Recent Rater

Last Friday I rated two homes in Old Concord, a lovely colonial and a quasi-Craftsman. Both were double Energy Star, the colonial rated over 200! Both of these homes typify the challenge with energy savings in our existing homes inventory. The colonial is inefficient by design ( single pane, leaky windows and no insulation in walls or the frame floor ) or, as in the bungalow, losing energy through poor maintenance. I actually found a cat in the supply side of the HVAC! The potential for savings is huge and the investment is minimal compared to the value of the property. In both cases durability is part of the picture as bulk moisture and condensation are already destroying the buildings' structure.

The homeowner in this case is a good example of one of our failures as a service to the community. She is adamant in her desire to improve her energy consumption, but has had a hard time finding someone to do the work. Part of the problem is the attic and crawl-space environment where most of our energy loss occurs is a foreboding environment. Another issue is that there are several trades involved with energy loss. All the trades disrupt the integrity of a building envelope and few if any understand the consequences. Finally, the general public is pretty unaware of the problem, otherwise rater's and repairman's phones would be ringing off the hook. No demand no supply.

As demand for ratings increases the fulfilment part of this equation is a good business opportunity.