Address:
1111 East-West Highway, #2
Silver Spring, MD 20910
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- Provider travels up to 50 miles
Elysian Energy
-
1111 East-West Highway, #2
Silver Spring, MD 20910 (map) - (240) 381-0395
Credentials (view details)
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Licensed in MD – Validate
Home Improvement Contractor – 129162 - DOJ Smart Search verified
- Email verified
- Thumbtack reviewed
- Website verified
- Thumbtack Elite member
- Silver member
Experienced & Certified Energy Auditors
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Elysian Energy • Silver Spring, MD
- You'll be asked a few quick questions that will help describe your needs.
- You'll be asked to provide your contact information so that Ethan Balis will be able to get in touch with you.
- You'll have the option to get competing quotes from other qualified service professionals, saving you time and money.
Elysian Energy is the region's leader in energy audits and energy efficiency consulting for buildings. Serving thousands of clients in the D.C. and Baltimore areas, our experienced and certified building analysts provide practical and actionable results that you can count on. From homeowners and building professionals to businesses and governments, Elysian Energy can help you save money, increase your comfort, and reduce your environmental impact. Let us show you how.
Right now, eligible DC residents can receive a NO COST energy audit, and residents of Maryland can receive an energy audit for only $100!
Elysian Energy's energy audits can include the following:
* Short introduction and consult (discussion of specific issues the homeowner wants addressed)
* Measurements (depending on the size, could take 30 minutes to an hour)
* Blower door test - This is a test that measures how much conditioned air is being lost to the outdoors. Doors and windows should be closed, and the homeowner can walk around with the auditor while they ID air leakage points.
* Inspection of insulation, HVAC and water heating equipment
* A home energy report card sent to homeowner within 10 days of the audit being performed (detailed repot with results of home's efficiency including a cost-benefit analysis of work that could be done)
Depending on the program, audits could also include the following:
* Combustion Analysis
* Infrared scans
* Duct Tightness Inspection
Question and answer
Q. What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?
A. 1) All energy auditors should have either a BPI Building Analyst Certification or be a Certified HERS Rater, preferably both. If they don't have either, they're not really energy auditors.
2) If the auditor is not planning on performing a blower door test or using computer modeling, it's not really an energy audit.
3) In the state of Maryland, most contractors who have been involved in this field and have experience are listed at http://www.mdhomeperformance.org/findacontractor.php
Q. If you were a customer, what do you wish you knew about your trade? Any inside secrets to share?
A. 1) If a window isn't single pane metal or broken, it's generally not cost-effective to replace it, i.e. the payback period is going to be many, many years, and replacing the window won't give you that much more comfort than caulking or other surface techniques.
2) The paradox with energy improvements is that the worse your home is the shorter they payback periods. Going from little insulation to lots of insulation doesn't cost that much more than going from a moderate amount of insulation to lots of insulation, but the energy savings are much greater.
3) Sealing the lowest and highest part of the home (usually the basement rim and the attic) is generally the most effective thing you can do from both a comfort and energy savings standpoint.
Q. What questions should a consumer ask to hire the right service professional?
A. 1) What certifications does the auditor have?
2) Will I get a layman's terms report?
3) How long will the site visit take?
4) How long will it be before I get my report?
5) Will you test for combustion safety (if you have gas, oil, or propane heat or water heating)?
Q. What important information should buyers have thought through before seeking you out?
A. In Maryland all utilities either subsidize or provide rebates for energy audits. There are also a number of rebates for energy improvements. Please research what is available in your area.
MD Pepco customers: ($100 audit for most homes) http://homeenergysavings.pepco.com/md/home-energy-savings/home-performance-audit
BGE customers: ($250 rebate for audit after improvements are made) https://www.bgesmartenergy.com/
Q. Why does your work stand out from others who do what you do?
A. Elysian Energy has been in over 20,000 homes in the DC and Baltimore areas assessing them for potential energy improvements. So not only do we have extensive experience in with energy assessments, we have great familiarity with the type of housing specific to this area.
We also do not give windows of time when we show up. We give an exact time and are almost always on time or early to the appointment.
