Comparing Energy Assessment Companies: How to Choose the Best One
Given all the interest in home energy efficiency and saving money on home energy costs, it’s easy to see why there are a lot of home energy companies out there. It’s a lucrative business right now and there’s a lot of money to be made, and there are energy assessment companies out there that are cashing in on the home energy efficiency trend in ways that are unsavory at best.
So how do you find a trustworthy home energy company to do your home energy efficiency assessment if you’re a Massachusetts homeowner? Here’s a guide on how to find the right business to meet your home energy needs.
Comparing Each Energy Assessment Company: Start with Mass Save®
For Massachusetts homeowners, comparing home energy assessment companies should start with finding out if they’re licensed under the Mass Save® program.
In Massachusetts, Mass Save® is the best way to save money on your home energy costs by far. The program is comprehensive and wide-ranging, and Mass Save® is demanding when it comes to the credentials and training of the companies that are licensed contractors. At Revise, Inc., we’re proud to be licensed contractors for Mass Save®.
When our home energy assessors go out into the field to meet with homeowners and do a home energy assessment, they are equipped with comprehensive knowledge of energy efficient home products, the technology behind them, and how the inspection and report generation process works.
Do Your Homework and Ask the Right Questions to Make the Right Home Energy Choice
While asking a prospective energy assessment company if they are approved by Mass Save® is easy, other questions may be less obvious. Here are some of the other things you should do when comparing these kinds of companies.
Research the Company Track Record With Energy Audits and Energy Assessments
Any evaluation of an energy assessment company should include things like checking the website, the customer reviews, the quality of the information they’re including there and their overall social media presence.
Checking on these companies with things like Better Business Bureau and your local chamber of commerce is part of the drill, and so is getting recommendations from friends, relatives and neighbors. Neighborhood sites like NextDoor can be an especially good way to do this, as posts about service companies tend to be common there.
Finally, make sure you check a company’s track record. The energy assessment business is full of new companies, and while that doesn’t automatically disqualify them, it does tell you that their history likely won’t stack up well with the performance of veteran industry companies.
Verify Company’s Credentials and Professional Associations
Check a company’s credentials carefully. Being licensed by Mass Save® is the first obvious sign that you’re dealing with a quality company. There are other signs, like certifications that come from sources like the Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET) or the Building Performance Institute. Check that any certification is suited for home energy assessment, as some of these credentials are based primarily on work with commercial buildings.
Check Out Business Services, Products and Pricing
You need to know how to go about vetting a business and its services when it comes to home energy services. The heart of any company’s offerings usually includes a combination of services, products, and pricing.
Mass Save® is your friend in this part of the process. Companies licensed under Mass Save® are required to do inspections and reports in a fairly specific and systematic sequence, and it’s fairly easy to ask questions that will show if they know the drill.
Do They Demonstrate Knowledge of Home Energy, Electricity and Power During Your Home Energy Assessment?
The same pertains to products. While some of the products that are discounted or part of rebate offers from Mass Save® are somewhat unique, many are common items, especially when it comes to appliances, furnaces, boilers, and other items that are common to HVAC systems.
Asking about several of these products is a good way to find out if a given energy assessment program knows its stuff, and asking about discounts is another potential strategy.
The discounts spelled out under Mass Save® are fairly specific, so if you get an answer that differs widely from Mass Save® recommendations, you may be dealing with a company that doesn’t know its business as well as it should.
Look for Professionalism, Insurance and Warranties For Your Home Energy Assessment
Effective communication is a key part of working with any service company, and energy assessment outfits are no different.
You should get a prompt, polite response when you call an energy assessment company, along with intelligent questions about your home energy situation. There should not be any attempts to pressure you or upsell you. If any elements of that kind of professionalism are missing, it may be an indicator that you should move on to the next company you’re considering.
Needless to say, comprehensive insurance coverage for its employees is an essential part of any energy assessment company. These people are going to be coming into your home and onto your property and you want them to be licensed and up to speed on any other industry requirements when it comes to insurance.
Finally, these companies should know the warranties of the products they’re recommending, and they should only be recommending contractors that have an A+ rating. Being licensed under Mass Save® is a good start when it comes to this part of the recommendation process, but the more you know, the better protected you’ll be when it comes to improving your home energy efficiency.
Get the Best Company for Your Home Energy Assessment By Choosing Revise, Inc.
At Revise, Inc., we’re committed to doing everything we can to help make your home more energy efficient and educating you about your home and what you can do to maximize savings under Mass Save®.
We’re proud to be a designated contractor under the Mass Save® program, and we’ve helped hundreds of customers save thousands of dollars while improving their energy efficiency.
We make the process as simple as possible. Our home energy assessors are professionals who are extensively trained to evaluate your energy needs, and we’re happy to answer any questions you may have or explain anything from the assessment. We want you to understand that it’s a lot easier to increase your savings than you think, and we can show you how to do it.
To start the process, call us at 800-885-7283 (SAVE) or visit our website, www.callrevise.com. We’ve got some great information about savings there, so it’s an excellent place to start if you’re curious and you want to get some background material about how to spend less while making your home more energy efficient.
