Cooperative Living March/April 2018 - 28

EnergySense | by Pat Keegan and Brad Thiessen, Contributing Writers
Poor-quality
For maximum energy efficiency,
hire the right contractor
D
ear Pat: We're wanting to make
renovations to our home that
will improve aesthetics and
overall energy efficiency. How can we
make sure we hire a contractor who
will do a good job and stay within
our budget?
- Bridget and Neil
Dear Bridget and Neil: Great question!
Renovations can be the perfect time to
improve your home's energy efficiency.
To make sure you get those energy
savings, it's important to do some
planning right from the beginning.
The first step is to educate yourself
so you can be in control of your project.
Helpful, easy-to-understand energyefficiency
information is available for
virtually any area of your home and any
renovation project. Just be sure to use
reputable sources, like energy.gov,
energystar.gov or your local electric co-op.
You'll need that knowledge so you
can judge the solutions each potential
contractor proposes. Some products
or methods that are sold as effective
energy-efficiency solutions may not work
as well as they claim, or may be too
expensive relative to the energy savings
they provide.
It's important to talk to your local
building department to find out if your
project requires a permit and inspections.
Some contractors may suggest doing the
work without a permit, but unpermitted
work can cause problems if you need
to file an insurance claim down the road
or when you get ready to sell your home.
You can also use your newfound
knowledge to ask the right questions of
potential contractors. Ask about the
product to be installed, the energy savings
it should yield and whether it will improve
comfort. Because energy-efficiency
installations and construction are
specialized, most measures are unlikely to
be installed correctly unless the installer
has experience and, ideally, some
appropriate training or certification.
Finding a contractor can be a challenge,
especially in rural areas. To find them,
energy-efficiency
work will not
deliver maximum
savings.
use your online search engine to " find a
contractor in your area. " If you're in a
sparsely populated area, the right
contractor may be located an hour or two
away. You can also check with a local
energy auditor for contractor names.
You may decide you'd like to hire a
small specialty contractor or a larger
general contractor. Either way, it's crucial
to hire someone with a contractor's
license, a local business license and
three types of insurance: liability,
personal injury and workers'
compensation. Check references to
verify the contractor has a solid history
of cost-control, timeliness, good
communication and excellent results,
including significant energy savings.
You might learn that your lowest bidder
has a tendency to increase the price
after the job has begun.
As you choose between contractors,
quality should be an even more
important consideration than price.
Poor-quality energy-efficiency work will
not deliver maximum savings.
Above: Before signing the final
contract, make sure the contractor
has liability, personal injury and
workers' compensation insurance.
Right: An energy auditor can help
you determine the work you will
hire a contractor to do, and may be
able to suggest contractors that do
quality work.
Far right: If possible, hire a
contractor with energy-efficiency
training and certification such as
ACCA or NATE for HVAC work, or
BPI for a range of specialties.
ACCA, NATE AND BPI
26 | Cooperative Living | March-April 2018
www.co-opliving.com
UNITED COOPERATIVE SERVICE PHOTO
http://www.energy.gov http://www.energystar.gov http://www.co-opliving.com
Cooperative Living March/April 2018

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Cooperative Living March/April 2018
