If you have not heard of one before, a home energy audit is used to assess how much energy is consumed by a home. It is useful in detecting problems that may be causing a home to be less efficient and therefore use up more energy. If this idea is...
What Icicles Really Mean For Your Home
Many of us have fond childhood memories of seeing the beautiful icicles on the roofs of our home. Dripping icicles to many are a nostalgic vision of what winter should look like. But what do icicles really mean for your home? They may be pretty, but they are sometimes a...
HEAT Squad Energy Audits: A Step-by-Step Guide from Intake to Rebate
When it comes to weatherization, knowing where to start is often the biggest hurdle. How do I know if my current insulation is working? Is the moisture in my basement an issue? How do I get a contractor to call me back? HEAT Squad can help you sort through all...
Heat Pumps for $51 a Month (Really!)
Efficient Cooling (and Heating) with Heat Pumps While our stubborn refusal to buckle to temperature extremes in Vermont is a cherished bragging right, it’s worth pointing out the fact: there is nothing inherently evil in air conditioning. Okay, maybe an argument could be made about window units. BUT there’s a...
HEAT Squad Receives Home Performance with ENERGY STAR Century Club Award
The Department of Energy Century Club Award recognizes Home Performance with ENERGY STAR contractors that have improved the energy efficiency of more than 100 homes in the past year. HEAT Squad is one of a few dozen organizations in the U.S. to receive this coveted award. Since 2012, HEAT Squad has...
7 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Heat Pumps
Let's start with the basics: What are heat pumps? Residential heat pumps, also called “mini-splits,” are composed of an exterior unit and typically wall mounted interior units. The two or more units are connected by small refrigerant pipes. Heat pumps use electricity to move air to cool and heat your...
11 Tips for Keeping your Home Cool without Air Conditioning
Keeping your Home Cool in the Hot Heat The other day the thermostat in our office hit 80 degrees. After the snowstorm in early April, this was a complete shock to our systems – we all felt like we were dying. Our office is equipped with cold-climate heat pumps, but...
17 Available Cash Incentives for Energy Efficiency Upgrades in Vermont
1. Home Performance with ENERGY STAR: Up to $2,000 custom incentive This incentive covers insulation, air sealing, and heating and ventilation systems improvements. So, how do you know what work to do? Get a HEAT Squad Energy Audit, and we'll walk you through the rest. Our BPI-Certified Energy Auditor will...
6 Ways to Keep Your Home Healthy
We spend a lot of time in our homes- eating dinner, watching TV, helping our kids do their homework, and SLEEPING, to name a few. Our homes are the place we can rely on to be there, day after day, providing shelter for our families. But what if your home...
8 Easy Steps to Get Your Home Ready for Winter
Bundle up- we’re in for a cold one! Have you heard the news from the 2017 Farmers’ Almanac? "While last winter was a reprieve from shoveling and high fuel bills,” says the Farmers’ Almanac, “the party is over." "Last year's El Niño produced warmer than normal weather, extremely warmer," said...