Ecobeco

In 2017, I contracted with them via Pepco because the 2nd floor rooms were hotter than the rest of the house, costing me greater A/C expenses. I worked with them on an energy audit to the upstairs bedrooms, removal of the acoustic ceiling tile in one room, addition/improvement of insulation, sealing in kneewalls, installation of new ceiling, insulation in the basement, and a follow-up energy audit. The auditor was very prompt and friendly but the workers didn't do an good job. The contractor was flaky. The HVAC crew were sloppy. The drywall installer/carpenter did a low-grade job by using low grade wood for the knee wall doors, and he set the ceiling inappropriately for house settling (now there are cracks between ceiling and walls). The energy audit following the work showed improvement but I'll need additional solutions to get the house to a more efficient state. I shared my disappointment with them and in 2018 they refinished cracking drywall ceiling without charge and replaced the doors - still not quality. They were bought by Minnick's, with whom in 2019 I scheduled an estimate for additional HVAC solutions for the upstairs. Minnick's jerked me around, never gave a complete estimate (I had to keep asking if it included what we discussed) and the estimate was exponentially more pricey than others and they proposed a solution that wouldn't solve the problem. I wouldn't recommend them at all.

They came at least three times to do an assessment of the work and we made numerous changes to the proposal based on revisions of the space measurements and my strong preference for environmentally friendlier materials. They were patient and accommodating with my numerous questions and concerns. Once the work got started, I realized that they were not actually doing the work themselves but had contracted with Devere to do the work. They also told me that it would not be possible to use some of the more environmentally friendly insulation options we had agreed on. I understood their logic but thought it was odd after so many revisions to be finding this out only once the work began. (This may have been because Devere are actually the experts and saw that the options I had preferred weren't viable.) I agreed and think they were right. Just wish I had known earlier. I have had a chance to test the insulation in the recent cold weather and can report that there is a significant improvement both in comfort levels and my heating bills. The second floor is still noticeably colder than the first, but it is livable now and was not previously livable in extreme weather conditions. Likewise the addition is somewhat more livable. The house is vastly less dusty, presumably because the ducts were sealed. The most annoying thing is that Ecobeco forgot to submit the rebate application and I received the rebate five months after the job was finished. They omitted this fact from their replies to my emailed queries about the status of the rebate. Bottom line is that while they did try to work with me on the insulation, Ecobeco isn't really an insulation company. I probably should have figured this out earlier but they should have been more forthcoming as well.

The EcoBeco team was top notch from the home inspection to the heavy labor. Every member of the team was professional and hard-working without question. I can say this with certainty because they worked effortlessly around my 5 month old child. A goal was set to complete the job and they worked tirelessly to meet that commitment. The finished work has completely changed our home environment for the better. Utility bills are down and now consistent. Teaming up with EcoBeco was the right decision.

I hired a different contractor and then realized the contractor was not a good choice. After separating from the first contractor, I found Ecobeco. They provided me a competitive bid on the project and they started right away. Kelly and Reuven are a pleasure to work with. The work was excellent. The plumber, electrician, carpenter, and painter were a pleasure to work with. Very satisfied.

It went really well. I enjoyed working with Kelly, Reuven and crew. Very high quality work.

From start to finish Ecobeco were as professional as they come. They started by doing an energy audit using high tech equipment such as a thermal imaging camera to find major problems in the house: They arrived on time and quickly identified some areas that i knew were bad and some others that i didn't know were a problem. They worked with me to create a list of things that were largely subsidized from bge. They were on time and clean. My nest thermostat gives me green leaves every day since the work was completed. In other words my hvac kicks on about half the time it used to. i have already told several neighbors and friends about how happy i am with the results. This is the type of thing i was going to pay for either with high energy bills or a one time payment to save for the rest of the time in my house. I'm very pleased.What more can i say

The auditor was prompt and courteous. Took the time to explain what he was doing and answered all my questions. He even explained the rebates available based on the work that was needed to get my house to a more efficient state.

It was okay. They did some things but they did not do everything I thought they were going to do.

True professionals. Detailed, thorough and responsive.

The technician arrived on time .She was professional , polite and very knowledgeable. She did a great job on the energy audit and took time to explain to us what was involved in the process and what needed to be done etc. Would definitely recommend them .

It was an excellently prepared breakdown of the energy usage of our home. It detailed the areas of our home that showed excess energy loss and a detailed list of remedies.

Very well, overall. Highly professional and knowledgeable staff through-out the process. Good workmanship. Thoughtful answers to my questions. Timely at scheduling the work and punctual at doing it.

