By JSkeels January 29, 2014
Tom and his crew just finished correcting my duct work, sealing my leaky tongue & groove sealing and insulating my attic, among other things. My ducts were 33% leaky and now less than 10%. My home actually heats (and will cool this summer) affordably. The other night at 9:30 pm the living room was 70 degrees and at 5 am the next morning it was 67 degrees. My home is comfortable and economical now. Tom and his crew listened to all my concerns, answered all my questions patiently and to my satisfaction and addressed all my concerns. Wish all contractors were like them. It would make life so much easier and the quality of work so much better. ...read more
By JSkeels January 29, 2014
He and his crew just finished reducing the leakage in my heating and air conditioning ducts from 33% to less than 10%. They also sealed my tongue & groove ceiling (and you can't see the clear caulk they use) and replaced my old insulation with R50. Went to bed the other night about 9:30 pm & the living room thermometer said 70 degrees. 5 am the next morning it said 67 degrees. I can afford to use my heater now and will be able to afford use my air conditioner this summer. Tom & his crew were very polite, listened to my concerns and addressed them all to my satisfaction. They are the best! J Skeels Soulsbyville ...read more
By jimoravec January 15, 2014
Tom and his crew have completed three projects for us in the last few years and the quality of the work has been outstanding. The latest was a deck expansion and new stairway which is solid as a rock. Tom will work from a set of plans, but also has the flexibility to make changes to improve the project as the work progresses. Cost effectiveness and attention to detail are hallmarks of Tom's work. ...read more
It’s the installation not the equipment. We just finished an Energy upgrade that included an Air conditioning and Heating system installation. This family had been working on their central AC Heating system for six years. They installed two new AC units each time by upsizing by one ton of cooling. This adventure cost them thousands of dollars with much frustration, because the system was never successful in cooling the house. They ended up with a 4 ton miss-matched system with improper sized refrigerant tubing that had no chance to do its job. The final result was the family ended up cooling their house with two window AC units and a window swamp cooler that did not work well. We diagnosed more than 50% duct leakage. We sealed the duct work to less than 10% leakage with butyl tape and duct mastic. We put back together two disconnected ducts. We installed a 2 ton cooling system with the lowest output heating system. These heating and cooling systems are HALF the size of the prior system. The Air Conditioning start up was done on a 100 degree day and the equipment was cooling the structure immediately during start up. The two window AC units and the swamp cooler were no longer needed and were removed. THE HVAC IS A SYSTEM WHERE ALL PARTS MUST WORK TOGETHER: ·A central heating and cooling system with ductwork must be sized properly in relationship to each other in order to work. (A system that is too large for the existing ductwork cannot deliver the air specified from the manufacturer. The system will have a noisy air return and noisy supply registers. A properly sized system will be almost whisper quiet no matter what manufacturer’s equipment being used and what efficiency factor the equipment is.) ·The duct work must be measured for air leakage. (An average duct system has 30% duct leakage and plays a large part in the equipment’s efficiency. For example, let’s say your supply ductwork is in the attic and is leaking cold air in air conditioning mode. The cold air is leaking into your hot attic. The inside of your home will be depressurized since you are pushing the cold air out in the attic. The missing air will be replaced by warm air from outside, e.g., hot air from the attic, or air from the crawl space or wherever the biggest leaks are.) ·The equipment and must be sized properly for the structure, using a manual J calculation. (When you have the opportunity to make a large investment in your home, such as a new HVAC system, it is very important to choose the right sized equipment . In most cases, you can actually install a smaller system that when coupled with good practices will not only save you money on the initial purchase, it will save you money on your utilities. ·The HVAC equipment being installed must mach the ductwork sizing and have proper airflow output. (On almost every job we troubleshoot, the equipment is too large for the home and the ductwork is too small for the equipment. The simple solution is normally to install the proper sized equipment, which typically is smaller, and use the existing ductwork.) The equipment start up (or commissioning) must verify air flow, refrigerant charge, furnace tuning (using a gas analyzer). (Starting the equipment properly is incredibly important before the installation is complete. When the detailed start up is done correctly, every vital sign of the system is uncovered and fine tuned so the complete system operates at maximum efficiency as designed by the manufacturer.) Below is a link from Energy Star with additional HVAC information: http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=hvac_install.hvac_install_index’ ...read more
By Danielsen Construction & Energy Management July 10, 2011
<a title="Click for the Business Review of DANIELSEN CONSTRUCTION AND ENERGY MANAGEMENT, a Building Contractors in Angels Camp CA" href="http://www.bbb.org/stockton/business-reviews/building-contractors/danielsen-construction-and-energy-management-in-angels-camp-ca-90002506#sealclick"><img alt="DANIELSEN CONSTRUCTION AND ENERGY MANAGEMENT is a BBB Accredited Business. Click for the BBB Business Review of this Building Contractors in Angels Camp CA" style="border: 0;" src="http://seal-midcal.bbb.org/seals/blue-seal-293-61-danielsenconstructionandenergymanagement-90002506.png" /></a> ...read more
By Danielsen Construction & Energy Management May 10, 2011
