Home Energy Solutions Program Abuse

In this eye-opening video, Larry Janesky, owner and founder of Dr. Energy Saver, exposes a series of very common mistakes being made and perpetrated by some contractors participating in Connecticut’s Home Energy Solutions Program.

The goal of this state-sponsored and funded program is to make homes in Connecticut more energy efficient through building envelope improvements such as air sealing and insulation, and by replacing incandescent bulbs with more energy efficient CFL bulbs.

Participating contractors are incentivized by the state to perform a home energy evaluation, which includes two blower door tests to measure the rate of air leakage before and after the improvements in air sealing. Contractors are then paid $1 per CFM (Cubic Feet per Minute) of air leakage they manage to reduce.

As this video will show, the way this program was designed leaves a lot of room for contractors to make a series of mistakes, and manipulate the numbers in order to increase their profits.

It is understood that the goal of this program is to make homes across the state more energy efficient, to help homeowners save money on their heating and cooling bills, and to help decrease the overall demand for fuel and energy. As this video shows, however, the number of mistakes that are being made in home after home nearly defeats the entire purpose of the program and makes it very difficult for the state to back up any claims concerning its results.