Energy Efficiency

How To Make The Right Evaluation

March 24, 2011
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Thinking of convincing the homeowner that you are the right contractor for the window replacement project? Make sure that you are prepared to demonstrate that you have the knowledge to evaluate the problem correctly. The customer wants and expects to perceive this quickly or you will not be selected for the follow-up. So, to ensure your business is the one selected for that coveted follow-up session, it is critical to showcase your knowledge and experience, the two fundamental factors that say you will make the right evaluation.

Knowledge
As a home improvement contractor, showcasing your knowledge must be a systematic process; your information must be out there in front of your targets telling your stories. It “pays” to be bold, it must be why you are contacted in the first place. The introduction of search engines and social media into the marketing mix has made it easier to achieve this at cost effective levels compared to traditional media. Indeed, a home improvement client knows that selecting the best-fit contractor could worth thousands of dollars in making that right choice the first time. Is the home drafty and uncomfortable because of the 7-year old replacement windows or is it because of air leaks and insufficient insulation through the building? The homeowner wants to believe that you understand the problem therefore you must convince her by being believable and credible. In truth, your face to face presentation with the client must validation you and your service for doing so you will be perceived as having the expertise to make the right evaluation.

Experience
Likewise with poise and confidence communicate your passion for what you offer by vividly highlighting relevant experiences that match your story. This is your chance to propose solutions and stress benefits. You must demonstrate through work samples and referrals that she is not the only one with this problem and that you have solved it before. I recommend, be bold in presenting your credentials particularly evidence of professional training, length of time in the field and prestigious clients with whom you have done business, this will serve to prove your commitment and validate your experience. Again, making the right evaluation is the credibility you create in the mind of the homeowner.

The correct evaluation will help you convince the home improvement client that you are the right contractor for the job, However, to create this perception you must confidently showcase your knowledge and experience, be bold for there is no way around this.

Retrofit Boston is produced by Caledonia Construction Company, Inc.

Discover the Solutions for Drafty Uncomfortable Homes

February 1, 2011
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The energy efficiency movement is starting to impact the awareness of how the indoor conditions of an existing building can be greatly improved. Homeowners who once dread the winter months and thought that they had to live with the pain of a drafty uncomfortable home are now increasingly seeking to improve these homes.

This search often brought homeowners out into the marketplace looking for solutions and the best professional help. As a result, we are seeing the most solid growth rate in weatherization services in recent years, local companies that position themselves as the brand to trust are experiencing the most explosive growth. Indeed, some spare no media opportunity to publicize their service and are bold in the assurance that the benefits of weatherization services are the improved comfort, health and efficiency of your home. Homeowners, it appears, are getting the message and are acting on it.

We have also been listening and acting, here is what we recommend and you should expect from your contractor. We know that regardless of the term that is used to describe the process, weatherizing your home is the surest way to improve its interior comfort and efficiency thereby alleviating the stress of the approaching winter. We believe that, the execution of the following basic three-step process of sealing (air sealing and duct sealing), insulation and venting when well coordinated produces optimum results in improved indoor environment.

Sealing leaks

In the first step your house is sealed off from the outside air. A blower door test will find out exactly how much conditioned air is being lost to unconditioned space. Once this is determined, work crew will seal off the house and the duct work from the outside air. This is done through the application of a variety of techniques and an array of products including foam board, expandable foam, duct mastic, caulking, and other specialized products.

Insulating

In the second step insulation is applied in your home is to stop heat from escaping. This is done with the use of various insulation products, but blown cellulose is a primary choice and is deposited in attic and exterior wall cavities. Cellulose is made with recycled newspaper treated with a fire retardant. again, cellulose is used as it has superior insulating and air blocking properties than other option such as fiberglass.

Ventilation

In the third step, at a minimum, the venting system must be checked to ensure proper venting of high moisture areas such as kitchen and bathrooms. Proper venting means that these areas are vented to the outside to control the moisture out put from cooking and showers. In addition, to conclude the weatherization project a final blower door test is recommended to provide quantitative evidence of the before and after conditions. However the real evidence to many contractors is often the many satisfied homeowners who are now proud members of their referral team.

In brief, weatherization, the three-step process of sealing, insulation and ventilation is designed to improve the comfort, health and efficiency of your home with the added benefit of saving you money on your utility bills throughout the year.

Retrofitboston.com is produced by the management of Caledonia Construction Co., Inc.

The New Rules of Home Improvement

January 25, 2011
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Many homeowners are beginning to recognize the higher standards that are being demanded from home improvement contractors.The new rules of certification, accreditation and independent verification have complemented well the old ways of selecting a contractor so that the two established a benchmark that bodes well for the professional perception of the industry. It is not a coincident that in 2010 credentialing and training organizations have achieved their highest growth rate in recent years.

