That’s the question facing King Construction Company and Greener Solutions Air, two E-Council contractors who have teamed up to analyze and potentially perform a deep-energy, home-performance based remodeling project.
The 15-plus-year-old home on the Intracoastal Waterway will add a 2,300-square-foot space and remodel some areas of the existing home. The addition is about a 30 percent increase in floor area, and the goals are to keep the utility costs the same or lower, and solve some persistent comfort issues in the home.
To achieve these ambitious goals, the companies are working together and doing a home-performance based approach, which starts with an in-depth energy and building analysis to get of how the home currently performs and identify the potential areas of improvement.
Next, a plan and budget are put together to achieve the improved comfort and unchanged or lower utility bill. When the plan is approved and work begins, the home and equipment are tested during and upon completion of the project, to ensure these goals were reached and the customer will indeed have the comfort and targeted utility bills designed into the project.
The analysis on this home identified a number of areas that need to be addressed. The blower door test showed significant air leakage that will need to be sealed and an old, inefficient heating/ venting/air-conditioning system that needs to be redesigned and replaced.
The windows will need treatment to reduce the solar gain on them, and the pool pumping system presents room for improvement as well.
Finally, the home’s water heating system, appliances and lighting can also be upgraded to improve energy efficiency. All these improvements can save money, every month, for many years to come.
What will be upgraded, how it will be upgraded and the costs are now being considered, designed and proposed to the customer. In the end, these considerations respond to the question only the homeowner can answer, “Is the juice worth the squeeze?”
The juice is long-term energy savings and improved comfort.
The squeeze is higher up-front capital investment.
The E-Council is following this project and will share progress over the term of the project to help others facing these issues evaluate and resolve the question for their own projects.
This partnership between Greener Solutions Air and King Construction Company is itself noteworthy. As co-members of the E-Council, the companies are able to provide a comprehensive package from design to completion, a benefit to the customer and a benefit to the two companies. Greener Solutions Air provides the technical expertise to design and create specifications for the project, and King Construction Company provides the construction services that incorporate the design and materials to meet the project’s goals. Their membership and active participation in E-Council gave them a unique relationship, and their common goals unified their approach to working with customers.
Information about E-Council membership is available online at www.ecounciljax.org. Learn more about Greener Solutions Air at
www.greenersolutionsair.com and King Construction Company at
www.kingconstructioncompany.com.