December Madness

[mixfinder]

Warming my Cockles

The insulation contractor worked this week and finished up on Friday afternoon. The metal studs were capped top and bottom with hard foam and then topped with liquid foam. Several knee wall were also found in the attic and blocked. The energy auditor went in the garage attic after finding cold readings on the kitchen ceiling with its 9 can lights. The wall between the house and the garage was not finished, no moisture barrier, no insulation and no dry wall or wood covering. Last night was my first night in the newly sealed house and it was 14 degrees with a clear sky and full moon. The difference in comfort and no drafts was remarkable. I turned off the auxiliary heaters and let the propane heater work alone. For the first time since living here in the winter it actually began to cycle on and off instead of running non stop. I am very pleased.

 

[wayupnorth]

Glad to hear you got the situation fixed, Kelly. After getting laid off from the phone company, I went back to school and got my energy auditors certification. Unfortunately, there is not a lot of call for it here. But you were wise to have someone knowlegable to help you make sure you were not letting heat excape. You will see savings and comfort right away. Many houses were built with that same type of balloon construction that took all the heat from where you wanted it and funneled it right up and out thru the attic vents. I am happy you are feeling better from your treatments as my family has had more than its fair share of that dreadful disease, but there is hope and dont ever give up.
Tim

 

[mixfinder]

Auditor

Tim, I was amazed at how much the audit revealed and how quickly we had the answer. I talked about looking into it yet kept making catastrophic payment for heat. I am home more this winter and I was more aware of how uncomfortable it was to spend a day here. To make it worse we live in a valley famous for sustained winds year round. All the trees in the valley grow at an angle because of the west winds. The auditor was professional, a tad bookish, but really knew what he was doing. I was really impressed with the thermal imaging the camera can reveal. The mans name is Pico Catelieni and there was an article in the Ruralite, a monthly magazine published and distributed by our local P.U.D. His fee was $350.00 and you can't imagine how quickly that will be amortized in the first month. I wonder if there is a mailer that goes out from your local energy company which could do a feature. Pico said his bisuiness has increased 3 fold since the magazine. Even better was the contractor he recomended and the he said to steer clear of. The whole process has been nothing short of miraculous. I wish I had been more proactive because I would have been much more comfortable to say nothing of saving money.

 

[wayupnorth]

Kelly, That thermal imaging camera reveals A LOT. I wished I could find the extra money to buy one, they are quite pricy. In order to go into business for yourself as an Auditor, the blower door, (hope they used one at your house), camera and all the necessary items could well top $10,000. At $350 for your audit, thats close average or a little bit lower what is charged here. I know what you mean about the sustained winds. I live on the north eastern side of a big lake and get great sunsets. And here in Maine it gets COLD. Right now its in the single digits with gusts about 25 mph. But my house is as tight as it can be and quite comfy now.I dont know how your propane costs where you are, but I paid $4.15/gal. to fill my tank up this fall. I have BBHW oil heat that used to be cheap but now is $3.50/gal. Many of my neighbors now either use wood or a wood pellet stove now, but a pellet stove wont work if the power should go out.
Tim