Energy Upgrades 101: Assessing Your Home and Choosing a Contractor

By   |     |  Clean Power Guide

The transition off fossil fuels can be a challenging journey. How does a homeowner navigate the marketplace and ensure that any improvements you decide to make will create the desired outcome? How do you protect your resources and investment?

Knowledge is power. Start with a comfort and energy assessment, also referred to as an energy audit. This should be performed by a professional who is:

• Certified by the Building Performance Institute (which takes a systems approach to buildings).
• Familiar with the materials and methods used to improve comfort, efficiency, health and safety.
• Knowledgeable and experienced in applying Building Science and, therefore, most able to assist property owners by setting appropriate and specific priorities.

When considering a company to perform your comfort and efficiency improvements, make sure they are:
• Committed to industry-specific “best practices” in air sealing, ventilation, and insulation.
• Dedicated to developing solutions designed specifically to achieve your goals and to address your individual needs—not a “one-size-fits-all” insulation installer, but one who offers you options and describes the reasons for them.
• Knowledgeable about how to safely and effectively improve comfort, efficiency, health, and safety for building occupants
• Able to achieve tangible improvements to the building envelope, and able to help homeowners become “heat pump ready”—if that is your eventual goal.

When you are ready to move forward with hiring contractors of any kind, consider whether they:

• Possess any necessary licenses or are accredited with industry-specific trade organizations. For example, the Building Performance Institute (BPI) Certification and Accreditation is the nationally recognized credential for the Building Performance Industry. The North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP) is a recognized credential for solar professionals.
• Warranty their work for a minimum of one year. Credentialing agencies, such as the Building Performance Institute require a “Dispute Resolution Policy” to be submitted with every renewal of the company-wide accreditation. No such requirement exists for certified professionals not associated with an accredited company.
• Carry general liability, disability and workers’ compensation insurance (for all employees) and can provide certificates of insurance.
• Provide references and/or testimonials.
• Are committed to quality and treat their employees well, because a positive workplace culture is more likely to result in an excellent work product.
• Obtain building permits from the municipality where the property is located and ensure that all work complies with local and state building and energy codes.

The best protection for consumers who hire contractors is to perform their due diligence before signing a contract. If a contract has already been signed, New York State mandates that all companies provide consumers with three days to withdraw.

Once upgrades have been performed—whatever they may be—if there were issues with work quality or contract compliance, the only recourse is to try to resolve them after the fact. The Office of the New York State Attorney General provides some oversight of consumer protections, and free educational resources on their website at Ag.ny.gov. These include extensive resources about home solar and about contractors and home maintenance. Another option is to file a lawsuit (although statutes of limitations apply). An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Do your homework and enjoy the results!   

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