What is an energy audit?

Many people don't know what an energy audit is so we're here to help clear up any confusion!

Energy audits are the first step you can take to make your home more energy efficient.

An energy audit is a detailed examination of your home that determines where/how energy is being lost in the home, which systems are working inefficiently and what measures can be put in to place to make the home more comfortable and energy efficient.

There are 2 kinds of audits, a home energy survey and a general energy audit. Both are important and both will end up saving you money in the long run.

Home energy survey tests the windows, doors, etc. It will check your heating, cooling, lighting and any visible moisture leaks. They will figure out if you have any complaints and check to make sure there are no health or safety concerns.

A general energy audit includes diagnostic testing. They will check the location of leaks, how much leakage there is and how effective your insulation is.

An audit can help cut your power bill a lot and doesn't everyone like saving money??

Efficiency vs Conservation

Energy efficiency and energy conservation are often used interchangeably but there are still differences between them. Today we're going to help you understand those differences!

At the most basic understanding, energy conservation is more of a behavior change of using less energy, such as turning off the lights or lowering your thermostat.
Energy efficiency means using energy more effectively, it's more of a technical change.

An example of this...to conserve energy you could turn down the thermostat several degrees. You might be a bit colder though. To be more energy efficient you can install a more energy efficient heater and get better insulation. You'll be able to use the same amount of energy and still be able to turn your heater up more. If you plan on buying more energy efficient products, always look for the energy star!

It's important to have a mix of energy efficiency and energy conservation. If you want to learn more about our energy efficient products and work you can check out the rest of our blog or our facebook page by following this link! Click here!

Top 10 Home Efficiency Tips

Top 10 lists are always one of my favorite things to read. They are informative while still being short and sweet. Today I'll share my own top 10 list of home efficiency tips. Here we go! 

1. Seal it up! If cold air is allowed to seep in to your home it will raise your heating bill much higher than you'd like. 
2. Insulate your upstairs. Insulating upstairs will make sure to make your home better year round. “It turns out that about half of the homes in the United States are underinsulated,” says Kateri Callahan, president of the Alliance to Save Energy.
3. Insulate the windows and doors.  About 1/3 of the home's total heat cost is through the windows and doors. You can seal the windows and cracks with rope caulk or can be weatherstripped. Installing storm windows is also a great option. 
4. Seal the ducts. Duct sealant can be used to help repair any leaks the ducts may have. 
5. Buy a programmable thermostat. It might not seem like it will help much but they've been proven to save about 10 percent on heating and cooling bills. 
6. Energy efficient doors and windows. You can actually install energy efficient doors and windows that will help keep air from leaking through.
7.  Make sure you have the right equipment. Replacing an outdated HVAC system with an energy efficient one can lower  your monthly energy bills. 
8. High-efficiency water heaters. Water heating makes up anywhere from 15-25 percent of the annual energy usage in the home. Getting a high-efficient water heater will help drive down the cost of your bills. 
9. Understand how your home uses energy. It's important to understand how your home uses energy. 46% goes to heating and cooling at 12% goes to lighting. 
10. Lights. Don't leave the lights on when you leave a room. It's simple and effective. 

Is there anything I missed? What would you add to the list?

Baby Shower

We recently had the opportunity to celebrate one of our own by throwing a baby shower for Mali! She's been such a great employee for us we were really just looking for a way to give back a little and to be able to celebrate with her in such an exciting time of life. Thanks Mali for all the hard work you've done for us and we can't wait to meet your little one soon!

Woodbury... Here we come!!

Thank you to the city of Woodbury and all your residence! We had a wonderful time getting to know this area and its people. Please watch for the signs in your neighborhood! Let's not let winter get in the way of our home improvement projects... #dominatewinter

Please, do not be offended if we ask for your business...

A Note From the President:

Just so everyone knows: WE ARE IN THE BUSINESS OF COMPLETING PROJECTS. If we ask for your business, it's because we want the satisfaction of completing your home improvement project and providing the best experience possible. Please do not be offended by our team members asking for the opportunity to do work for you. We are running marketing programs throughout the cities to build a base of customers. Some of these campaigns are time sensitive and require our ability to line projects up simultaneously in the area of focus... right know we are focused on developing the Rochester market. These discounts will NOT be offered as a quote, estimate, bid, or retail price. These prices will be available to those who are able and willing to participate in the program by helping us in return. If the marketing program doesn't work out or you aren't interested in participating, we still hope to win your business with our competitive retail prices. There are other campaigns through events such as home shows, county fairs, and home parties and provide some discounts or give-aways as well. These discounts usually have a time frame as well to help us generate enough revenue to cover the cost of the show, keep our installers busy, and maintain business during some of the slower times of the year.

We are grateful to all we have been able to meet with and hope we've left a good impression with you. I wanted to write this post to maintain some level of transparency.  We'd like to make everyone a customer for life! Please feel free to contact me at the number listed below if you have any concerns or feedback. We are striving for excellence and understand the only way to stay in business is to provide our customers with quality products and services.

Warm Regards,

Hailey Neumann
President/Founder
Envinsulate, LLC
612-239-5623

Joining the Chamber of Commerce - #GoLocal!

Envinsulate, LLC was invited to join the Dakota County Chamber of Commerce. We are proud to accept this invitation and join in with the growth, development and promotion of local Minnesota businesses. The partnership will give Envinsulate, LLC the opportunity to have a voice with policy makers as we push to improve the community's environment, network with leaders in the industry, and promote our company and agenda items through alternative media sources. #GoLocal!