residential energy efficiency Archives - Page 2 of 3

September 14, 2015 by Eco Three

Eco Three Opens New Office in Fairhope, AL.

“Eco Three Opens New Office to Serve Gulf Coast Area”

Fairhope, AL – September 14, 2015

Jonathan Handey, Founder and Principal of Eco Three, and Birmingham native Walker Goodrich, are pleased to announce the September 2015 opening of Eco Three – Gulf Coast. This new location will bring Energy Evaluations and Energy Efficient Upgrades to homes and light commercial buildings in Fairhope, Mobile, Daphne, Orange Beach, and the surrounding areas.

Walker has many years of experience in industrial construction having worked for BE&K, KBR, and most recently for Smith Industrial Services. He and Jonathan have been developing a working relationship for over a year and are excited to launch this venture. “It is a wonderful opportunity to learn from Jonathan and his team in the Birmingham market in order to bring Eco Three to South Alabama to help families save money on their energy bills while keeping them more comfortable in their homes,” says Goodrich. “This is a unique and smart concept with so much potential due to the climate extremes we experience here on the Gulf Coast.”

Contact Walker directly to learn more about how Eco Three Gulf Coast can help you and your family Feel the Difference! Check out our Energy Experts page to learn more about Walker.

Walker@eco-three.com, Tel.: 251-615-1330

June 5, 2015 by Eco Three

Creating a Market for Energy Efficient Homes

Birmingham startup Eco Three has plans to extend its business model and carve out a market for energy efficient homes in Birmingham.

By Alan Alexander for the Birmingham Business Journal, June 5th, 2015 (http://www.bizjournals.com/birmingham/news/2015/06/05/eco-three-looks-to-carve-out-birminghams-market.html)

Eco Three is based in the Innovation Depot and provides inspections, consultations and upgrades to the insulation infrastructure of a house, and CEO Jonathan Handey said that when it comes to energy efficiency in residential homes, Alabama is 10 years behind nearby metros like Huntsville, Nashville and Atlanta.

He said that could be because of different industry environments, but it doesn’t stop the fact that homeowners are losing lots of cash on their energy bills.

That caused Handey to launch another aspect to his business called Eco Three Innovations, in which Eco Three will work with residential contractors to implement energy efficient solutions into homes as they are being built.

“We wanted to focus on the quick pay back and tackle the existing problem before they happen,” Handey said. “Brand new houses often come with energy issues that the buyers don’t even know about.”

Handey is working with Birmingham-based home builder Harris Doyle to fix that problem.

“We’re working on upgrades that will improve an occupant’s comfort from day one,” said Micah Kaufhold, project manager at Harris Doyle. “The Eco Three package we are rolling out will increase a mortgage by $25 per month, but will decrease a monthly energy bill by $40.

Kaufhold said this is a trend he sees catching on in the future as municipalities and building codes catch up to new building designs.

Eco Three is concentrating on resident projects for now, but Handey said that there are opportunities for commercial work in Birmingham, especially as historic buildings begin to be restored. Handey said he continues to research the benefits of renewable energy and also has plans to extend Eco Three’s footprint into Mobile.

May 5, 2015 by Eco Three

J. Handey on Fox’s Business Break (5.2015)

Jonathan Handey talks with Dave Duncan on Business Break on WBRC (Fox 6) about what Eco Three does, the process of Eco Three’s evaluations, common issues and reasons why clients call us, and how we can help individuals improve the comfort and efficiency of their homes. Jonathan also discusses the common misconception that energy efficient upgrades are very expensive. This is not necessarily the case, and Eco Three focuses specifically on cost-effective solutions to save clients money while making homes more comfortable and energy efficient.

Click to see Jonathan Handey speak with Dave Duncan on WBRC (Fox 6) from May 2015.

March 9, 2015 by Eco Three

Angie’s List Super Service Award for 2014!

Eco Three Earns Esteemed 2014 Angie’s List Super Service Award

Award reflects company’s consistently high level of customer service

Birmingham, AL – March 9, 2015

Eco Three (Birmingham) has earned the service industry’s coveted Angie’s List Super Service Award, reflecting an exemplary year of service provided to members of the local services marketplace and consumer review site in 2014.

“Angie’s List has been instrumental in helping us grow the business. We credit our success to the combined efforts of all of our team members and our great clients who take the time to review us. We are so proud and honored to receive this award,” says Founder and Owner, Jonathan Handey.

“Only about 5 percent of the Energy Efficiency Evaluation companies and Insulation companies in the Birmingham Metro Area have performed so consistently well enough to earn our Super Service Award,” said Angie’s List Founder Angie Hicks. “It’s a really high standard.”

Angie’s List Super Service Award 2014 winners have met strict eligibility requirements, which include an “A” rating in overall grade, recent grade, and review period grade; the company must be in good standing with Angie’s List, pass a background check and abide by Angie’s List operational guidelines.

Service company ratings are updated daily on Angie’s List. Companies are graded on an A through F scale in areas ranging from price to professionalism to punctuality.

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Angie’s List helps facilitate happy transactions between nearly 3 million consumers nationwide and its collection of highly-rated service providers in 720 categories of service, ranging from home improvement to health care. Built on a foundation of authentic reviews of local service, Angie’s List connects consumers directly to its online marketplace of services from member-reviewed providers, and offers unique tools and support designed to improve the local service experience for both consumers and service professionals.

February 18, 2015 by Eco Three

“Selling Green to Home Builders” 2015 ABLE Conf.

Eco Three’s Elizabeth Sanfelippo presented “Selling Green Build to the Homebuyers” along with Sustain’s Natalie Kelly at the 2015 ABLE (Alabama’s Better Living Expo) Conference in Montgomery, AL. Elizabeth and Natalie discussed some obstacles in getting home builders to buy into the idea of “green” homes and how using the term “green” may not always be the best route. “Green” has become so overused in recent years that it has lost a lot of meaning. It gets tossed around so much that it has little to no impact – unless it is talking about saving green (as in money). The irony is that by spending a little bit more green on the front end will definitely help save green throughout the time spent in the house, and it will fetch a higher sales price when it comes time to relocate. One major challenge in the past has been with quantifying projected savings and being able to utilize technologies and diagnostic tests to confirm things like building envelope tightness, duct tightness, and an overall efficiency rating. Eco Three offers help with measuring and assessing these components and obtaining an overall efficiency rating such as the HERS®

Rating from RESNET. Home buyers can also help transform the home building industry by making specific requests to their builders and asking questions about energy efficiency upgrades available and about what features they focus on as a company. If your builder doesn’t seem receptive to your requests, home buyers can seek out other options. High performance home builders are not as common in Alabama as in other states, but they do exist. Regardless of the specific terminology, a “green” “or high-performance” or “energy efficient home” will maintain its value better than a traditional home, save occupants money in operating costs, and keep comfort levels high. One important question to ask is, “Can you really put a price on comfort?” Sometimes you can, and the investment is definitely worth it.