Energy Smart Home Performance

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So far, so good.

They were excellent.

Nate Adams of Energy Smart Insulation came to our home to give an estimate and explanation of procedures we should follow to make it more energy efficient. He thoroughly went through the house from the attic to the basement. He patiently explained how and why our house would lose heat in the winter and coolness in the summer. He then described what measures he recommended, as well as, how beneficial an energy audit would be both practically and monetarily. His bid listed all materials, costs, how the work would be performed and the reasons why. Nate advised that we should contact Dominion East Ohio to have them do an energy audit, as some of the work we were having done would qualify for rebates directly from Dominion. We followed his advice and had this audit done. We contracted Energy Smart Insulation to do the prescribed work. Clayton, Scott and Greg were professional, polite, thorough, neat and good at what they do. They arrived on time, worked an entire day and successfully completed the job--to include an excellent clean up. Thanks to Nate and the Energy Smart Insulation staff for work well done!

As I described under "serviices performed", my experience with this company was a positive one.

Very professional, described in detail what work would be performed, why and how. Installers are very friendly and will also describe what they are doing, answer any questions and concerns without making you feel like you are bothering them. They clean up after themselves and make sure they respect your home. Overall a great company to work with

From day 1 through day 5 the work crew arrived right on time at 8 am sharp and they worked non-stop [except for lunch] til 5 o'clock every day. They were very professional and explained everything as they went along and answered any questions I had. When they left at the end of the day you never knew they were there - that's how well they cleaned up each day. And when I contacted Nate [ the owner] about a concern after the job was finished he responded promptly and corrected a faulty setting on a attic fan. In reality though, I have no expertise in their field of work and didn't really know the quality of their work until I was informed by an independant energy auditor who followed up on their work . His comment was that he had never seen such a vast improvement from before and after as he observed when he checked my house. He further stated that when he checks on any of Nate's jobs they are always of the highest quality. Nate told me ahead of time that he expected at least a 35 % improvement in the blower door test and maybe as high as 50 % if we were lucky. Well, the follow up test by the auditor showed a 55 % improvement ! - he thought his reading might be faulty cause he had never seen that much improvement so he ran the test over and confirmed it. Can you believe I can't wait for winter and my first gas bill !

I had two other companies besides Energy Smart give estimates. It was evident that Nate was very knowledgeable and was not pushy, which I appreciated. There was a budget here, and while there were several other things Nate suggested, he understood and recommended the things that most needed to be done.

I called Energy Smart Insulation after checking customer reviews. I had three other companies come to give me an estimate before I found ESI. Nate came and checked what he felt I needed and pointed out a lot I hadn't noticed before where I was losing heat. He was very professional and seemed to know more about the type of insulation I needed. The workers arrived on time used a cloth runner where they walked from the first floor to the attic. They pointed out everything they did and even found a couple of things they patched up. They cleaned up before they finished each day. I was very happy. I recommended them to a friend looking for insulation--she also had other contractors and decided on Energy Smart Insulation after Nate checked her home. I doubt this company needs to advertise as satisfied customers will pass the word. Great Job--I would use this company again. It's a good feeling to work with someone who goes over problem areas in your home with you---not give a lecture-I had choices, it's my home--and they made me feel just like I had some control. The next evening the temperature went down in the 40's-------and I could feel the difference that quick. Thanks Energy Smart Insulation and thanks to Angies List I found them. Bonnie C. from Ravenna.

The Energy Smart Insulation team arrived on schedule and completed all work per the original quote. The team was very professional, did an excellent job, and thoroughly cleaned up.

We were very pleased overall with the whole procedure - workers were very careful about removing shoes upon entering the house, cleaning up afterwards, and were very pleasant to work with. Any concerns that we had after completion were immediately taken care of or explained. Nate is very accommodating.

It went very well. They explained what to expect before starting the job. Very professional. Afterwards they showed me what was installed and made sure I had no questions and was satisfied with the job. They took pride in their work.

I thought Nate gave us an honest assessment of things we could do ourselves, services his company could provide, and projects that we could undertake farther down the road (insulating the walls).