10 tips to avoid energy-efficiency scams4 commentsbyRosie Romero- Apr. 4, 2011 05:02 PMSpecial to The RepublicWe're all trying to save money onenergybillsthese days. Plenty of people who sell energy-saving products are willing to take unfair advantage of you in your quest to save a buck.You won't save any money or energy if you buy products from people who make false claims. When it comes to purchasing air-conditioners, insulation, roofing and even AC services, we homeowners have to do our homework before we start writing checks.Don't let a salesperson mislead you into spending too much - or buying an ineffective product - because you don't have the facts.Here are 10 ways homeowners get duped when it comes to energy efficiency because of actions by sales reps.1.They sell you more than you need. As we gear up for another scorching Arizona summer, I'm seeing ads for companies that want to over-insulate your attic to a level of R-60, which won't save you any more money on air-conditioning bills than the recommended R-38.In fact, there's a good chance you don't need new insulation at all. Most homes have plenty of insulation, but it's poorly installed or has been knocked out of place.Reattaching it to the floors, ceilings and walls it's meant to protect could save you a bundle of money - both on replacement product and on energy bills.2.They say you need more than you do. I could scream when I see ads that offer unnecessarily thick insulation, plus ventilation, plus a spray-on radiant barrier for the attic. They promise to drop the attic temperature, reduce the heat gain from the roof by up to 50 percent and slash your air-conditioning bill accordingly.Yet no more than 15 percent of your AC bill has anything to do with the heat coming from your attic. This is overkill.With so much insulating equipment in the attic, it could be 200 degrees up there and have no impact onyourhouse- and they charge as much as $6 a square foot for it (that's $15,600 for a 2,600-square-foot house). Your attic is never going to be 200 degrees.You don't need this.All you need is properly engineered ventilation and an adequate level of insulation. Period.3.They are vague about R-value. R-value is a measure of how effectively insulation resists heat flow. Generally, the higher the R-value, the greater the product's insulating power - up to an appropriate level, which for our climate is R-38. Some product sales reps will claim their insulation has a high R-value, but they don't tell you how thick you have to layer it to achieve that measure. Ask this question: How many inches of insulation will I need to achieve R-38 - and how much does this product cost per inch?4.They mislead you about R-value. The Federal Trade Commission has ruled against manufacturers who claim their radiant barriers or insulation will insulate your attic to a high R-value, when in fact, a product can't achieve that on its own.In most cases, the FTC found that the high R-value can be achieved only through a combination of insulation, radiant barriers and common building products like gypsum board and siding, which have some insulating properties. Before you buy, be sure the R-value claim pertains to the product on its own - and that you don't have to buy additional products.5.They convince you that high-tech is better than common sense. The least-expensive way to slash your energy bills is to reach for the "low-hanging fruit" in your house - small, low-cost improvements. Instead of getting hooked into buying an expensive package of multiple new systems, start your energy campaign by sealing your air-conditioner's ducts, caulking windows and doors and checking weather stripping. Have an energy audit to determine if your attic is properly and passively ventilated and that your insulation is well-installed. That will help you more than investing thousands of dollars in optional equipment.6.They can't prove the claims. It's illegal to say a product will slash energy bills, insulate your attic or reduce heat gain without tests to back up the claim. Ask for the research. If the product has passed these tests, you can be sure the manufacturer will have that information all over its website. Can't find it? Don't buy it.7.They insist bigger is better. This is a common claim when it comes to buying an air-conditioner. It used to be that bigger homes needed larger AC units. Newer homes are so tight, however, that they need far less powerful systems than older homes with lots of air leaks. Find an AC rep who will get a lot of information about your house, the weather and your family's lifestyle - and use a computer to calculate the size of your new air-conditioner. If that's not happening, find a different contractor.8.They misrepresent the energysavings. Before you buy, it's important to know how long it would take to pay a product off with the money you save on energy bills. If you pay $15,000 to seal your attic up as tight as Fort Knox and it saves you $400 a year on AC bills, you won't see an actual return on your investment for 37 years. Go with a plan that will pay for itself within three to five years. After that, the lower energy bill will put money in your pocket.9.They trip you up with jargon. Steer clear of products touting an "equivalent R-value" and those that refer to the potential savings in terms like "nominal" or "approximately" instead of hard numbers.10.They sell you something new instead of repairing what you already have. Example: You don't have to replace your air-conditioner just because its ducts are leaking. Instead, have the ducts sealed.Don't fall for this "marketing approach" to energy savings. Trust the building scientists - and know what they say. You shouldn't pay more for energy-saving equipment than it will ever save you in energy bills.For more do-it-yourself tips, go torosieonthehouse.com.Read more:http://www.azcentral.com/style/hfe/decor/articles/2011/04/04/20110404avoid-energy-efficiency-scams.html#ixzz1JJlelexR ...read more
By Danielsen Construction & Energy Management April 12, 2011
Many people have baseboard or wall heaters that are used as primary heat sources or as add-ons for heat in certain rooms of their homes. They are both economical and very easy to use. Should one become damaged or just go out you can repair it yourself with little or no effort without having to replace... ...read more
Many people at some point in their lives have used a humidifier, but many people do not have whole house humidifiers. Whole house humidifiers are used to regulate the moisture in the air for a number of reasons. For people with respiratory problems, for example, a humidifier can make all the differenc... ...read more
