Category Archives: Home / Energy

The Northeast Construction Trades Workforce Coalition, in partnership with Whitbeck Construction and WSWHE BOCES, wrapped up another successful Girls Construction Summer Camp at the Whitbeck Construction Education Center.

With women representing only 11 percent of the construction workforce, the camp was created to inspire and empower middle school girls to consider careers in the skilled trades. This year’s program exceeded expectations, drawing enthusiastic participation and rave reviews from campers, parents and industry professionals.

Over two weeklong sessions, held July 21-25 and July 28–Aug. 1, girls in grades 6 through 8 experienced hands-on learning, teamwork and creative problem-solving. Campers gained confidence using tools, applying math and science concepts, and completing projects such as toolboxes, benches and Adirondack chairs. Field trips to construction sites and businesses offered a firsthand look at career opportunities in the industry.

A highlight of the program was the Construction Olympics, where campers showcased new skills in a spirited, team-based competition.

By Susan Elise Campbell

Compact heat pump systems are gaining popularity in the northeast as manufacturers make them increasingly efficient, and efficiency means savings on rising energy costs, said Ron LaDue, a BPI certified estimator and project manager with Jack Hall Plumbing and Heating. The family-owned company dates back to 1984 and is based in Glens Falls.

LaDue said about 20 percent of business involves the sale, installation and service of split heat pump systems for new construction, home renovations, and commercial buildings. But that percentage is “slowly increasing.”

“Five years ago very few brands of these systems ran efficiently, as far as capacity of the unit and energy usage,” he said.

Mini split systems involve wall units in selected rooms, which serve as heating and cooling zones, LaDue said. They make minimal noise and operate with a remote or smart phone.

Heat pumps pull heat from outside air to warm a residence and cold air to cool it. The system involves one or more exterior pumps that operate on electricity and have been especially efficient where weather is not extremely cold.

“Technology is getting to the point where the units are more suitable for single-digit temperatures and below,” said LaDue. “Every major brand today can run at -13 degrees and some claim as low as -22 degrees.”

“At these temperatures, heat pumps will provide 60 percent of their advertised capacity, which make them viable in areas like Scroon Lake,” he said.

If there are only a few negative double-digit days a year, oversizing the unit could cover those days, but up-front costs would be higher, he said.

By Susan Elise Campbell

When Mike Feeder of Assured Home Inspections is hired for a home inspection, he does three jobs. 

He investigates the entire structure of the house and its systems. He detects what might be missing or done improperly. And he evaluates the current and future health and safety of the home.

This will take Feeder about three hours, whereas some competitors spend one and a half. So when customers ask, “How much is this going to cost,” he says they’re asking the wrong question.

“A home is probably the biggest investment they ever make,” said Feeder. “They should be asking themselves if this is a good time to cut corners on that investment.”

“I’ve been in this business for 35 years and used to build homes,” said Feeder. “I’m doing inspections for prior clients’ kids and in some cases, their grandkids. And I just inspected one house for the fourth time over the years.”

All home inspectors have licensing and educational requirements, plus continuing education, to meet standards set by the state. This means the licensed inspector demonstrates a basic knowledge of how the underlying systems in a home work, said Feeder. 

“A home buyer or homeowner should want to know where their inspector got their training,” he said. “Was it a correspondence course, which was allowed years ago, or did they go to a school?” 

By Christine Graf

Saratoga Springs-based ASF Insulation has been meeting the insulation needs of Capital Region customers for more than a decade. The company is owned by business partners Nick Cuttleback, Tom Samascott, and Wayne Samascott.

“We started as a spray foam insulator only, and within the first year or two, we adapted to become an insulation contractor,” said Cuttleback. “We began offering traditional fiberglass batting, cellulose, and other products. We expanded into the insulation contractor markets and took off from there.” 

