Many contractors have a tough time selling customers on a full energy assessment / energy audit of their home in a slow economy as people try to save dollars. A great way to jumpstart that sell is first have your customers, the homeowner, use the Energy Star Home Energy Yardstick. This tool allows homeowners to input their energy bill$ and compare them to similar homes to see how they measure up. This can be a great tool you can use to help homeowners realize they may need to make some modifications to their homes and when they do you’ll be there to help.

This is a great gateway into providing your services and advising them on what types of insulation and weatherization products are best suited for their home. It can also lead into providing a full home energy audit of the house to fully understand what modifications they will need that best fit their lifestyle and budget. You can find the Home Energy Yardstick here.

Daylighting a home can reduce the need for artificial light during the day but at night CFL lightbulbs should be used to maximize energy savings. Let your customers know that Daylighting and using CFL lightbulbs can reduce energy costs and save on energy bill$.

Weatherization is a simple concept but hard to perfect. The little things you do for your customers will go a long way in the end. The minor details are what can distinguish you as a Hero or Zero to a customer. Attention to detail can propel a customer’s savings from small to large. One product that you can pull out of your hat to impress them are Outlet Gaskets. These little foam gaskets will reduce air infiltration from occurring around electric outlets. They may be small but they can make a big difference in fighting air infiltration.

We also recommend installing switch gaskets behind light switches for an economical way to reduce air infiltration. Putting these gaskets in place behind every electric outlet and light switch can add up to big savings on your customer’s energy bill. Remember, the little things and attention to detail can really help save your customer’s money and help your business reputation.

Hurricane Irene is crashing down on the East Coast this weekend. Extreme weather conditions can really make homeowners aware of the weatherization efforts that need to take place when a hurricane of this magnitude hits landfall. A great marketing tactic for your business is to send out a friendly reminder to your customers before any severe weather event to help inform and educate them on how to prepare for the weather that is coming. It is also a good business idea to let them know you’re available if they need your services.

In the instance of Hurricane Irene, it is the perfect time to mention to homeowners to make sure all doors & windows use weather-stripping to help seal them. Weather-stripping will help homeowners keep unwanted water from finding its way into their home during the downpour that will occur. Using caulk to help reinforce your customers’ weatherization efforts around windows & doors is always a good idea.
Take the opportunity to remind your customers to stay safe and protect their home by picking up some weather-stripping & caulk to further weatherize their home before the hurricane hits.

Also, an added benefit for your customers to buy energy efficient appliances is the tax rebates that the government issues for these specific purchases.  The type and dollar amount of rebates varies by each individual state.  A detail of each state’s rebate program can be found on the Energy Saver’s website using this link – http://www.energysavers.gov/financial/70022.html

Be sure to tell your customers that buying and using energy efficient appliances in conjunction with their weatherization efforts can save them lots of energy and hard earned money.

Door bottoms can be your biggest asset in fighting weatherization when it comes to doors.   Door bottoms can help your customers create a positive seal on the threshold when a door is closed.  This will help eliminate unwanted air infiltration into and out of the home or office.   Door bottoms can also be accompanied by weather-stripping if heat transfer is still occurring after mounting the door bottom.

A big advantage of installing door bottoms is they will help stop water from destroying your customer’s wood door.  Without any protection on the bottom of wooden doors water has the capability of being absorbed from the bottom up.  The result is the door rotting from the inside out without any major warning signs until it is too late and then the door will need to be replaced.   To prevent your customer’s door rotting in the future, apply a door bottom to help stop and redirect unwanted water away from the bottom of the wooden door.     The combination of a door bottom to prevent rotting and weather-stripping to add to the sealing is a win-win for your customers.

Updating your client’s house to make it more energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly requires educating them on a few upgrades. Installing a solar electrical system or replacing hot water tanks can set them back thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars.

They may not save enough money on these types of upgrades to cover their investment for decades. However, there are several quick and inexpensive green upgrades they can make that will start paying off quickly.

