Service Partners, LLC, is the largest distributor of residential fiberglass insulation and related contractor accessories in North America. Through its network of 69 distribution centers, the company supplies insulation products, insulation accessories, weatherization items and other building products to thousands of contractors across the nation.

Maintaining an extensive inventory of products including insulation, air infiltration, weather stripping, energy efficient lighting and insulation accessories; flexibility in terms of timing and delivery of product as well as comprehensive offerings of products and superior product knowledge, we provide significant advantages to our customers versus other sources of supply. Our experienced outside sales force and staff of customer service representatives are key factors in Service Partners’ ability to deliver outstanding customer service.

For all of your energy efficient contracting needs, contact Service Partners LLC for exceptional products and customer service.

In light of the current economic conditions, several programs in many states have been created to address some of the most critical issues faced by Americans right now. One of these is the use and consumption of electricity. A program has been put in place to generate interest among consumers in various states to participate in energy efficient programs starting with their own homes.

As contractors, energy efficiency must be at the forefront of your plan for home improvements to increase your value proposition to your customers. When you bring energy saving solutions to potential clients, you inevitably increase the value of your services to those clients. In partnering with Service Partners, you provide significant advantages to your customers versus other contractors or builders. These cost cutting plans can come in many forms, from water conservation and lighting to insulation and weather stripping.

These various state programs include rebates from property taxes and or income taxes that eventually pay for the energy improvements done in individual homes. There are also energy tax credits for building commercial buildings or renovating existing buildings to be more energy efficient. These improvements can include the installation of energy efficient lighting, solar panels or improving an insulation system and optimizing the use of electricity.

These incentive programs are aimed at reducing the up-front costs that homeowners or businesses will incur as they initiate energy efficient improvements to improve their use of electricity. Additionally, energy efficiency improvements will enable homeowners and business owners to gain considerable savings from their energy bills. Contact Service Partners for more information on our extensive product line.

Making a home air tight is one of the most cost effective ways to maximize energy efficiency for your customer. As a contractor or builder, you know that regardless of how a home is insulated, if there are gaps around windows and doors, the air your customers just paid for to heat or cool their homes will quickly be lost. The solution is weather stripping, which is fairly inexpensive and easy to install. When evaluating your client’s home remodeling or home improvement needs, speak with them about the advantages of weather stripping.

Weather stripping is used for increasing the efficiency of windows and doors in an office or home. If your client feels a draft or moisture near windows, then weather stripping may be the thing for them. It is a quick and reliable fix for many problems that could be expensive to solve by other means. Weather stripping is mainly used to keep favorable temperatures indoors rather than escaping outside. As the seasons and weather changes, gaps around windows and doors will expand and close allowing unwanted air in. This can result in a number of problems such as mold, breezes, and heat loss in the winter or heat gain in the summer.

Weather stripping is very effective in reducing air leakage from windows and doors. The stripping is applied between the frame and sash for windows, and between the jamb and along the sweep for doors. Stripping for windows has to accommodate sliding windowpanes and it needs to withstand dragging on the carpet or floors when it is used on doors. Always keep weather stripping in mind as viable cost effective solution for your customers to reduce heat transfer.

“Keeping things simple” and “getting back to basics” are two ideals most people naturally gravitate to. And while some people are fans of new year’s resolutions, we thought we’d put together a list for 2011 on how to keep energy conserved with weatherization. While pretty straightforward, these easy tips are great way to save money and energy throughout the New Year.

• Confirm that you have a programmable thermostat and set it to the optimal settings. Turning back the thermostat by 10°–15° when you’re not at home can save you around 10% a year on heating and cooling bills.
• Check for air leaks and apply caulking and weather-stripping. While the improvements made in the last 12 months have likely been intact, be sure to double check to make sure you didn’t miss any leaks and see if any caulk or weather-stripping needs to be replaced.
• See if the attic is properly insulated. Attics are often one of the easiest places in a house to insulate. Also one of the easiest places to lose energy.
• Seal and insulate the foundation walls of unventilated crawl space and check for moisture and deterioration problems.
• Landscape with water conservation in mind and triple check the sprinkler system schedule to minimize water usage.
• Make sure to keep the hot water heater at 120°F and install a hot water heater insulating blanket. These two tips can save up to 15% in energy costs.
• Ensure any appliances you purchase are ENERGY STAR rated, which use less energy, save money, and help protect the environment.
• Kill phantom energy loads (aka “vampire power”) by unplugging appliances when not in use.

Keeping these simple tips in mind will help reduce your energy costs this year and save you more money to spend on more luxurious items than replacing everything in your home. If you have any questions regarding weatherization or how you can save more energy this year feel free to contact us and we’ll be happy to help. Also, be sure to check out our great weatherization products page. For this new year we have some great products that will surely help you save money and help weatherize your home. Such as our infrared thermal imaging camera, our portable insulation blow machines, or compact florescent light bulbs, plus many more!

A major concern for many home-owners this fall is preparing for winter. Winter brings cold weather and higher energy bills for many home-owners across the United States. Take the opportunity to prepare your home this fall for the winter elements with these five energy saving tips.

