Great savings in writing!

Just under a year ago I had the opportunity to provide service for a customer in the Eden Prairie area of the Twin Cites.  The customer had motivation to replace his old hot water boiler through a low interest loan program offered to Minnesota residents, at the time, who were candidates for major appliance upgrades that would improve efficiency and lower utility costs.

As with any other potential client, I approached this project with high intention of finding the best possible boiler and components to fulfill the requirements of this particular home and the owners needs.  The approach is simple really, although some contractors do not take the time but I do and the following is proof of how big an impact this approach can make.

Boiler replacements, the same goes for furnaces and air conditioners, are only truly successful if the installing contractor does a little homework before the physical work starts.  It all starts with a tape measure and some questions.  How many square feet is the home? How well is the home insulated, and how many and what size are the windows and doors? In this particular home, how many feet of copper fin-tube baseboard is there? The only real amount of work needed to get the answers to these questions is actually walking through the home and physically measuring and recording the information.  This information, when all gathered, is then used to figure the proper size rating of the boiler needed to adequately heat the home while using the least amount of energy.  Simple right? For the average homeowner this may be a daunting task, for a contractor with his/her customer's best interest on the table this should be a standard service.

Stay with me for a few more lines....

Following up with my customers after the project is done has always been a habit, after all if there are any quirks or questions that need to be addressed I want them to know I am available.  In this particular case I was contacted by the Eden Prairie homeowner with some very pleasing information.  Pleasing for him especially because it was proof in writing, from his natural gas provider, that he and his family were now using 28% less natural gas this year as compared to the same time last year!  That's a huge savings directly related to the replacement of their [then over-sized] boiler with a properly sized, energy star rated unit that also does the work of heating their domestic hot water; replacing a standard water heater with an efficiency rating of approximately 65%.  Take a look at the "report card" sent to them from their gas company, the proof is in writing, and that is why the simple homework is so worth it! Oh, and the smiley face is the cherry on top...