He came by, went through my house and gave me the site audit a few weeks later. The only thing I was disappointed in was the price. I contacted several local handymen who quoted me half the cost of what this company wanted to do. My advice is that it is worth the money to have them come out and do the audit of your home, but look elsewhere if you don't want to be overcharged.

they were very professional

From the beginning Ecobeco has been professional and accommodating. We had to cancel our appointment with less than 24 hours notice due to a work obligation. The company was understanding and rescheduled me easily. Daniel and his assistant were excellent! They arrived a little late but made up for it immensely. They were both pleasant and understood how to work around the conditions of our home (we were in the middle of moving). During the assessment they gave us all kinds of education and tips as the home being assessed would be used a rental property. We were so impressed by Daniel and his assistant that we scheduled them to come out to assess our new home before they left the premises. We learned so much and enjoyed the value we received from our coupon.

The audit went fine. The problem came when we met with them to discuss improvements. For example, we received an email from them saying there was a 5% discount if we signed a contract by the end of January. When we met, I reminded him of this and he said he would make a note. (So he wasn't going to offer it unless I brought it up?) We discussed many options and I asked for a revised quote. He left us a voice message saying he would email us the revised quote and AFTER we signed he would deduct 5%. Sure enough, when the quote came it did not have the 5% off. Who would sign a contract with a verbal promise of 5% off after signing it! I found this to be very unprofessional. I wrote back and told him why we would never work with them again.

The audit entailed inspection of our existing insulation measures, precise measurement of air leakage, and thermal imaging. They provided an audit report with recommendations, as well as a proposal to perform the work, which included several alternatives. A senior manager, Alex, then met with us to discuss the initial proposal and to better understand our needs and priorities. We have hot water heat, and our bedroom addition is chilly in winter and we have had to run a space heater. So Ecobeco called in a subcontractor who is expert in hot water heating systems to assess this. We discussed alternatives with Ecobeco and selected a subset of measures that included work on the heating system, insulation, and sealing air leakage that would quality for a Pepco rebate. They were patient in this discussion and their focus was to meet our needs within our budget. All the work was completed by Ecobeco subcontractors in one (long) day and the crews did an excellent job, including a thorough cleanup. Ecobeco did a final test and determined that we do quality for a Pepco rebate. We are pleased with the results.

Ecobeco holds a contract with the local electric company, Pepco. I contacted them via a referral through Angie's List. They were prompt with scheduling me for a pre energy audit. Mr. Olu Olufunmilade was punctual and arrived to conduct the audit. A couple weeks later, we reviewed the audit and planned for major work to be done throughout my home. Shortly before the actual work was performed Mr. David Condon arrived to conduct another walkthrough of the space to ensure all the work would be done according to the agreement spelled out in the contract initiated by Mr. Olufunmilade. The crew arrived early two days later to perform the work. The team was lead by Giovanni who was personal and professional from start to finish. He even identified work that was not done properly by a pest control company that was responsible for cleaning out my attic space from a raccoon invasion. I was able to work with the pest company to resolve the matter; however, if it wasn't for Giovanni identifying the problem and helping me to address it things would not gotten resolved. Overall, I give Ecobeco an A+! Mr. Olu was timely, honest yet soft spoken. Mr. Condon was precise and accurate and Giovanni was truly a customer advocate! Thanks again, Ecobeco, and thanks, Angie's List for referring me to a reputable company!

I ended up getting a free quick home energy check up. It was quick and easy. My bills are way too high, and the woman running the check up seemed to know her stuff. She even did a visual safety check on my major appliances. I'm planning on getting my attic retrofit in November, and hoping that it leads to reduced energy costs.

We had a home energy audit performed. This is the the program that Pepco and other utility companies underwrite, where they cover $300 of the cost and the homeowner pays $100. Even though we have added extra insulation to our home, the audit was totally worth it. In addition to assessing our insulation levels and checking for air leaks, the Ecobeco technician checked our gas appliances to see if they were emitting carbon monoxide. Turns out that our stove was emitting gas and was recommended for repair or replacement. That information alone was worth $100. Ecobeco also puts you in contact with contractors that can perform the suggested improvements. In both cases, the contractors were highly rated on Angie's List (I checked myself). Once we have the insulation work completed, Ecobeco will come back out and recheck everything at no extra charge. Seems like a great arrangement.

It worked out fine. I think they did a good job. I think they did the work that they outline. I think the home energy thing is a challenge because you don't necessarily know where all the leaks and things are coming from but I think they did a good job.