1. Install Faucet Aerators – $10

   An aerator is a device that fits on or into the end of a faucet. It forces water through tiny holes, restricting water flow but making the flow feel stronger. It can be used on either kitchen or bathroom sinks and can be found in water-saving shower heads. An aerator can cost as little as $10 and can lower water use by up to 50%. Using less water also means less energy to heat the water, resulting in further savings.

2. Buy Compact Florescent Light Bulbs – $3 Each

   Changing light bulbs from incandescent to compact florescent is the easiest green switch of all. Compact Florescent Lightbulbs (CFLs) are inexpensive and can save up to $40 over the course of their lifetime. They last 10 times longer than incandescent and use much less electricity. According to Energy Star, CFLs use up to 75% less energy than normal incandescent bulbs. Replacing all old light bulbs immediately with CFLs saves the most.

3. Replace an Old Dishwasher – $300

   According to Energy Star, if you replace a dishwasher built before 1994 with a new Energy Star model, you will save 10 gallons of water per cycle. At one cycle a day, that’s 3,650 gallons of water per year. New energy-efficient dishwashers start at around $300. Between the cost of the water and of heating it for the dishwasher, payback on this upgrade can be achieved in about three to four years.

4. Install Ceiling Fans – $50

   Ceiling fans are popular in the south but not as common in cooler climates. However, they can make both your air conditioner and heat unit operate more efficiently. Ceiling fans circulate the air in the house, drawing the cool air from the air conditioner and distributing it around the house. They also push warm air from the heat pump down from the ceiling back into the living space to reduce the amount of time the furnace has to run.

The Bottom Line

Let you customers know that going green isn’t an all-or-nothing proposition. There are many inexpensive and cost-effective changes that make a noticeable difference. Once the savings from these changes start accumulating, they can be used to start investing in larger upgrades.

Original article found on SFGate

Public awareness of environmental concerns is at an all-time high. People are participating in recycling programs, buying hybrid cars, building green homes and looking for ways to go green in every aspect of their lives. You can help homeowners who want to do their part too, but who are often discouraged by the high cost of going green.

Think Small

Going green isn’t an all or nothing effort. By helping homeowners make small steps over time, you can move their house in a greener direction without breaking their budget. A half-dozen things that can be done right now are listed below.

• Light Bulbs

  Replacing existing light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs is a simple and easy way to kick off their effort at going green. While buying the bulb will cost you a lot more money up front, we’re still talking a cash outlay of less than $5, and the long-term savings are worth the expense. Using a 15-watt compact fluorescent instead of a standard 60-watt light bulb can save you about $30 over a bulb’s lifetime.
  It will also put them ahead of the curve, as the process of phasing out the use of incandescent lights has begun.

• Insulation

  Reducing the amount of energy that a house uses is a great way to go green. Insulation, weather stripping and caulking can help homeowners reduce the amount of energy used to heat and cool their home, and reduce their monthly bills. Local governments often provide low- or no-cost programs that can help insulate a home.

• Water

  If a new shower head, faucet or toilet is needed, a low-flow model can help you advance efforts to go green.

• Windows

  Much of the heat loss that occurs from a home literally goes right out the window. When it’s time to replace old windows, energy efficient windows are the logical choice.

Original article – Financial Edge

The National Safety Council recognizes June as National Safety Month.  Each week is focused on specific safety areas.  This week is focused on preventing Slips, Trips & Falls.  More than 8.6 million visits to the emergency room are due to falls.  It is the leading cause of unintentional injuries in the United States.   Here are five helpful tips that can prevent falls in your workplace or while on the job.

1.)    Wear properly- fitting shoes with nonskid soles

2.)    Tie your shoe laces – securely

3.)    Use the proper equipment for the job

4.)    Keep job site clean and free of debris

5.)    Use fall-protection devices, such as safety belts or harnesses when necessary.  Be sure to inspect them before use.

Unfortunately, no matter how much you prepare, accidents can happen.  When accidents do happen, you will need to be prepared.  A first aid kit is always beneficial to have on hand while at a job site in case of accidents.   Hopefully, you’ll never have to use it but it is always great to have a first aid kit when needed.  Be sure to take the appropriate measures to prevent falls from happening and be prepared if they do.