energy savings (fit in, sales, attorneys)

[nightgirl151]

Got a quote on getting radiant barrier and attic ducts sealed, and adding a return air vent in our master bedroom and the price seems a bit high.

For those of you that have had this work done- what was your price quoted per sq foot of attic space of radiant barrier? The company quoted us $3 sq ft for radiant barrier, $700 to add a return air vent in our master bedroom, and $2000 to seal up our duct work (15 total vents).

Is this a reasonable price? I am getting other quotes as well, just want to make sure that prices are in line!

Thx!!

[Zippyman]

Those prices are all wicked high, and the radiant barrier is (to be brutally honest) snake oil in a retrofit installation. You'll never recover the cost of those improvements in energy savings.

[Burning Madolf]

Originally Posted by nightgirl151

Got a quote on getting radiant barrier and attic ducts sealed, and adding a return air vent in our master bedroom and the price seems a bit high.

For those of you that have had this work done- what was your price quoted per sq foot of attic space of radiant barrier? The company quoted us $3 sq ft for radiant barrier, $700 to add a return air vent in our master bedroom, and $2000 to seal up our duct work (15 total vents).

Is this a reasonable price? I am getting other quotes as well, just want to make sure that prices are in line!

Thx!!

Holy crappoly! What are we talking total? $5-6000? How old is the house?

[TiredOfyycCold]

I recently had a "visual" energy audit performed and the quote I received for duct sealing was (copied from the quote):

Duct seal/repair
1. Seal existing 4 ton duct system. Seal accessible supply and return ductwork areas at unit, in attic
and connections to vents with leakage using mastic, tape or caulk. Retest after the repairs to
measure effectiveness of repairs.
$781 (Plus Sales Tax)

This is for a 1800 sq ft two story house.....

I thought the quotes that we were supplied sounded fair and the service guy was not pushy AT ALL. You should probably get a few more quotes. If you want the name of the company I used (found them through the APS referral system), let me know.

[nightgirl151]

Originally Posted by Burning Madolf

Holy crappoly! What are we talking total? $5-6000? How old is the house?

Our house is only three years old!

The total for everything that this company wanted to do to our hour was over $8000....and I was thinking are you kidding me??? When I told the rep, thank you, I will talk this over with my husband as we compare to other quotes,he quickly told me "oh and I can take 15% off the radiant barrier" .....

In this day and age, we need to be educated consumers, there are so many great resources out there...including this forum....we need to take full advantage as to not get ripped off!

[Burning Madolf]

Originally Posted by nightgirl151

Our house is only three years old!

The total for everything that this company wanted to do to our hour was over $8000....and I was thinking are you kidding me??? When I told the rep, thank you, I will talk this over with my husband as we compare to other quotes,he quickly told me "oh and I can take 15% off the radiant barrier" .....

In this day and age, we need to be educated consumers, there are so many great resources out there...including this forum....we need to take full advantage as to not get ripped off!

Ok, the radiant barrier is a theory that some love while others don't (like Zippy said). I would hold off unless you wanted to do it yourself some winter (and if you are double jointed). Personally I think it can work to a certain degree but a lot of factors in your attic must line up correctly and the cost and effort may never justify doing it.

I find it hard to believe that your A/C is so full of leaks you need thousands of dollars in repairs. I'd call BS, unless your house is full of blown in insulation (which I assume is what you have).

As for the extra return air (I assume the room is stuffy/hot) for the kind of money these guys are talking, I'd probably look into a one room ductless unit like the ones Mitsubishi sells rather than have some guy slap in a return, that may or may not help.

If your house is hot in some areas (usually where you are most often) then you might try checking all diffusers to make sure they are open all the way in places most used while partially closed in say a guest room.

There are other things you can do to help yourself like sun screens on the outside of your windows, ceiling fans, window treatments, etc, before dishing out thousands of dollars on things that may or may not help you.

[johnp292]

I'm no HVAC expert and maybe this is a bad solution but our master bedroom gets very hot in the morning as it faces east, has a sliding door to the terrace and a large window. Also no return. I solve that by putting the A/C fan on "on" at night rather than "auto". Keeps the air moving all night and the room stays cool enough. Still warmer than the hallway area but not uncomfortable.

[MalteseJane]

This is crazy. We had radiant barrier installed in 2010 and they did a complete attic seal even a wrap on the water heater for 1,400$. Our house is 1960 sq feet.

[nightgirl151]

We have shade screens on all windows except north facing ones, upgraded attic insulation (r48). Ceiling fans in all rooms, all the incoming vents are open. I've called a few other companies recommended by posters on here as well as Angie's List, and have someone coming tomorrow and another company coming on Thursday for bids...will keep you all posted on results!

[Zippyman]

Just do the math before you pay for any upgrade - take your average winter bill and subtract it from your high summer bill - the difference is your actual cost of cooling. You cant save any more than that, no matter what the sales-guys claim. You should beware of anyone pushing radiant barrier if your house has r-48 insulation - radiant barrier gives awesome savings if you have no insulation, and effectively zero benefits if you have a well-insulated home. The only impartial studies I've seen on radiant barriers clearly showed that. Duct sealing is an awesome idea if you have leaky ducts - but it shouldnt cost anywhere near $200 per duct - the work isnt being done by attorneys, not sure why these guys think they can bill like attorneys.

As for the return-air in the master, its a great guess, but the company suggesting it lost all credibility when they started pushing $3 per sq/ft snake oil on you.