Advanced Energy Services

Most homeowners call contractors to treat symptoms of an uncomfortable or inefficient home. If there is a draft in a room, you may call a window contractor. If the house is too cold in the winter, you call an HVAC contractor to put in a bigger furnace or perhaps an insulation company to add some insulation. While most contractors can provide a quick fix and perhaps temporary relief, they are not looking at the total picture and addressing the true causes of the performance of your home. Advanced Energy Services employs and trains only certified home energy analysts, auditors and installers who use the most advanced tools and techniques available.

That includes moisture, mold spores and soil gases, as well as anything else that may be airborne down there. As this air rises in the home, replacement air is drawn through the vents. This replacement air is made up of unconditioned outside air that enters through vents and other leaks. This natural upward air movement is called the "stack effect" and makes heating and cooling your home more difficult and inefficient. Traditionally, crawl spaces have been vented to prevent problems with moisture as many building codes require vents to aid in removing moisture from the crawl space.

Many homeowners who have older windows and doors believe that by replacing the windows all their issues with high energy bills and uncomfortable rooms will go away. The reality is windows should be the last part of sealing the home envelope after the air sealing and insulating of the attic, basement and crawl space have been completed. Without those improvements, the expense of new windows will not have the expected efficiency and comfort results. New replacement windows have many benefits including improved energy efficiency and comfort of your home, increased resale value, greater comfort, lower maintenance and even a reduction of the size of the HVAC system.

The leaks between the living space and other parts of the house are often much greater than the obvious leaks around windows and doors. Since many of these leakage paths are driven by the tendency for warm air to rise and cool air to fall, the attic is often the best place to stop them. It's important to stop these leaks before installing attic insulation because the insulation may hide them and make them less accessible. Usually, the attic insulation itself will not stop these leaks and you won't save as much as you expect because of the air flowing through or around the insulation.

Is your HVAC system more than 10 years old? Don't wait until the system dies. Take a proactive approach and have its performance evaluated by Advanced Energy Solutions. As with window replacement, once you have properly air sealed and insulated your home, replacing an old, inefficient system with an Energy Star-rated model can save you money on your energy costs, utility bills and make your house far more comfortable. An HVAC system works at its peak levels with a good supporting cast: air sealed home, proper insulation, well-sealed ductwork and a programmable thermostat.