1. Find energy leaks. To do this you’ll want to look for places with cracks and gaps that allow heat out and cold air in. Normally these are found around doors, windows and vents. You’ll want to use a type of weather-stripping or caulk to seal the frame. This will reduce the amount of heat flow being transferred through the open spaces allowing you to keep the warm air in and the cold air out.
2. Insulate. Limiting the amount of heat flow occurring within your home is vital to reducing the use of energy throughout your home. The United States Department of Energy recommends having at least adequate insulation in the following areas of your home.
   • Attic spaces
     • Attic access doors to unfinished attics
     • Knee walls in finished attics
   • Ducts in unconditioned spaces
   • Cathedral ceilings
   • Exterior walls
   • Floors above unheated garages
   • Foundations
     • Basements
     • Crawl spaces
     • Slab-on-grade floors
3. Close the fireplace flue when the chimney is not being used. A chimney is designed specifically for allowing smoke to escape. Keep it closed unless you’re using fireplace and you’ll not only save heat but also on your next energy bill.
4. Turn your water heater thermostat to 120° F for optimal usage and energy savings. Typically, water heaters come from the manufacturer set at 140°. Heating water is a major energy user and for each 10ºF reduction in water temperature, you can save between 3%–5% in energy costs.
5. Insulating your hot water heater can reduce standby heat losses by 25%–45%. This will save you around 4%–9% in water heating costs.

Check back soon for additional information on energy saving tips this winter.

During the hot summer months, or even in a warmer climate, those who can afford an air conditioner are lucky to be able to enjoy coolness at home. Nevertheless, not all people can afford an air conditioner. These days, when the cost of everything is always going up, many homeowners are considering an alternative to using air conditioners. You might be wondering and pondering on ways to cool your home without using an air conditioner. Keep in mind that the structure and build of your home can also affect its cooling efficiency. Here are tips to make your home cool without the added expense of an air conditioner unit.

1.      Cut back on the heat transfer through walls and the roof. Make it a point to be sure you have sufficient insulation in your attic. A minimum of R-30 is recommended and in colder climates R-38 should be the minimum. You should also weatherize your home to reduce the loss of conditioned air through holes and gaps in the building envelop. Caulking, sealing and installing properly fitted weather-strip around doors and windows will go a long way to creating an air barrier in the building envelope.

2.      Arrange the furniture in such a way that they do not block airflow in the home. Remove furniture near windows and doors and refrain from putting furniture between two opposite doors or windows.

3.      Keep your home well ventilated by installing fans. Install a window fan in a window near the center of the house. It will pull fresh air coming in from the open window and into the entire house. You can also use a window or portable fan.

4.      Install foil radiant barrier in the attic by stapling it to the underside of roof rafters to allow air space between it and the sheathing of the roof. Keep the staples at least three inches apart, position seams between the foil sheets centered on rafters and seal seams using caulk.

5.      Prevent direct sunlight from getting inside the house by using shelters on windows, especially those facing south and west. You can use latticework, overhangs, patio overheads and awnings.

6. Plant trees and bushes to provide shade and coolness to your home. Cool breeze coming in to your house will give a cooling effect and a refreshing feeling. Aside from that, you would also be helping nature

7. Reduce air humidity around your home by minimizing middle of the day washing and clothes drying, cooking and showering. When these things need to be done, turn on ventilating fans to extract warm and moist air. Do not forget to turn them off after you finish with your work.

8.      Unless needed, make it habit to turn off incandescent lights and heat generating appliances. When cooking, choose the grill and barbecue instead of using the range.

9.      The windows and doors in your home play a significant role in cooling it without air conditioner. Determine the direction where air flow is the most into the room. Keep windows open on this area of your house while keeping the windows on the opposite side closed.

10.  Monitor both the indoor and outdoor temperature with the use of an indoor/outdoor thermometer. When it is cooler outside, open the doors and windows to ventilate the interior of your home.

Weatherizing your home can assist in major energy savings. In fact, studies have shown that weatherizing a home can reduce heating bills by as much 32% and overall utility bills by as much as $350 per year. Using professional grade Weatherization products can provide the most economical and long lasting solution. Most of these products are designed to seal windows and doors, and to repair and seal cracks in the building envelope. Typical products are caulks and weather-stripping designed specifically for weatherizing existing dwellings in all climates. Weather-striping around the perimeter of entry doors ensures a tight seal to keep cold air out and warm air in.  This also keeps conditioned air from escaping in warmer climates when using central air conditioning which dramatically reduces energy consumption.

Weatherizing your home makes sense on so many levels. Not only will you be improving your home’s energy efficiency and keeping more money in your wallet each month, you will be improving your family’s air quality and comfort level as well. Contact the professionals at Weatherization SP today to find out more about our professional energy saving products.

If you have older double hung windows in your house like millions of people do, these are a perfect place to install weather-stripping to seal drafts and save energy.  If the windows are still in good shape and serviceable, weather-stripping can save thousands of dollars compared to replacement.  New windows are definitely more energy efficient than those installed just a few years ago, however replacement windows can take many years to save enough energy to pay for themselves. For just a few dollars per window, you can install weather-stripping and keep the cold air, dust and even noise out of your house while saving money on utility bills.

The most common areas for air leakage around double hung windows are:  between the sash and the jamb, between the bottom of the sash and the sill, between the top of the sash and the window head, and where the two sashes meet.

One of the most common types of weather-stripping to seal the space between the sash and the jamb is a V-Shaped Polypropylene weather-stripping. This type of weather-stripping is secured to the jamb with a self-adhesive strip and then the other half of the V presses against sash. The polypropylene is smooth, thin and durable enough for the sash to slide easily open and closed.  In just a couple of hours of time and a small dollar investment, weatherizing and sealing  your old windows will pay off in lower energy bills and increasing the comfort of your home.