Sometimes. Home Energy Solutions is not an HVAC contractor. We do not work with refrigeration fluids. We do install fresh air systems (ERVs), correct improper ducting, seal homes and leaky ducts, and as a licensed General Contractor, can perform remediation work for any home project concerning energy efficiency and indoor air quality. We consult with Homeowners, Builders, Architects, and Developers and perform thorough diagnostic testing and engineer the required calculations to determine root causes and the best steps to fix problems in your home.

Our Home Health Report is an empowering tool for you to use when hiring a contractor to make sure they’re qualified to do the work. A great bonus for a contractor is that they don’t have to spend a lot of time “figuring out” what’s wrong and how to solve it, and honestly, oftentimes root causes are missed by contractors because they don’t specialize in a “Home as a system” approach.

Our pre-construction services work can help you avoid costly mistakes down the road while our investigative services will allow you to avoid lost time from multiple non-productive trips from countless technicians. We are experts in evaluating and testing your home to outline the most effective path to solve root causes so problems will be solved in a sustainable and effective way.

Typically, the maximum ROI (return on investment) period in the building science industry is 8 years. However, with our investigating consultation services, our goal is for our customers to see a return on their investment immediately.

We work with homeowners to have improperly installed equipment replaced by the builder or HVAC contractor at little to no additional out-of-pocket costs.

With New Construction, this payback period would easily be shortened. And, in a scenario where Home Energy Solutions sizes and designs the HVAC strategy for the house, commissions the system, measures for proper airflow, and performs diagnostic testing post-construction, we expect your system improvement gains to outweigh your initial investment in as little as 3-4 years.

More generally though, by hiring Home Energy Solutions to design your HVAC systems, you will be able to enjoy a return on your investment as soon as you begin occupying your home.

Not all HVAC contractors are on the same level, and most cannot afford to employ a fully qualified engineer on staff. Home Energy Solutions fills this gap.

We don’t use “rules of thumb” to make decisions, we use the HVAC industry’s by-the-book engineering methodology.

Oftentimes, there’s more than one root cause of an issue, if you solve one but not the other 2, you’re still going to experience symptoms.

We have a more holistic approach and a broader frame of reference about building systems and construction methodologies for uncovering their proper corrective actions.

We need a thorough understanding of what your experiences have been like while living in your home. During our initial meeting, we will begin the process of data collection and will thoroughly note the symptoms you’re experiencing. From this, we may begin to organize the most likely reasons why the issue(s) are occurring and may then propose the right investigative process for your home.

Once a full site evaluation is completed, we can compare our data with your home’s symptoms and finalize our recommendations for repair. As root causes become clear we may have additional questions to solidify our findings.

Think of our services as a home inspection on steroids. We pride ourselves on helping prospective home buyers make the most informed decision possible - and with all the technical expertise that modern building science can offer.

We combine techniques such as thermography, precise load calculation, and airflow measurements to assess HVAC performance before you buy.

Keep in mind that here in the southeast USA, it's not just about temperature - it's about humidity and moisture too! All of Home Energy Solutions’ technicians are homeowners too - our experience has brought us a wealth of insight into what truly matters when making one of the most important investment decisions of your life.

Discovering the true “bones” of a home can help you avoid costly errors that may only otherwise be discoverable after the purchase has been made.

Visit our Home Energy Services for Real Estate Agents page for more info on how we serve as your ally in the home buying process.

Our Home Health Report will fully outline the work required to achieve your desired goals. Those goals will be determined during our initial visit. Goals may include:

> lower energy bills

> improved comfort throughout the home

> solutions for solving humidity and mold problems

> designing HVAC equipment for installation (with another contractor) or replacing it entirely with properly designed and sized HVAC equipment (with another HVAC contractor)

Now is a great time for a consultation, hopefully, before too much work is completed. This way your contractor can piggyback on our recommendations.

We’re happy to assist in the process of finding the right company to outline the work that should be performed based on our consultation and testing!

Moisture forms on any surface where differential temperatures along with the relative moisture in the air allows for it.