We hired EcoBeco to do an energy audit of our house. We had already had some insulation and air sealing work done a few months before but wanted to tighten up the house even further and so contacted EcoBeco to come do an energy audit, in part so that we could take advantage of some of the incentives available through Pepco. The process of setting up an appointment was easy and the people we dealt with were friendly. We had to fill out a survey and send it back before the audit, which was easy enough. On the day of the inspection the EcoBeco person showed up more or less on time and began his inspection which lasted a few hours. The rep was nice enough and answered a few questions that we had as we went around with him throughout the house. If the experience was just the day of the audit, we would have rated the company much higher. The audit report came back (about 3 weeks later) as an attachment to the email. Also CC'd on that email were four other service providers. It is one thing to recommend companies to do the work recommended in the report, but I did not appreciate my email address and address (included in the report) and the report itself being shared with these companies. I certainly do not remember agreeing to have this information shared with these companies. A few days after I received the report, the original auditor called and said he would be happy to go over the report by phone, but was only available late in the evenings (after 7pm). I'm not interesting in dealing with these issues in my evening. If you are offering a customer a service, it seems that you should do so during normal business hours not late in the evening. In lieu of the call, I emailed the auditor several questions about the report--in particular questions about the assumptions used to generate the savings comparison model. Not only did I have to follow up six days later after never receiving an acknowledgement or reply, but I did not receive satisfactory answers to my questions. Obviously, EcoBeco wants you to encourage you to do work on your home (and, no doubt, send business to their partners...who as I said, they "helpfully" CC'd on the original email) but in order to figure out the value proposition posed by those repairs, you need to understand the assumptions behind the model. When I asked about what the inputs for the model were (I asked multiple times in multiple ways), the only answer I received was 'a home similar to yours'. Well similar in what ways? Age of the home? Number of windows? Materials of construction? Obviously these inputs matter a lot (as someone who works with quantitative models as part of my professional work, the assumptions you put into the model are everything). I don't think that the auditor was being intentionally opaque, but his answers to my questions did not instill any kind of confidence in me that he knew very much about the model that forms the core of the report. He kept saying that he was using the model approved by the energy company. But again, that doesn't really say anything about the validity of the specific outputs in this case. There were other things that we found later that did not instill confidence in the quality of the work provided. The reported a certain R value for the insulation in our attic. This was lower than the R-value that we had asked for when we recently had done insulation work. Curious who was telling the truth, we asked the insulation guy to come back and check the measurement. He did and showed us both the inch to r-value conversion chart of our insulation and we went up into the attic and measured it ourselves. It was at least an inch over the R-value that we had asked for--and several inches above what had been claimed in our EcoBeco report. At the very least, it shows a lack of care in the way the energy audit was done. This is not to say that we didn't learn information from our report, we did. But I would take all of their model based recommendations with a giant pinch of salt. I would also be careful about who they are sharing your information with and about the thoroughness of the inspection.

Mike Ingram, a knowledgeable construction professional, performed a soup to nuts energy audit of our house following our renovation. This included a combustion test and a door blower test. Mr. Ingram's thorough report and photos allowed us to make remedies. I really appreciated Mr. Ingram's expertise and thoroughness and have recommended him to others.

The work was done in three parts: 1) an initial interview with an Eco Beco representative in my home to review the energy audit process, 2) a first energy audit which included thermal camera views to identify air leakages, a whole-house fan test that checks for the amount of draft throughout the house, and a thorough visual inspection of roof, attic, windows, doors, basement, foundation. Part 2 resulted in a written and detailed report suggesting specific actions and repairs that could reduce energy use. 3) After having engaged a contractor to install insulation, the Eco Beco representative came back and re-tested my home to see how much energy loss had been mitigated. Additionally, Eco Beco handled all the rebates requirements and submitted the rebate forms required by PEPCO. Every person I encountered, both in my home and over the phone, showed the highest caliber of customer service professionalism. Further, each was highly informed and articulate about energy savings, and technologies that save money and reduce damage to the environment. I also was impressed that Eco Beco recommended ONLY what was needed to make my home energy efficient. The windows on the front of my home are original to the house-- thirty years old. I asked about replacing them as I had the windows on the back of the house and Eco Beco assured me that (after checking for air leakages) that all I needed was a bit of caulking in one spot and that replacing the windows was not necessary or the most cost-effective way to maintain maximum energy savings and comfort. I would recommend Eco Beco with NO reservations of any kind. Honest, efficient, specific and effective. I plan to use them in the future after I downsize my home.

Ecobeco was excellent. They conducted a detailed audit, explained what they were doing and the results. They then provided a detailed report along with cost estimates and recommendations. They also referred us to companies who could do the work and are Pepco approved contractors. They shared the report with the potential contractors. After getting the work done, Ecobeco came back to check that the work was done correctly and submitted all the necessary paperwork to Pepco so that we can get a rebate. They were extremely efficient and professional. I would strongly recommend Ecobeco.