I believe that a profound shift is taken place in the home improvement industry. This shift has embraced certification, accreditation and independent verification as the new rules of doing business. As a contractor who has been in the business for many years, for me, this shift means one thing – a chance to dominate a market by showcasing a brand that understands and welcomes the new reality. Indeed, homeowners are beginning to demand this higher standard of training and perceived credibility to measure value. And, the surest way to achieve this is by checking for (vividly transparent because of social media) the credential of companies and the skill of their people. Now, besides the old ways of relying chiefly on word-of-mouth recommendation, customers will be able to more independently check for and measure the training and professional underpinning of a company. This is quite a significant development in the home improvement business brought on by dramatic emphasis on energy efficiency improvements in building.

The Federal government and large utility companies have contributed to this by providing tax credits and purchase rebates respectively for energy efficiency improvement initiatives. States have seized on these opportunities and have enacted changes to their building codes to encourage higher efficiency standards in building. The State of Massachusetts for example, has enacted the ‘Stretch Energy Code’” which its cities and towns are adopting to promote energy efficiency improvement to their building stock. The execution of these strategies create jobs, save money on utility bills and decrease the Carbon output to the environment from buildings. The savviest of small home improvement contractors are using these new rules to improve their companies’ image to portray a well trained professional operation. The majority of the buildings in the nation are in need of some sort of energy efficiency improvement, if we are committed to improving our building stock then the adoption of these new rules are just the start of the revolutionizing of the home improvement industry.

To be clear, the changes that are taking root are a result of the budding Home Performance Improvement industry that is taking shape and which is buttress by the Building Performance Institute (BPI), a national credentialing and training organization. Indeed, I believe two things:  One, this is setting a new benchmark for the professional assessing of the home remodeling industry. Two, brand recognition will be an important criteria in selecting a home improvement company. The companies that recognize this and make the necessary positioning adjustments will be the winners.

All in all, these new rules that are required to operate a professional home performance improvement entity will no doubt usher in a change in the negative perception of the the home remodeling industry in general.

Retrofitboston.com produced by Caledonia Construction

Think Sustainable and Green

January 20, 2011
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Over the past couple of years I have attended many seminars mostly on topics relating to green building and the environment. In truth, I was determined to make good use of the construction down time, in this economy, with a goal to learning as much as I could about home performance improvement. One such seminar taught me that the terms sustainable building and green construction have become more than simple buzz words, they have become policies promoted by the government. Policies which at their roots are designed to change the way we think about and use energy in the construction and operation of buildings. The ‘sustainable building,’ concept dictates the integration of efficiency strategies and processes that are adapted during the design, construction and operation of a building project. Green construction is the use of building materials in these processes that offer environmental benefits to the building owners (homeowners) and the wider society in specific ways. Some Advantages of Sustainable Building:

Better Design
Reduced cost of maintenance over life span of structure
Improved effect on environment and occupants
Improved interior comfort
Improved energy conservation and efficiency

Overall, the Impact of adapting Green Construction has far-reaching implications considering that Constructing buildings worldwide consumes almost 3 billion tons of raw materials annually (this, I learn at one of the seminars). When contractors, architects and professionals in the building industry adapted green construction strategies they are helping to reduce the impact on the environment. Green building projects improve the adverse effects on the environment of extraction, fabrication, transportation, installation and disposal of building source material. Additionally, green building material is first biodegradable or created with renewable resources. This ensures that they have positive impacts on the environment throughout the life of the building. While there may be hundreds of different material available, most material are selected by these builders on the basis of:
Energy and resource efficiency: Materials with measurable recycled content, natural and renewable, efficient manufacturing process, minimizing waste, available locally, easily salvaged and refurbished plus durable.

Indoor air quality: The use materials that are non-carcinogenic, non-irritants, non toxic to the reproductive process and have no adverse effect on human and animal occupants. Materials used indoors would also be easily maintained and moisture resistant to inhibit growth of toxic mold and other contaminants.

Water conservation: Systems and materials that help to reduce the consumption of water.

Affordability: Using materials that have a longer life cycle and are easily obtained geographically and are within the project defined budgeted amount.

All in all, if you have already been exposed to the terms sustainable building and green construction, then adding energy efficiency improvement, home performance improvement, renewable energy (to list just a few more) to the group will only serve to dramatize the movement afoot to change the way we think about and use energy in our buildings.

Retrofitboston.com is produced by Caledonia Construction Co., Inc

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