In the bathroom, we have hot, moist air from the shower, and (in the winter) cold air in the attic above. If insulation is diminished between these areas, or if there is a direct air pathway, liquid condensation will form.

Around your bath vent, there are gaps that directly connect to the attic air above. Issues like these are very common but Home Energy Solutions can solve issues like dripping vents quickly and effectively!

Would you be surprised to learn this is the effective operating range of the SAME 3-ton Air Conditioning system? The difference is that this same system, when properly designed and commissioned, can potentially save up to 85% in energy usage.

HVAC filters are rated based on their MERV ratings. The higher the MERV rating, the better the filter is at trapping specific types of particles.

The standard MERV 8 furnace filter is rated to filter out approximately 85% of particles between 3-10 Microns in size. For a size comparison that we all relate to: COVID-19 particles are around 0.1 microns in size, or about 30x smaller than what your furnace filter can capture.

There are “better” MERV filters, like the MERV 16, for example, which can filter out approximately 75% of particles down to 0.3 microns in size (still 3x too large to effectively filter out the COVID-19 virus). Worse yet, your furnace’s performance will suffer.

Filters with MERV ratings past 8 present additional pressure drop and resistance to airflow for your HVAC system. Using filters like these can not only diminish the available airflow of your HVAC system but will ultimately limit the lifespan of your equipment. There is hope, though! HEPA filtration according to the EPA’s website is:

“(HEPA is) a type of pleated mechanical air filter. It is an acronym for "high-efficiency particulate air [filter]" (as officially defined by the U.S. Dept. of Energy). This type of air filter can theoretically remove at least 99.97% of dust, pollen, mold, bacteria, and any airborne particles with a size of 0.3 microns (µm). The diameter specification of 0.3 microns responds to the worst case; the most penetrating particle size (MPPS). Particles that are larger or smaller are trapped with even higher efficiency. Using the worst-case particle size results in the worst-case efficiency rating (i.e. 99.97% or better for all particle sizes).”

Home Energy Solutions can help you determine if HEPA filtration is compatible with your HVAC systems including your furnace or heat pump’s current airflow settings.

Unfortunately, it absolutely can. Our houses often present as strange animals - yes, we want them “tighter” and more energy-efficient, but the truth is that the products we often buy can release noxious gasses over time and compromise the air quality inside our homes.

It’s true that the home building industry has come a long way, with most paint products nowadays being zero or close to zero VOCs. However, if there's anything we can all agree on, it's that 2020 was a wake-up call to us all about how suddenly unforeseen circumstances can take over our lives.

A sound strategy for indoor air quality is crucial now more than ever. Yes, we believe that homes should be built tight, and with sound insulation strategies. But, properly sized HVAC systems, well-designed mechanical ventilation, and proper filtration are critical now more than ever for maintaining healthy conditions within a home’s four walls.

A homeowner may be experiencing Negative Pressures in a home for a variety of reasons. Often, homeowners may understand that something is happening, but are frustrated with typical tradesmen attempting to correct the issue.

Working with us is valuable because we’ve been refining our experience and knowledge since 2009 and have worked on more than 21,000 projects.

Sometimes, the issues are directly related to HVAC systems, sometimes the disposition of the building itself is the root cause. Often, we can ascertain the answers as to why Negative Pressures are occurring and take a direct course of action for immediate remediation. In other cases, a more dynamic approach is necessary.

In modern homes, high humidity is almost always a result of problems occurring with your HVAC system.

Not only is your air conditioning equipment designed to cool the air, but well-designed equipment is also specifically suited to properly dehumidify the space in which it is installed.

Energy efficiency requires a personal commitment. The first step toward that commitment begins with a consultation with Home Energy Solutions.

There are plenty of statistics available about the percentage of cost savings you can expect to see by “going green” with your home or project; however, this info is limited because they usually don’t take into account real-world usage by the occupants. This is where sustainable living will either flourish or fail.

Sustainable living begins with education and sincere dialogue to discuss wants vs. needs in our daily lives.

We are passionate about conservation and are committed to sustainable practices that will not only resonate with our clients, but with future generations as well.