came back for the follow-up testing which confirmed the improvements made a big difference. The rebate I'll receive more than pays for her services. I love my little energy efficient house!

She said that we needed to get some work done because we had some major leaks. Laura came back in March 2011 after we had a new air conditioner and insulation installed and she finished up the audit. She was very good and very knowledgeable. She knew what she was talking about and had a lot of good suggestions. She answered my questions.

Laura arrived on time, and was happy to explain the purpose of each phase of her testing. During the 3 hours she spent examining our home, I learned much about how heat travels through a structure, and the challenges that our home faces- being originally built as a single story, 1 bedroom, but expanded to a 2 story, 3 bed home. Final product was a 25 page report with photographs of our insulation troublespots, a prioritized list of our most cost effective insulation options, and a list of Energy Star certified contractors to work with. Armed with actual knowledge of where my home is leaking energy (instead of just a guess), I can be sure I'm making the most beneficial home improvements possible.

The whole process went very well. The rebate money that we got from Focus on Energy more than paid for the energy audit and our home is much more energy efficient as a result. I highly recommend that anyone considering a significant remodel or addition have an energy audit done BEFORE you start the work. That way you can adjust the design details for better performance and get significant cash incentives from Focus.

I was very impressed from the beginning from her thoroughness. She actually ended up charging less than her original estimate (I think she under charged, personally...).

The owner (Laura Paprocki) was very quick to return my initial call and provide me with additional information. Based on my description of my house I was given a cost estimate that was expected to be a bit larger than the normal amount. The energy audit was performed in a very professional manner with Laura providing very clear information about what she was doing and what she found during the audit. At the end I was actually billed for less than the original estimate!

The test went smoothly from start to finish. She completed everything in about 3 hours with me asking a lot of questions. Laura climbed into the attic and measured the level of insulation to determine its R-value. Then she measures how much the natural gas water heater back drafted into the house with the furnace on, bathroom fan running, and the dryer operating. She measured the capacity of the bathroom fan to make sure it had enough air flow to keep the moisture level in a healthy range. Lastly, she performed a blower door test. The front door is covered and a large blower is centered on the cover. All the other windows and doors are closed. A set pressure is reached with the blower and the amount of air flow is measured. This measurement tells you how many "holes" there are in your house. As we walked around to each room with an inferred camera was used to see if there were any cold spots. I could feel the air coming in by our windows. This audit helped us determine where we needed to do our improvements. It is also part of a Focus On Energy program that provided great rebates once work was completed.