home energy audit/insulation contractors? (Pittsburgh: appliances, credit, how much)

[profslacker]

Now that the weather is getting colder, I'm thinking about having my house audited and (if needed, which is likely) insulated.

I'm looking for experiences/opinions/insights on home energy auditors and/or insulation contractors in Pittsburgh. Any praise or horror story is most welcome.

thanks!

[Burghgirl17]

Contact your utility companies. I think some do home energy audits for free.

[hempfield mania]

What she said....

Some even have programs that will help fund some improvements if you qualify. Also, most have credits available for when you upgrade to more energy efficient appliances.

[Honest Bob]

I would compare your situation to a person that waits until the last day before trying to get their car inspected.
If you wanted to have it done, you should not have waited until now to have it done because there is 1000 other people who also had the same idea this week and now those people are booked for the season.

I would compare it to my Uncle who had a hunting camp - the roof leaked.

Every time it rained, he said we should get the roof fixed and every time the sun was shining he said why fix the roof, it doesn't leak anymore.

Sometimes you got to smell the flowers when they are in bloom.

Any person with a ruler can go up in the attic and measure how much insulation is up there. If the attic is lacking that is your easiest resolution.
Anything involving the walls is going to be quadruple the cost of the attic.

[VALT]

Bob, thanks for that bit of wisdom - it made me laugh, but inspecting insulation with a ruler in the attic and using a rule of thumb such as a multiplier of 3 for the walls, is no laughing matter.

I had an energy assessment done and found out that air sealing the basement was the number one priority (wind was literally getting sucked in through the cracks where the house sits on the foundation - before working its way through the walls and rocketing right out through the attic and roof).

This assessment required a blower door test, and was a lot more sophisticated than the ruler in the attic, and saved me a lot more money and made it so we can actually have breakfast in the kitchen now.

I do want to add more insulation in the attic - probably with a layer of foam on the inside of the roof - and the walls as well. 30 year old furnace - we will keep it. The assessment report showed that these other measures are higher priority.

[CSOM]

VALT who did you use?

[VALT]

I used Conservation Consultants on the southside, but there is a whole list of these people on the web.

I should ask for a post assessment to make sure that they didn't miss any major areas in the walls or attic after the work is done - this is suppose to be included. I also need to have the electric inspected and wrapped up if is old first.

You can tell I have given this a lot of thought about living in a green home. I think that I will get my money back - especially when I go to sell it. We had no idea this was such a leaker.

[CyFree]

Bob... we are all guilty of that aren't we? Let's face it. The main reason why we are all running after energy efficiency now is because we've been wasting so much of it all along, that our way of life became very inexpensive and unsustainable.

In the days of cheap fuel, we were all like my kids after a grocery shopping trip. If I don't keep an eye on them, they will eat the treats that I provided for the whole week in a single day.

Now to answer the question: I would either call a home energy audit professional or a full service energy conservation specialist. The kind of professional that will look at your home with a more "holistic" approach.

An insulation contractor will tell you that you need insulation. That is what they sell. An HVAC guy will most likely suggest a furnace upgrade. Call a window replacement company and guess what... they will say you need new windows.

Like Valt said: a comprehensive audit goes far beyond measuring insulation in the attic. It will detect leaks with a blower door test, look for insulation gaps and thermal bridges with thermal imaging, thoroughly inspect your ducts and your appliances, check your water heating system, windows, your light fixtures... the works.

Here's a video about home energy audits:
Home Energy Audit Video by Dr. Energy Saver

[EB1WV]

Check out this local company who does home energy audits. Professional and a much better value. [url]www.PalladioDaVinci.com[/url]