DSB Energy Services

Archive for the ‘Air Sealing’ Category

It has been a very hot summer and the spike in electric bills for air conditioning is on many people’s minds.  Did you know that in Southeast Pennsylvania, our climate requires more heating than cooling?  For many people the cost of heating is 10-15 times higher than the cost of cooling.   What can you do to lower your heating costs?  You have to find ways to reduce demand (less heat loss) or reduce consumption (more efficient furnace).

Fall is the time to prepare for the heating season.  Have you looked at the windows and doors to see if the seals and weatherstripping are OK?   Have you scheduled a furnace cleaning and tuneup?  Have you changed your air filter?    These are the simple things that you can do to prepare for the heating season.

If you are thinking of making improvements to take advantage of the 2010 tax incentives for home energy retrofits, do you know which changes are the best choice for your home?  How can you determine if its best to add insulation, replace a furnace, replace windows?  How do you get the information you need to make the decision?  This is what a thorough energy audit can provide.  The energy audit looks at your home’s condition, and provides a range of improvement choices and the payback you will receive.  Get an energy audit and be an informed consumer.  Learn what you can do to reduce your energy consumption, and reap the benefits of lower costs and a smaller carbon footprint.

Your home’s duct work can be robbing you of 10-30% of your heating or cooling.  Building Codes recently changed to require that duct work be sealed when it is installed, and now in some communities, the ducts must be tested to prove they are sealed.  That’s good news for homeowners and for the environment.   But, if your home’s duct work is more than 7 years old, they are probably not sealed.  Leaky ducts can be the cause of poor air flow that results in uneven temperature distribution in the home – some rooms are too hot or too cold.

Leaky ducts running through unconditioned attics and/or crawlspaces can result in serious energy and money waste, and potential indoor air quality issues.  Leaky ducts pull air into the house, and you don’t know from where.  I have seen many homes with significant gaps and openings in the ducts that pull in air from damp crawlspaces and musty attics.  A well sealed system will improve the comfort of your home, reduce the operating costs, and save money.   Take a look for yourself.  Check your ducts (if you can) and look all the connections.  Are they sealed? Duct tape does not count since it doesn’t seal.  Proper sealing uses a thick mastic that is painted onto every connection and seam, and in some cases has mesh tape embedded in the mastic.  I bet you will be able to find places where you can see the leaky seams, holes and gaps in the ducts.  A good clue is to look for dust gathered around a small opening in the return lines, or moving cobwebs around supply lines.  Learn more from the Energy Star brochure on Duct Sealing. Click Here

How leaky are your ducts?  The best way to find out is with a duct pressure test.  In a full home energy audit, a duct test evaluates the duct leakage and determine how much leakage goes outside the home (serious energy loss).

The HOME STAR proposal calls for the creation of a national program to provide direct rebates to homeowners who invest in qualifying home energy efficiency improvements. At the request of the homeowner, rebate amounts can be deducted from overall job costs at the time of sale and paid directly to the contractor or product retailer after the retrofit work has been completed.   The plan gives homeowners a choice of two types of incentives. The SILVER STAR incentive prioritizes easy and rapid deployment. The GOLD STAR incentive promotes greater energy savings by offering higher rebate amounts for consumers who choose this path.  SILVER STAR provides rebates for specific energy–?saving measures such as air sealing; attic, wall or crawl space insulation; duct sealing or replacement; and replacement of existing windows, doors, water heaters, household appliances or heating and air conditioning equipment. Rebate amounts are up to $1500 per qualified installed measure, capped at 50 percent of project costs or $3,000 (whichever is less).  The performance based GOLD STAR incentive is based on predicted energy savings as determined by a thorough energy audit performed before the work begins. Using proven building science methods, the auditor tests the home’s energy performance, designs a customized retrofit plan in consultation with the homeowner, and calculates the energy savings that will result from the recommended measures. Homeowners can receive $3,000 for modeled savings of 20%, plus $1,500 for each additional 5% of modeled energy savings, with incentives not to exceed 50% of total project costs. To prevent fraud and assure quality, HOME STAR requires appropriate licensing and certification for all participating contractors, and a percentage of all jobs will be inspected by a third party within 30 days of completion to verify proper installation.

Please contact your house of representatives member TODAY and let them know you support the bill.

The Message To Your Representative:

• The Home Star legislation, H.R. 5019 is coming to the floor and I ask for your support.
• This vote does NOT provide funding but provides authorization. I am as concerned about the use of tax dollars as anyone, but we MUST pass this bill so we can get contractors back to work retrofitting homes.
• This is not about politics; this is about jobs for my business/friends/family/community.
• Home Star is a bi-partisan bill that deserves bi-partisan support on the House floor.
• Home Star WILL create jobs, but delaying cannot be an option. We need the jobs today!

Call  your local Congressional Representative:

Go to the house of representatives and find your representatives contact information  Link to House of Representatives

CALL TODAY

DSB Energy Services LLC opened for business on April 19, to help homeowners in Bucks and Montgomery counties cope with soaring energy costs. By the end of 2010, both utilities serving these counties — PP&L and PECO — will have raised residential energy rates by as much as 20%. DSB Energy Services is an independent and locally owned business based in North Wales, Pennsylvania.

“DSB Energy Services helps our customers cut their energy bill and their federal tax bills,” said David Berg, founder and owner of DSB Energy Services. “We provide honest, expert advice and we do not take commissions on the products or services that we recommend.”

Homeowners are often confused by the many ways to waste less energy in their homes. Air sealing, spray foam insulation, blown insulation, fiberglass insulation, duct sealing, weather stripping, compact fluorescent light bulbs, Energy Star appliances, and other items all help to some degree. But each home is different and there is no “one size fits all” solution.

“For homeowners who want to cut their gas and electricity bills, getting a home energy audit is a smart first step,” Berg said.

DSB Energy Services works with homeowners to produce a roadmap to saving energy, saving money, and improving the comfort of their home. Those who own energy efficient homes take pride knowing that they are doing their part to prevent pollution, too. We work with you, the homeowner, to find answers to the following questions:

• How is energy utilized in your home?
• Is the home properly sealed for air leaks and effectively insulated?
• What are your options to make cost effective improvements?
• What loans and other financial incentives are available to help you make your investment?
• What tax credits would you be eligible for once the work is done?

“Often homeowners can save more money with inexpensive repairs than they can with new windows or other big ticket items,” Berg said. “And most homeowners are eligible for tax credits, utility rebates, or low interest loans for the big ticket items that are necessary.”

Visit DSB Energy online to get a free quote for a home energy audit in Bucks or Montgomery counties in Pennsylvania. Or Contact DSB Energy Services directly at 215.997.7186 or write dberg@dsbenergy.com.