Rick and Pam moved into their current home in early 2024 and wanted to reduce oil heating and overall to make their house more comfortable and energy efficient. They also wanted to explore heat pumps for heating and cooling and had interest in solar power. They were referred to Brent Mellen of our White River Junction office by a builder who they all had great experience working with on past projects. Brent performed an energy audit on their home in September of 2024 and found substantial air leaks between the ceiling and attic as well as no basement insulation. In December of 2024 Building Energy’s seasoned team of professional insulators completed comprehensive attic air sealing and cellulose insulation along with rigid and spray foam insulation in the basement. We also improved the ventilation performance of their bath fans.
The work resulted in an air leakage reduction of 48%. Rick & Pam noticed immediately how the weatherization improvements increased their homes’ comfort.
“The attic and basement insulation immediately made the house feel tighter and more comfortable. The guys who did the insulation were always pleasant, diligent, and were very good about cleaning up after they finished. The house now stays at a much more comfortable temperature as the seasons change.”
To add to the improved comfort and energy efficiency, Brent, along with Rick & Pam used the time between the audit and weatherization work to plan for the installation of two new heat pumps and a solar electric system. A new electric panel and 200A service were needed to enable the installation. Building Energy will subcontract any work that we do not specialize in so that you have peace of mind working with only one contractor. We did just that, for the electric panel and 200A service. Building Energy’s awesome solar and heat pump crew installed the two heat pumps in January of 2025 and a 9.775 kW solar system in March of 2025. See what Rick and Pam had to say about their new home improvements:
“The heat pump units both inside and out, are quiet whether heating or cooling, and are really easy to use and clean.”
“The solar panel design looks great on the house and installation was done very professionally.” And most importantly:
“Our electric bills dropped significantly.”
Before solar, the homeowners’ electric bills were $100 to $230 per month. Now with solar they are around $25 per month. Production has far exceeded consumption this spring and summer resulting in lots of net metering credits in the “bank” for the heat pump heating season. Heating oil use has also dropped as the heat pumps provide primary space heating for the home with oil and propane as backup.
“Thanks again for all your work on this project. We appreciated working with you and are pleased with the outcome.”