10 Best Professional Services in Middleburgh, NY

Take a few minutes to read the label on those ice-melt products. Some will do considerable damage over time to your concrete surfaces such as walkways, stairs, porches and driveways. If you are not sure if the product is concrete safe, speak with the clerk in the hardware store. ALSO - be sure to wipe, clean and wash your pets feet when they come inside. The salt based ice-melt products can do them harm. Check with your pets vet about ice-melt product safety and your pets health.

By ASKUS Consulting Services LLC

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Get a grant for energy savings...... you could save $5000.00

Energy AuditsHow an energy audit can save you money By WENDY PAGE,life@homeFirst published: Wednesday, November 26, 2008 When you’re sick, you see a doctor. When you have money problems, you get a financial audit. So it makes sense that when your house isn’t functioning at its best, you get an energy audit, especially as we enter the season of burning money in energy costs. Howard M. Vics of Building Performance Consulting, in Schenectady, performed an assessment on my eight-year-old home and while you might think a house that new wouldn’t need much work, he definitely found room for some improvements.With a priority on health and safety, the Comprehensive Home Assessment takes a “whole house” approach. The first phase consists of a participating Building Performance Institute (BPI) accredited contractor taking inventory of the current conditions in the home. Assessments last three to four hours on average, ranging in price from $250 to $500. The assessor inputs the data collected during the audit into software required by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), and what emerges is a comprehensive home assessment report. The audit details the results of the home’s visual condition and test measurements, and lists recommended actions, repair costs, and payback in years.The report serves as a basis for the second phase, which consists of the participating contractor developing a custom work scope for proposed improvements, including a cost and energy savings estimate. The homeowner then decides, with the aid of the BPI-accredited contractor, which actions will be taken.“You will find out a tremendous amount about your home because I look at everything that affects your energy usage,” Vics says, “including, but not limited to, heating system performance and efficiency, hot water heating system, appliances, lighting, insulation levels, air infiltration rate [how leaky is the house], windows, doors, attics, and the structure itself.” The audit is also a baseline upon which future comparisons can be made.In a scene reminiscent of ET, Vics sets up the blower door test, which is a sheet-and-fan-looking mechanism in the front door. The blower door seals off the outside air in order to quantify the air infiltration rate and to identify the sources of air infiltration. Room by room, Vics notes the pressure readings, looking for air sealing opportunities. “If the pressure reading is high,” he says, “I want to find where in the room the infiltration source is, and what’s causing it.” Common problems that cause high energy costs and sacrifice comfort are inadequate insulation levels and air leakage.In my master bedroom, Vics discovers “a perfect example of a knee wall adjacent to an attic without an air barrier on the back side.” Translation? There is no insulation against the wall surface, which explains why the room always feels drafty. “It is important for the thermal boundary,” which separates heated from unheated space, “to be continuous,” he says. Icicles hanging off the roof are a classic example of a breach in thermal boundaries. Heat from the house escapes, warming the roof and melting the snow, which trickles down to form icicles.While my house already has some energy-efficient aspects — a programmable thermostat, LED lamps rather than conventional light bulbs, windows that are double-paned and tightly sealed — some areas are not insulated properly, whereas in others, insulation is pulling away from the wall. Vics is a proponent for spray foam insulation, an air barrier system that insulates and air seals walls, floors and ceiling cavities against air movement, including spaces around electrical outlets, baseboards, and where the walls meet windows and doors. Jayme Kuhn, president of Twinsulation in Durham and a certified spray foam applicator, says that while foam insulation is more for new construction, in already insulated homes “you can air seal the attic and basement. It’s the quickest way to save energy.”Vics checks for proper functioning of the heating and hot water systems by drilling holes in the flue pipes of the furnace and hot water heater to perform combustion analysis. My home passes this test, though Vics says that if I were to replace my furnace with a high efficiency one, I should replace my hot water heater with a power-vented one, because the hot water heater may not draft properly. He recommends keeping the hot water heater at a temperature no higher than 120 degrees.Limiting the use of appliances can greatly cut down on energy consumption, as can switching to Energy Star-rated ones. Energy Star-labeled clothes washers use up to 60 percent less energy and 36 percent less water. Equally important is reducing stress on appliances by keeping them serviced and clean. “Normally, when you clean out the venting, you’re going to cut down your drying time, which saves energy, which will save you money,” says George Benton, aka The Lint Doctor, in Queensbury. “Your drier needs that air flow.” The same goes for your refrigerator.Homes that most likely will benefit from an energy audit are pre-1950s homes, where the heating system is original to the house, and the home is likely not insulated adequately. But, as the audit of my relatively new house indicates, energy audits are just as beneficial for everyone else. “There are any number of reasons to call,” Vics says. “Some are looking to replace their heating system, or looking to put in or improve insulation. Or someone calls and says, ‘My utility bill shouldn’t be this high.’ Or it’s a comfort issue — the rest of the house is warm, but the bedroom and guest room feel drafty and cold.”If your home is not up to standard, it can get costly to make recommended adjustments. NYSERDA offers four Home Performance with ENERGY STAR incentives, including financing options to aid the homeowner, under the condition that all work is done through the BPI accredited contractor. Making the recommended changes will reduce your utility bill each month and result in a more energy efficient and comfortable home. Payback on investments will sometimes take a few years, maybe more, but ultimately, you will be more comfortable in your home, and helping the environment to boot. @ Privacy Rights | Terms of ServiceAll Times Union materials copyright 1996-2008, Capital Newspapers Division of The Hearst Corporation, Albany, NY... Contact Howard .....Building Performance ConsultingYou can call at Howard at:: 518-368-4546 or email him atbpcofny@nycap.rr.com WelcomeSign InorRegister ©2006

By B&B Enterprises