American Standard Heating & Air Colorado Comfort Team pays for energy audit

Smart Energy Living & Sponsors Help Northglenn Family Save Money and Improve Comfort

As Seen on CBS4 News • Feb. 24

Chaer Blackler needs an energy efficient home. With osteoarthritis, “I can’t handle the cold” she explained. That’s why when Smart Energy Living saw her story on CBS4, we leapt into action. Chaer and husband Robert Armstrong have average utility bills of $500 per month, which haven’t gone down even though they added insulation, new windows & doors, a furnace and air conditioner, and attic fan. With two home-based businesses, the budget is tight. In fact, Chaer and Robert are so clever about getting the most for their dollar that their teak floors are boards from a ship deck; they’ve used beautiful slate, tile, doors, and windows that were going to the trash dump; and they’ve incorporated slot walls from an REI in their living room.

“We’ve done most of the work ourselves,” said Robert, who has owned a remodeling and plumbing company for the past 10 years. So, it was a surprise for them to learn where their home was causing energy and comfort problems. “There were air leaks in places we never would have expected, and we didn’t understand that our oversized furnace is costing us money and causing comfort problems.”

Two Smart Energy Living sponsors, Accent Windows and the American Standard Heating & Air Colorado Comfort Team stepped up to pay for an energy audit of Chaer and Robert’s home. “Making people comfortable is what we do,” explained Tom Weinrich of American Standard. “Being able to alleviate a medical condition like Mrs. Blackler’s is something that a lot of people can relate to.”

Terry Marcovich of Accent Windows added, “Being a member of the community has always been important to us. We’re proud to help this family address their high energy bills and drafty rooms.”

The energy audit performed by Lightly Treading showed a significant amount of air leakage and an oversized heating and cooling system. Accent and American Standard Heating & Air Conditioning are paying for the air sealing work and a new heating and cooling system is being installed courtesy of American Standard’s Colorado Comfort Team. And, Ductworks is going to clean the air ducts prior to the high efficiency furnace installation. The new furnace will increase the air flow through the ducts, which can disturb dust and debris in the ducts and blow it throughout the home.

“This is exactly the collaboration we hope to encourage among energy efficiency companies,” explains Kirstin Marr, Editor-in-Chief of Smart Energy Living. “Our sponsors are paying for and promoting a service they don’t provide to demonstrate the importance of a whole-house strategy. By investigating a home, people will be able to identify the real problem areas and make the most of their time and money. That is our goal in educating consumers about the benefits of energy efficiency projects done correctly, and we thank our sponsors for their generous contribution.”

Chaer and Robert are grateful too, “We can’t tell you what it means to us to have this help. It’s been a real eye opener and we now understand the value of developing a plan based on the facts specific to our home.”