On the spray foam side of the business, the company provides spray polyurethane foam insulation for residential and commercial applications. Applied in liquid form, once applied, the foam expands and hardens to form a rigid layer of insulation. It is particularly effective at filling spaces that are irregularly shaped as well as small gaps, holes, and cracks. As much as 40 percent of a home’s energy is lost when air escapes through uninsulated gaps, holes, and cracks. The North American Insulation Manufacturers Association estimates that 90 percent of U.S. homes are under-insulated. 

By Chris Graf

As water conservation becomes increasingly important nationwide, homeowners are turning to innovative plumbing fixtures to reduce their water bills and environmental footprint. While these water-saving solutions may not yet be a widespread trend in some regions, they are rapidly becoming the norm in drought-prone areas.

“They aren’t really a big thing around here,” said Roy Lance, owner of Lance Plumbing in Saratoga. A Master Plumber, Lance will celebrate his company’s 20th anniversary in January. His team of four serves both residential and commercial customers throughout the region. Despite the slower adoption locally, Lance believes more homeowners could benefit from water-efficient upgrades.

One of the simplest ways to reduce water usage is by installing low-flow shower heads. While traditional shower heads use about 2.5 gallons per minute, low-flow models can reduce water consumption by up to 40%. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), this could save the average homeowner as much as $100 a year on water bills.

By Susan Elise Campbell

As window manufacturers make strides in energy efficiency, consumers may find that even though it costs more to purchase the higher Energy Star® standard, the benefits of the investment are worth it. These may include the comfort they feel in their home or business, long-term savings on heating and air-conditioning, and protection of the environment, according to www.energystar.gov.

Ian Young is director of commercial sales for Curtis Lumber Company. While he works out of the Ballston Spa location at 885 Route 67, he oversees the commercial sales process for the company’s 21 stores in New York and the two in Vermont. Along with the company’s on-staff architectural engineer, he advises commercial builders on the best choices for windows, doors and skylights for their projects.

Young explained what makes newer windows increasingly energy efficient.

“It comes down to the glass as well as some modifications to the window frame,” said Young. 

Tickets for the area’s premiere new home tour, the 2023 Saratoga Showcase of Homes, are on sale. The event is celebrating 27 years in Saratoga County.

Tickets are available at all Adirondack Trust branch locations, Curtis Lumber in Ballston Spa and  Queensbury, Saratoga National Bank, Glens Falls National Bank and Roohan Realty on Broadway in Saratoga Springs. 

Tickets are $25 and this year’s edition has 10 locations on display. New this year are two showcase locations in Lake George.

Tickets are conveniently available at any showcase home during tour hours of 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. or can be purchased online through  the event website at www.saratogashowcaseofhomes.com.

Each showcase ticket holder will receive a free  shoe/tote bag at the first home visited.

The 2023 Saratoga Showcase of Homes is being presented over two fall weekends—Oct. 7-8 and Oct. 14-15. 

Participating  builders in this year’s event include Belmonte Builders, DeGraff Bloom Custom Builders, DSG Construction and Remodeling, Kodiak Construction, R & M Homes, The BDC Group, Whitbeck Construction and Witt Construction. 

By Paul Post

 The sun rises and sets every day. In these times, some use it—solar energy—as a major source of power to heat homes and otherwise power utilities in the home.

The best time to buy a roof-mounted system that converts its energy to cost-saving electricity is now, say those in the industry.

 In the Northeast, solar electric systems generate about 70 percent of their energy for the entire year between April and September, so they need to be operational in March. But it takes several months to design, obtain various approvals and install them.

 “So the best time to start thinking about solar, getting quotes to make a decision so we can get a contract in place, obtain permits, secure materials, get the system inspected, permitted and turned on by a utility company, is this fall,” said Peter Kronau, senior project manager at Queensbury-based Apex Solar.

 “I always tell residents and business owners, ‘It’s not when you go solar, it’s that you go solar’,” he said. “The sun is always coming up and going down. Time is always moving. There is a ‘Goldilocks’ window to have a solar system installed, commissioned and turned on to maximize the benefit from day one. If you miss that window you’re playing catch-up until the system has been operational for 365 days because of how the offset works with net metering and the utility company.”