I contacted N and R Insulation to insulate my attic. Nate came out and did a complete inspection. He even took pictures of my attic to show me where the insulation had fallen down and the areas that were lacking. He made suggestions and offered me several choices as far as material, R value, and the pro's and con's of each. On the day of the installation Nate called me to tell me his crew were on their way. They arrived at the designated time and explained to me what they were going to do, reviewing the work order with me. They put down drop clothes all the way up my stairs and made sure everything was clean before it ever entered my home. After they replaced the baffles, foam sealed other openings and before they blew in the insulation the asked me to take a look to make sure I was satisfied with what they had done to that point. They then completed the job of blowing in the insulation and cleaning up after the job was complete. Nate also showed up and inspected everything before his crew wrapped thing up for the day. Both Nate and his crew were very polite and pleasant to deal with. I would use them again without any hesitation.

It is rare that a service provider EXCEEDS my expectations; however, N+R Installation certainly did! I have a 45+ year old home that experienced significant ice build-up in the gutters this winter. Additionally, the rear wall of my home was quite drafty due to heavy winds blowing across an open field. I was worried that pipes might freeze this past winter! So, I decided to "bite the bullet" & re-insullate my home. I consulted Angie's List & found 3 service providers that looked good. Two of the providers visited my home & provided estimates. I was most impressed with N+R Installation, largely due to its owner, Nate Adams. He was highly professional and REALLY knew his business! He took a great deal of time looking at my home and provided excellent advice on what needed to be done. Following his visit, he provided a detailed estimate that offered clear options that I could pick and choose from. The cost of the overall job was higher than I expected; however, his prices were competitive. N+R Installation was not the cheapest quote, nor was it the highest...I would say "middle of the pack". Once we agreed on the price, the service date was set for 2 weeks out. Nate, his Foreman, Clayton & two other workers began the job at 8:00 AM and completed work by 4:30PM. All of the workers were very friendly, hard working, professional and very trustworthy! One aspect of their work that was OUTSTANDING, was their concern for my personal property! They took great care to insure that my inside carpets, walls, outside deck & garage were left in equal or better shape than when they arrived! Installation is a "messy" job; however, you would never know it after they finished the job! Overall, I am very satisfied. I anticipate a much warmer home, a reduced heating bill, and minimal ice build-up next winter. Time will tell!

The quote was easy and fast. Nate explained all our options and then emailed me a quote with a price for each. We chose which we wanted and emailed him back. Our home had a somewhat unique situation with a heat pump in the attic and Nate came up with a solution for it. We chose N+R because the price was comparable with other estimates we received but we liked the solution for the heat pump better. Nate arrived ontime on the day of the service, but his crew was late. The only problem I had once they got to work is that I did not know they would be going into all upstairs rooms, but they needed to do so to accomplish the sealing. I would have liked to know this in advance. Once that process was finished, I hardly knew they were in the house, since they were in the attic and quiet. The workers stayed at our house until 7:30 pm to finish the job. They were polite and kept me informed of their progress. They cleaned really well, better than most contractors (of any type) that I have had. The only problem we had with the service was that after the crew left, our heater didn't work. I called Nate the next morning and he came out that afternoon to look but couldn't figure out the problem. He agreed to pay for our HVAC technician to come out. As far as I can tell, whatever happened was an honest mistake and since Nate took responsibility to get it fixed, I don't hold it against him.

Nate responded quickly to my call to come for an estimate. He did a very thorough check of the third floor and knee walls and went over an energy audit that we had done a couple of months prior. He took his time going over our options and patiently answered all of my questions as we were concerned about making the most environmental choice available at a reasonable cost. He had a good knowledge of insulating third floors and knee walls and wasn't pushing one certain kind of insulation, but was instead concerned with using the right kind for the job. For this job, that meant using a combination of cellose and fiberglass (mostly cellulose). He e-mailed a detailed estimate, breaking down each job and leaving us the option of completing parts of the job ourselves. The crew of three men got to work quickly and quietly. They blew cellolose into the knee walls, lined the inner wall of the knee walls with fiberglass batting, and insulated the doors of the knee walls. Because we wanted to continue to use one of the knee walls for storage, Nate suggested building a floor above the insulation to store our window a/c units (note: they thoughtfully put our 3 a/c units in the storage space for us when they were done without being asked). They also cut a hatch in the ceiling so they could blow cellolose into the ceiling and sloped wall. They blocked the floor joists which was allowing cold air to flow through and took special care to insulate around some knob and tube electrical wiring in the knee walls. They also sealed up some spots that were discovered during the energy audit to be sources of air leaks in the basement (around some windows, dryer vent, etc.). As a courtesy, they checked to see if our walls were insulated by removing and replacing a piece of siding from the outside of the house in 2 different places to be thorough. They took 2 full days to complete the job and Nate took us through all the completed work when they were done to be sure it was done to our satisfaction. We were very satisfied with the quality of work, professionalism and courtesy. The second and third floors of the house feel significantly warmer. Another months of utility bills will be the real proof, but we have no doubt that our house is warmer and way more energy efficient.

