Following up on the Home Energy Audit

I have now had two official "we don't work in Athens" responses, and two complete lack of replies to both phone and emailed queries, from the four contractors off the Energy Star list I've contacted about doing some insulation work in our house. So I guess we need to think about starting to look for someone local, who would not be Energy Star certified and could not get us the Georgia Power rebate, but could do something about our attic so that when we get home it's not 88 degrees upstairs (this with the central air set at 78).

I got out the report that Dan the Home Energy Audit guy sent us (so long ago already!)

There are two side issues that he noted that we really should get taken care of:
-The HVAC system has no filter.
-The water heater has no pipe connected to the pressure relief valve - it should be piped outside the crawl space.

The "priority A" repairs are to improve air tightness of the house, and improve the attic insulation.

Air leakage was found to be major at:
-the pocket doors
-the closet in Peter's bedroom, where a heating duct was put through
-the attic access
-the hole in the wall under the kitchen counter where the possum used to get in
and less majorly, at the front and back doors, baseboards, and electrical sockets.



The problem with the attic is that in some places there is no insulation at all, and in other places there is some insulation, but it has been ripped off about 18 inches below the floor. Using a rough estimate, Dan figured our R factor was about 9 in the attic; it ought to be 30.



The big issue for me moving forward on this is I have no experience with major home construction and repair work, and I have no idea what it will cost and no idea how much of a hassle it may prove to me. Michael has more experience than I do, but I am the planner in the household. I guess we just need to call some people and have them come look at things - and then we'd at least have a ballpark estimate.