Each year 500 Americans die and 15,000 are treated by doctors for carbon monoxide poisoning. Carbon monoxide is the result of incomplete burning of fuels. There are many reasons combustion appliances begin to produce more, sometimes much more carbon monoxide, including: dirt or damage, out of adjustment, too much or too little fuel, flame impingement, depressurization & back drafting, etc. Be safe; have your appliances checked today.

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The blower door is a scientific instrument that depressurizes or pressurizes your home to 50 Pascals (equivalent to a 20 MPH wind on all six surfaces of your home). A Nanometer is then used to verify the pressure and measure the amount of air flowing into or out of your home through the blower door. We compare the amount of air infiltration your house has to a building standard to make recommendations on needed air sealing. The amount of air moving through the blower door is the same amount that is moving through the many big and little cracks and crevices throughout your house. Air infiltration typically represents 5% to 40% of your heating cost, and it is one of the most cost effective measures to implement.

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Fuel prices have dramatically exceeded inflation over the last 5 years, and there are many reasons to believe this long-term trend will continue.

As a matter of fact, natural gas prices have increased 49% over the last five years. Gas supplies in North America are having difficulty keeping up with demand. We have begun to import liquid natural gas, which is a very expensive and tenuous proposition. Our best defense is to reduce our demand by energy conservation and use less gas!

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All homeowners who purchase their utilities from a distributor like National Grid that charges an "SBC/RPS Charge" (Systems Benefit Charge/Renewable Portfolio Surcharge - look on your utility bill) are eligible for financing incentives or a rebate up to $3,000 (10% of eligible improvements up to $30,000). These incentives allow you to invest in your home, while minimizing the impact on your cash flow. You can expect to save up to 40% of your current energy bills.

Furthermore, homeowners are eligible for up to $5,000 (50% of improvements up to $10,000) in the "Assisted Home Performance" program, if the household income is less than 80% of the state median income ($28,848 for a household of 1; $55,488 for 4; see http://www.getenergysmart.org/whereyoulive/
assistedhomeperformance/eligibility.asp for details). This program requires that the package of eligible measures selected meets energy and cost saving requirements.

For households earning less than 60% of the state median income ($21,636 for 1; $41,616 for 4; see http://www.nyserda.org/ programs/ residential/ lowincomequal.asp for details), there are many other programs (HEAP, EHEAP, WAP, etc.). There are also programs for people over 65, disabled, etc. Unfortunately we are not familiar with the details of these programs. These programs are typically administered by county. For more information start by contacting HEAP, listed in the phone book under your county.

There are also tax credits and sometimes rebates available for implementing energy conservation measures. For the latest details check with http://www.dsireusa.org/ and your tax advisor.

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The typical American family of four is responsible for over 68,000 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions. Most of this is done in our name through the production, processing and distribution of our food. Nearly all of the carbon dioxide emissions are the result of burning finite fossil-fuel.

Typical Family of Four

 

Growing a vegetable garden, supporting local farms, reducing your driving, buying a car that gets more miles per gallon (35 mpg ought to be a law), and conserving energy at home in every way we can, all help to reduce our fuel use and reduce our carbon dioxide emissions. Reducing our energy usage also helps us as individuals and as a nation become more independent.

The concern that oil production is peaking and that we will have less each year is called "Peak Oil." As a matter of fact, because of this expectation and the need to save energy for our children, we will do anything we can to help you reduce your energy usage.

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There are many sources of information on the subject of Peak Oil. An excellent introduction is John Howe's "The End of Fossil Energy." This excellent book is available on Amazon for $10. It provides a treasure trove of additional references to investigate any of the three major problem areas confronting us: peak oil, environmental destruction, and over population. Mr. Howe is an engineer and his book reflects his serious research into this problem and an overall plan, with his personal recommendations.

Some excellent web sources to start your research include:
http://www.hubbertpeak.com/
http://www.peakoil.net/
http://www.bartlett.house.gov/
http://www.climatecrisis.net

There are also many other excellent books including:
Powerdown: Options and Actions for a Post-Carbon World, 2004, Richard Heinberg
The End of the Oil Age, 2004 Dale Allen Pfeiffer
Twilight in the Desert: The Coming Saudi Oil Shock and the World Economy, 2005, Mathew R. Simmons
The Long Emergency: Surviving the Converging Catastrophes of the Twenty-First Century, 2005 James Howard Kunstler
 

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We provide independent home energy audits. We look at all aspects of your home with your objectives in mind and then we make independent recommendations. We are acting as your advocate, in your mission to reduce energy, for whatever reason and in whatever way you choose. We are not insulation or furnace sales people.

If your home needs a furnace or insulation (many homes benefit from these measures) we will recommend them, and you can use your own trusted contractor or we will recommend one we know who does quality work, in a timely fashion, at a fair price. Whatever your house needs to save energy and you want, we will help you safely and cost effectively implement.

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We help you choose the right things to do to make your house safer, more durable and save energy, and then we make sure that what you have chosen to do is done right. This might not sound like an important issue, but you realize it is when you see how many people, for one reason or another, do the wrong things and still have the problem they thought they were fixing. Or they do the right thing, but don’t use the proper materials or methods and the problem remains. We use building science and objective tests and measures to diagnose the real cause of the problem and recommend an appropriate solution or choices that will meet your objectives. Specifically, we add value by performing the following services:

• Opportunity Survey to identify the best energy saving opportunities, check to be sure your combustion devices are performing safely, and provide information so you can decide if you want to proceed.

• Analysis and Prioritization to help you select one or more energy saving measures to implement at this time. Our recommendation will be based on your objectives, cost/benefit and payback comparisons, impact on the environment, necessary building improvement sequencing, and other aspects such as the time of year, and availability of materials and contractors.

• To implement the desired improvements, you can use your trusted contractor or we will recommend someone. We supervise the work to be sure the contractor has appropriate insurance, follows proper safety procedures, and uses appropriate materials. We check that the installed materials or appliances meet the Home Performance with Energy STAR eligibility requirements and meet BPI standards and have the required features.

• Depending on the type of work, we conduct interim and/or final tests to assure all the work is done properly, that we have achieved your objectives, and that the changes to your home do not cause combustion or air quality problems.

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