I was very impressed with Nate (owner) and his services. He gave me a couple of options when it came to insulation and was very honest which I appreciated. He was honest about which services he offered would be best for us and not which service would make the most money for him. An example of this consisted of when completing the job realizing that he wouldn't as much material as he thought he would. Instead of just charging that amount originally agreed upon he actually informed me of the reduction in material therefore reducing the price of the project and saving me money. I appreciate this type of honesty in a contractor and would recommend him for future work.

They came pretty much to the time stated and did everything they said they were going but one thing. The workers left before the owner came, and when I arrived to my house, the owner forgot to tell the workers about putting up a screen to have the circulating the flow air through the crawl space to keep that area warm. So I had to wait until the owner go to the hardware store to get the screen and tacts to put up and made me late to get back to work from my lunch hour.

Nate is very easy to communicate with and was generous in doing a bit more than contracted for. The work required that they seal off the work areas, owing to the age of our home, and we had been advised to clear all the work areas of utensils and furniture to keep cost down. They helped move a couple of big pieces of furniture, though. They cleaned up quite well after they finished. The job took about 4-5 hours. We may have more insulation work done in 2011, and would definitely hire them again.

I liked this company from the get go. Nate was highly responsive, knowledgable, and presented multiple options for each insulation issue in my house - rather than the "one size, fits all approach" that others contractors put forth. Having done extensive research into insulation/air sealing, and consulting with several insulation contractors - he was the only company willing to work with me (a al carte) on doing what was necessary - while providing his counsel and advice about what was practical. Nate is one of the few and rare people who is a compulsive, thorough, and truly desires to do the best job possible. The crew worked 12 hrs/day to get the job done, and expertly used a combination of foam, metal flashing, radiant barriers, high temp mortar, rock wool, and fiberglass to air seal the attic and basement, and insulate the knee walls. The house is noticeably less drafty and more evenly heated. In addition, they did a number of on the spot modifications to the original plan based on what they saw. I am very happy with their work - and will hire them again and would recommend to friends.

Nate was very prompt in returning our initial phone call; he came out to give us a quote at a convenient time for us; he answered all of our questions and was able to perform the work in the timeframe we needed. We had an excellent experience with Nate and his company.

Nate was out within 3 days or so of my initial call to inspect our attic and give an estimate on adding insulation to bring it up to current code. My neighbor and I (we have a cluster home) get quite a bit of ice off the eaves between our garages. She does not heat her garage; we do heat ours some in the winter. Nate suggested that our heating the garage could be the cause of quite a bit of the ice and so advised us to insulate the attic over the garage also. The next day we received an e-mailed estimate for the insulation and a price to air seal the attic penetrations (plumbing lines, chimney, lights, fans and to cover recessed lights with Solar Guard reflective insulation). We decided to have done everything Nate suggested and within 1 1/2 wks he came out and did the job. Nate is an extremely personable young man, respectful, open to answering questions and is very knowledgeable of his products. He is also enthusiastic about 'saving the environment' and saving his customers $ on utilities. He was punctual for our initial meeting and at the appointed meeting time I learned he had already measured outside and done some paperwork so, in fact, he was more than punctual! The afternoon he came to give me an estimate other neighbors came over to find out what was going on (we watch out for one another!) and they talked with him about insulation. He measured/inspected at least 5 other homes that same evening. The crew was on time to do the work and laid everything out so that when they began to work it was efficient/smooth; this was on an extremely hot day, but they stayed at it until the entire job was complete mid-afternoon. They cleaned up after themselves and left little sign that they had been there. My husband and I are very pleased with the result and imagine we will be even more pleased with our electric & gas bills over the years.

The N&R crew did the entire job in a day and a half and left no mess behind. Nate Adams is highly professional and provides clear explanations of what work is being done and why. I enjoyed working with him and appreciated his advice on further things I can do myself to improve my home's energy efficiency.

Re-insulating was the right thing for my and my wife. The insulation had lost its performance over the 40 year lifespan of the house. Each month since N+R came has seen my electric usage down significantly from the year before. Even when the weather was colder than previous the year and my house felt warmer this winter than ever.