The week after my initial audit, a rep from A & A Cooling & Heating called to set an appointment to make some repairs to my HVAC system.  A pair of guys worked on duct sealing, and other repairs for 2 days.  Then a supervisor came to check the work on a 3rd day and he sent his guys back on a fourth day to wrap up some odds and ends.  I was amazed by how much work they performed.  Who knew my HVAC system needed so much work!

In addition to the duct sealing, they also cleaned the inside coils, located in my attic, and added a new return duct and register near the kitchen in order to provide more cooling in that part of the house.  They also replaced an old duct protrusion on my roof where the evap cooler used to be with a nicer looking metal cap called a "dog house".  They painted the heat pump elbow and dog house with white, heat reflecting paint.  They replaced the oddly sized return cover with one that fits my filters much better.  They installed a new vent in the roof for one of my bathroom fans that had previously been venting into the attic and also cleaned both bathroom fans (they were REALLY dusty).  They were requested to cover some electrical junction boxes in the attic, but quickly gave up after finding some singed wires.  I rewired the box and installed the cover the following weekend, though there is still one uncovered box.  I suspect it will be taken care of before the insulation is blown in.  I believe that's the next step, but I haven't heard from anyone in about a week.

I was really impressed by A&A 's commitment to service and quality work.  The service manager, Mike, who has only dealt with my wife, was very eager to leave a good impression and encouraged us to call him with any questions or concerns.  I may give him a ring next week.

The heat pump is so much less noisy now, I have to believe it is working more efficiently.  The whole house used to crack and groan when it kicked on, but now it's hard to even notice!  If I could just find a thermostat with a silent relay, all would be well with the world.

I'm hoping to install a solar tube skylight in my kitchen before the insulation makes that task much harder.

On Friday, after the big storm, 2 great guys from the Foundation for Senior Living(FSL) began the process of weatherizing my home.  No, I'm not a senior, but FSL apparently has the contract in Arizona to provide weatherization services to AZ homeowners who qualify for assistance through the Low Income Weatherization Program, which received a funding boost through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, or "stimulus package" passed last year.  I'll leave the politics to others and focus on my experience with the program, which is ongoing at this point.

I met with a city employee last October and provided a massive amount of documentation proving that I own my home, it's my primary residence, I'm a legal citizen, and my household income is low enough to qualify me for assistance.  The great recession has impacted my day job enough, in the form of reduced hours and reduced hourly pay, to meet that last qualification.  Joe and Ken, the pros with FSL, mentioned that they are weatherizing a surprising number of homes in Scottsdale lately - no doubt also due to the recession.

It took about 3 months until FSL called to set up my initial appointment.  Joe and Ken were puctual, courteous, and knowledgeable.  Upon arriving, they explained that they would perform a blower door test, inspect the attic insulation and HVAC system and then schedule subcontractors to perform any necessary and allowable work.  Joe mentioned that a lot of clients expect to get new windows and doors and are upset when they find out  these high dollar items are not part of the service.  I would suggest that FSL have the person who calls the client to schedule the initial visit should run down a checklist of information so everyone is on the same page.  I had to ask quite a few questions during that first call to even find out that the initial appointment is for inspection only.  I should have been informed about the whole process, including what kind of work could or could not be performed.

The blower door test apparently revealed very little, if any duct leakage, and my house isn't sealed so tightly that any air quality issues would result.  Good news there, and peace of mind.  Safety is an aspect of weatherization I hadn't previously thought of; Joe explained that a poorly sealed connection from the house to the garage could lead to carbon monoxide issues.  Again, my house scored well.

Next came the always dreaded attic adventure.  They told me my blown-in cellulose was inconsistently applied, and they would have an insulating contractor put some more in - excellent!  They were also looking for places where hot or cold air could infiltrate down inside interior walls - they found a few and assured me they would be addresses as well.   I had asked their opinion of radiant barriers earlier, Ken laughed from another room, and Joe said they usually remove them and focus on the insulation.  He said they tend to stop working over time (from dirt build up maybe?) and sometimes prevent the insulation from working correctly.  I found their response unsatisfying, but didn't push the subject.

After inspecting the attic, they climbed on the roof and showed me some missing shingles, which I replaced the next day.  They offered me shade screens for sun struck windows, but I don't need them due to my home's orientation and my pergola that I built last year.

The inspection took about 2 hours, and at the end they explained that a subcontractor would call me next week to schedule the work, which will include duct sealing, fixing an improperly installed bathroom fan, upgrading the attic insulation, and painting the elbow on my roof AC unit a reflective white.  Once all that work is done a team from FSL will return to run the blower door test again and they will give me 12 filters for my AC/heater and a smoke alarm.  They were going to give me 8 CFL bulbs, but I declined, explaining that I've already replaced all my bulbs with CFL's or LED's.

It was an informative experience and I look forward to all the work that should be happening soon.

To be continued...

Nissan will be selling an honest-to-goodness electric car at the end of this year, and I'm excited.

My wife and I saw it on display at the Mill Avenue New Year's Eve block party and it's very impressive.  Blog speculation puts the price around $25,000, not including the battery pack, which will be leased.  This may be a smart way to go, I'm not sure.  If they included the true cost of the battery, the sticker would probably go up to at least $35,000, which is way more than most people would pay for a compact hatchback with a 100 mile range.  It won't be as fast as a Tesla Roadster, but it will seat 5 people and costs a bit less than $109,000!

Here's an AZ Republic article with some good info about charging stations and the local businesses that will be installing them.

 They wouldn't let the rifraff get too close...

 I love the dash...

Arizona's appliance rebate program has been approved by the Feds and is scheduled to begin in March.  It will only apply to efficient Dishwashers, Clothes Washers, and Water Heaters.  Rebates range from $75 to $125 for dishwashers, $125 to $200 for clothes washers, and $200 up to $425 for water heaters.  The highest rebate is reserved for an electric heat pump style water heater.  These types of water heaters cost around $1500.  Unlike the cash for clunkers, you won't need to trade anything in.  For exact rebate amounts and efficiency criteria, click here.

It's cheaper to make thousands of homes more efficient than to build new power plants.  That's the basic fact behind utility and government subsidies for home weatherization.  Out-of-work contractors can be put to work, citizens' utility bills go down, and less pollution is created.  Everybody wins.

Read the AZ Republic article here.