Dear Energy Audits Unlimited,

Forgive me for not writing sooner! I hope late really is better than never!

David and I thank ourselves (and YOU) at least once a week for all the work we did last year with the help of Energy Audits Unlimited. All of this started last year because our ailing 30-year-old oil burner was about to give up the ghost. I'm SO glad we did our homework about EfficiencyMaine, and that we hired your firm as our energy auditors and consultants. We didn't know how inefficient our house was until it wasn't drafty anymore!

Our investments were worth every single penny, and our timing couldn't have been better, because we were able to maximize available monies: federal tax incentives, sizeable EfficiencyMaine grants, and several utility rebate programs. We were able to do the efficiency work as well as some much-needed cosmetic improvements in the proper order so that it was completely cost-effective and we got all the "mess" over at one time. Our house is both tight AND much prettier - ready for its next 60 years!

Before doing the insulation work, I think we used more than 750 gallons of oil per year to heat our home and domestic hot water. We supplemented that with a cord or more of firewood. Our very old Portland Foundry woodstove was hard to regulate, and because it didn't have a catchpan for ashes we had to shovel them out, in the middle of the living room, at least once per week, and sometimes more often. Because of its age, I was concerned about fire safety and indoor air quality, but we simply had to continue burning wood to keep our oil bill down. Last year we didn't use the woodstove at all and kept the programmable thermostat at a balmy 67 when we were at home - an unthinkably high setting if we had still been on oil. Imagine: we could be comfortable and NOT go broke doing it!

Because the eaves of our house were not within the insulated envelope of our house, and the bathroom vent fan ran up through the eaves, a bitterly cold draft was always drifting down from the bathroom ceiling in the winter months: very uncomfortable when getting out of the shower! Additionally, even during the very hot days this summer, when many of our friends were running air conditioners like crazy and sweltering in the heat, our house remained cool and comfortable. Even on a 100 degree day, I think our house went no higher than 80, and probably would have stayed even cooler but for little kids running in and out! We didn't even install our window air conditioner this year. That kept our summer electric bill measurably lower.

Countless little things are SO MUCH BETTER.

Without exaggeration, Paul Button & his associate Darrell Cooper are the most responsive, helpful consultants I have ever worked with on ANYTHING.
Anytime we had a question (and we had many), if we didn't get Darrell on the phone immediately, he returned our calls extremely promptly. Toward the end of our insulation work, I discovered that the contractor who was installing some additional insulating foamboard on the exterior of our home (before hanging new vinyl siding) was doing the job wrong.

I called Darrell, in a bit of a panic, and he arrived at my house within minutes. He spoke with the contractor (who had become a little testy because I had told him and his crew to STOP), smoothed things over, and explained why the procedure needed to be done a very specific way, and that he needed to send a crew member out to buy just $50 worth of sealing tape. Without Darrell's help, I would not have had the technical language to explain the problem, nor information on what needed to be done to correct it. This moment made the difference between our home passing the final inspection, and NOT. The shortcut that the contractor was taking could have cost us thousands of dollars! Thank you Darrell!

Since installing a high-efficiency on-demand natural gas boiler, we used 452 CCF of natural gas over these last 12 months. Oh, the joy of NOT hearing our oil burner wastefully kick on again and again and again, in July, keeping hot water available 24 hours a day, when we only need hot water for showers in the morning and dishes at night! I actually feel a little sad for our friends and neighbors when I see the oil truck pull up with "$3.39/gal" posted on the back end. While most Mainers are worried about heating their home this winter, we are relaxed and ready to enjoy winter, snug as bugs in a rug. Although we have no immediate plans to move, if we decided to put our house on the market, having it up to snuff on efficiency will certainly be a positive selling point, in my opinion.

Lastly, I truly care a lot about my energy usage and my impact on the environment. We recycle, we re-use, we compost. Gas efficiency is a high priority when we buy a car, or plan driving trips. I knew that our house wasn't efficient, and it was irksome to me, but I didn't have a plan to change that. Energy Audits Unlimited helped us do just that. I know that the changes we made have significantly reduced our carbon footprint, and that's something I feel really good about in my heart.


