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March 26, 2009
Energy Audit thoughts?
I'm curious to know what people think about Energy Audits. How do you see them? Useful/useless? Are you thinking of getting one done? Has anyone had one done to their building? What were the results? How much did it cost? What work did you get done? Who did the audit and work? Did it save money? Did you get a rebate from NYSERDA and if so how much? Sorry for all the questions. I'm very curious about the process and what people's experiences have been. Thanks!
-john
Comments
We have been thinking of getting one done, but have not gone ahead because I think it would open us up to a hard sell for major upgrades. I'm concerned that we wouldn't necessarily get unbiased opnions because the auditors are also contractors who have a financial incentive to sell us equipment and services that we might not really need.
Posted by: geekspice at March 26, 2009 1:02 PM
We had one done last fall, as it's a required first step towards getting a NYSERDA very low interest loan. The contractor was biased towards his own materials (a specific kind of blown insulation, including being incorrect about other kinds) but there was zero hard sell and we found it helpful to learn more about the theory and practice of creating a house envelope.
All in all it was a pleasant experience, and if we weren't so mired in renovations, we would probably pursue the loan (which comes through a different agency or institution) and several of the suggestions. FYI, they were not knowledgeable about rebates - just referred us to the NYSERDA website, but other contractors might be.
In general, I long for a more comprehensive approach to energy conservation and insulation relevant to our buildings here. For example, someone who could honestly discuss all the blown in insulation possibilities. Or not dismiss the problem of sound insulation v. heating insulation - they were oddly ignorant about the dilemma of reducing noise between rental units. Blew it off in fact, as their framework was single family homes. I've met lots of folks who know a little about a lot, or a lot about one green area, and learned much from reading, but would love to be able to put it all together better for my house.
Posted by: riis10 at March 26, 2009 2:26 PM
Who was your contractor?
Posted by: jtphilli at March 27, 2009 1:13 PM
riis10: Do you remember the name of the contractor and what type of insulation he promoted?
I know two important things about reducing sound are isolation and mass. I've heard of some kind of green "glue" that you use to attach a layer of gyp bd and it provides some isolation. Don't know the name of it. Mass helps dampen low frequencies.
-john
Posted by: johnp at March 28, 2009 7:52 PM
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