First-Time Homeowners Go From Miserable to Merry With Green Door

A “Coats Indoors” Situation

One of the home's major shortcomings was its air sealing — or lack thereof — and woefully inadequate HVAC equipment. The home’s insufficient insulation was probably installed when the house was built decades earlier. The entire home also relied on electric baseboard heaters that were never capable of warming the home to a livable temperature.

"We'd turn the heaters up all the way, and even with space heaters, it was still a ‘coats indoors' situation," Liam noted. "We also closed off parts of the home during the winter. After all, we couldn't adequately heat them anyway, so after we received our first astronomical power bill, we decided to leave some rooms closed during the winter."

Worse yet, the couple found that they had the opposite problem once summer arrived.

"We were relying on window air conditioning units," Liam said. "The kind that cools one room but not the ones adjacent to it. So the house was miserably cold in the winter and some rooms were boiling in the summer. And even in rooms that were kept cool by the window ACs, they are annoyingly noisy. Not really what you want to hear when you’re trying to sleep or watch TV."

Clearly, something had to give. And after some advice from his father, a building science expert, something mercifully did.

Related Post: Second Step to a High-Performing Home: Air Sealing

From Shivering to Snug

After learning just how uncomfortable the couple was in their new home, Casey helped Pearl Certification build a customized Home Investment Plan for his son, giving him a road map to follow on his journey to an electrified home. He also encouraged his son and partner to participate in their local utility's energy audit program.

"Once they had the energy audit and Home Investment Plan in hand, I urged them to work with qualified contractors to upgrade their air sealing and appliances and to do so as part of the Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative's (SMECO) rebate program," Casey said. “Air sealing and insulation are often the very first steps you can take to improve your home’s performance. You can then get the appropriately sized HVAC system for your home.”

One contractor air sealed the attic plane and installed new insulation, while another installed ductless mini-splits (see our guide to heat pumps for more on those). In just weeks, the home was comfortable year-round and — now free of the noisy window AC units — mercifully quiet.

"It transformed our living environment. It was like living in a completely different home," Liam said. "Plus, our utility bills have plummeted across the board."

Related Post: What Is Home Electrification, and Is It for Me?

Going for Gold

The house finally felt like a home, but the young couple's energy-efficiency journey didn't stop there. After all, home improvements are part-and-parcel to home ownership! Once they made significant improvements to their home’s building shell and HVAC system, it was time to remodel the kitchen.

"People hear the words 'kitchen remodel,' and they usually think about aesthetics, but that was only part of our concern with this project," Liam said. "We wanted to update the look, of course, but we also wanted the new kitchen to be as healthy, safe, and energy efficient as possible."

The couple researched and purchased appliances rated by ENERGY STAR^®, like the dishwasher and refrigerator. They also purchased an induction cooktop, which is safer than a gas cooktop and doesn’t emit harmful combustion byproducts into the air.

“The cooktop’s awesome,” Liam said. “It’s super quick, responsive, and easy to clean. I don’t cook a lot — but I do have experience with those old-fashioned electric ones, as well as gas. Induction is much better than both of those.”