All the best,
Aimee Turner

Dear Paul,

I wanted to let you know that I was extremely pleased with your audit services. It allowed me to focus my efforts and money on areas that would have the largest impact on my energy consumption. Without the energy audit that you performed, my efforts and money would have been far less effective.

I also appreciated your professionalism, clear explanations, and detailed written report. But just as important, you have continued to support me in my efforts to reduce my energy use even after the audit was complete. It is good to know that I have someone that will continue to advise me on being a good steward of our energy resources.

Sincerely,
Doug Washabaugh

To whom it may concern,

This letter serves as a testimonial to Paul Button of Energy Audits Unlimited.

I met with Paul to have an energy audit done on my house in Goffstown. He was extremely professional and knowledgeable about the subject of energy auditing.

After completing the energy audit on my home I was presented with a very detailed report and a number of recommendations. I heeded the recommendations and did the work that was needed to increase the energy efficiency of my home.

I have first hand proof that his methods did work as my oil consumption is significantly down and my house is warmer. I had a great experience with Paul and would highly recommend his auditing services to anyone concerned about the high cost of fuel or the wasting of our natural resources.

If you would like to discuss this further please do not hesitate to contact me using the information below.


Matthew Barrett
President
Barrett Insurance, Inc.

Dear Mr. Button,

On behalf of the employees of Hampstead Public Library, I thank you for doing a deeply-discounted energy audit for the library and also coming to give a talk about your findings & about residential energy audits. We are so happy that you participated in our programs with environmentally-related topics. The information you provided to our patrons was very helpful. You contributed to raising awareness about how we can reduce our carbon footprint by having a more energy efficient home. Thank you !

Best wishes and happy holidays.
Sincerely,

Janet Arden
Library Aide and Adult Program Coordinator
Hampstead Public Library

Dear Paul,

It is our pleasure to write this letter to you.

A few months ago, you performed an energy audit on our home and found some surprising gaps in insulation which resulted in our high oil usage the last couple of years. We were very impressed by the “blower door” and infrared technology which immediately showed where heating and cooling would be lost.

We finally completed the majority of suggestions you made (two last little things to do) and we definitely notice a difference. The furnace does not kick on as often as it used to, our home feels warmer and it’s not as drafty. We did not realize how drafty it was until it wasn’t drafty anymore.

Also, the contractors you recommended were fabulous to work with. The roofing company did a great job removing the materials, arriving on time and making recommendations to us about what should be done. The young men from the insulation company were very polite, arrived on time, worked hard and left the room with the attic access in great condition. You never would have known that they spent several hours blowing in 12 inches of cellulose across the entire attic—do they do housekeeping? They also gave great attention to the smaller tasks on the job.

Well, our first replacement oil delivery of the year was made the other day (we had a full tank already) and the tank needed just 56 gallons. Last year at this time we received 98 gallons. So, allowing 15% for maybe it has been a bit warmer and maybe we keep the thermostat a little lower during the day, it looks like we’ve already saved over 30 gallons of oil.

So, we’re ready for you to retest with the blower door to make sure nothing was missed. Thank you for helping us “green-up” our home. It appears that the return on our investment is already being received.

Sincerely,
Jeanie & Ted Gorski

Hi Paul,

I just wanted to let you know that we have completed most of the energy saving measures that you recommended. The last details are in process. Sandy and I have confidence that we will be seeing savings in heating costs this winter that will put a big dent in the cost of our improvements and improve the comfort of our home on cold winter nights.

You have been an incredible help and resource. Your thorough review and evaluation of our home, from top to bottom was a real eye opener. We would have put all of our resources in the wrong place. It was apparent that your biggest concern was helping us improve the energy efficiency of our home and save money.

The follow up after your visit and evaluation, with comprehensive documentation, follow up conversations and a return visit was very impressive. I have recommended you to my friends.

Thank you so much for everything.

Your friends,
Dick and Sandy McIntire


 

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