Just One Story 2

If you read some of the material, you should have realized that this site does not directly promote the purchase of products and services to conserve energy. The reason for that is, there are literally thousands of sites you can go to that will do that for you, if you want. It has been my experience that most people wish to conserve energy but are put off by an array of products and services offered to resolve their problems.

Unfortunately, the way these products and services are presented to you diminishes your belief that it will resolve your problem. Though many of the products and services offered maybe of some value to you, it is only natural to question their intentions. It is my desire to help you there. The resolution of a problem starts with recognition and then identifying the source of problem. Once people experience the problem, they then leave it up to the contractor or sales person to identify the source of the problem. An example of this this a homeowner calling a heating contractor and stating that his energy bills were very high and on very cold days he could not get the home comfortable.

The contractor looked at the heating system and said the system is twenty years old and it's undersized for this home. The homeowner replies by saying, "Will this resolve my problem?" and the contractor said yes. After the job was done, the home owner's energy bill does not go down, even with an energy efficient furnace, and he still can?t get the home warm on very cold days. He complains to the contractor and he comes back to inspect the furnace. He tells the home owner there is nothing wrong but he'll contact the manufacturer and get back to him.

Eventually the contractor stops returning his calls. When I arrived at this home, the problem was stated to me by a clearly upset human being. With utility bills clenched in both hands and the table covered with documents about the high-energy efficient furnace, I stood there trying to decipher what he was trying to tell me.

Then I saw his wife go upstairs and bring down an infant. After noticing that I saw his daughter, he said we have to use an electric heater in her room because it's to cold at night. I immediately understood his rage. After calming him down, which wasn't too difficult with his daughter present, we walked around his home. I took a piece of paper and put it up to one of his return registers and noticed it did not hold the paper well. We then went into the basement to inspect the air filter and new furnace; there was nothing wrong with either one.

Then I started inspecting the return duct and found a large dent in it. He told me that occurred when they were moving the stand up freezer in and it hit the duct. Approximately two feet from the dent, the duct was separated at the joint which had a large enough gap to put my hand in. I asked his wife for some saran wrap and him for some duct tape. I covered the gap with the saran wrap and taped it so it wouldn't fall off. He was told that this was a temporary measure and he had to have the duct fixed. We then inspected the rest of the home and gave him some hints to save energy.

In the attic I took a piece of plastic and covered the whole house fan louver located in the upstairs hallway and taped it air tight. He was told he should take this off after the winter and redo it before every winter. A month later I gave him a call after receiving a message from him. He told me his energy bill was half than what it was the previous month, his daughter doesn't have to wear a coat in the house anymore and the electric heaters are stored in the basement. If you read either topic on Forced Air, Low Velocity or Air Boundary you would understand why his energy bills were high and comfort low.

This does not mean that the new furnace won't lower his energy bill and have value to him. What it does mean is, that the furnace was not the source of the problem. This is by far the main source of complaints about contractors than any other. The primary purpose of this site is to provide the energy bill payer with enough information to make good decisions.

Many will state that this site discourages the sale of products and services concerning energy conservation. On the contrary, it will promote it more than any other site. Once people are empowered with the knowledge to identify the source of problems in their home and have a positive experience concerning energy conservation, they are more apt to purchase products and services that conserve energy. The reverse is true when people have a negative experience and the shear number of complaints against contractors in this industry supports this. What further supports the sale of products and services with this site is a technique that is used throughout it which contains conviction. This occurs when the receiver strongly agrees with the content and it possesses value to him. Conviction is an extremely powerful marketing tool, regardless if its indirect.