Category Archives: Home / Energy

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.”

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

As water conservation becomes an increasingly critical concern across the country, many homeowners are discovering new ways to save on their water bills while helping the environment. From aerators that reduce faucet flow to high-efficiency toilets that use a fraction of the water, these innovations are quietly making waves in areas where every drop counts. Though such water-saving fixtures may not yet be household staples in regions like ours, experts believe it’s only a matter of time before they catch on.

“In this area, there’s still a sense that water is limitless,” said Ty Hall, co-founder and president of Jack Hall Plumbing and Heating in Glens Falls. “But that attitude might shift as people become more aware of the benefits—both environmentally and financially—of conserving water.”

With 40 years of experience, Jack Hall Plumbing and Heating is no stranger to helping homeowners save money through energy-efficient solutions. The company, founded by Hall and his father, Jack, offers much more than plumbing services. From heating and air conditioning to cutting-edge attic insulation, they’ve built a reputation for helping customers lower utility bills. Now, with water-saving fixtures gaining popularity, they’re ready to offer guidance on how small changes can lead to big savings.

For example, installing a simple faucet aerator can significantly reduce water usage, lowering flow from 2.2 gallons per minute to just 1.5—without compromising water pressure.

“Aerators are a quick, inexpensive fix,” said Hall. “You don’t need to replace your whole faucet. You just swap out the aerator, and you’ll see savings right away. Plus, you’ll still get a decent stream of water, so it doesn’t feel like a downgrade.”

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.”

By Susan Elise Campbell

A home workspace that lets a person work the way they want to in surroundings they enjoy will contribute directly to an employer’s bottom line, and interior designers say there are a few recommendations for making the space successful.

“I have business people working out of their homes come into my showroom and say, ‘I don’t want my space to be more office-like, but I want it to be professional,’ which is how the term ‘resimercial’ came into the design vernacular,” said Dorothy Rogers-Bullis of drb Business Interiors.

“Workers need to mentally disconnect from the residence in the work space,” said Katelyn Moskos of Lake George Design. “The office has to flow with the home but at the same time, when you walk in you forget about any chaos and clutter behind you.” 

The office need not be a separate room. Designers are finding creative ways to repurpose part of a bedroom, take over a closet, or add a desk in an alcove or wide hallway. If it’s dedicated and professional, it can be productive.

“Most of my home office clients had been working in a building where they might have brought in a wall hanging or a box of knick-knacks,” said Moskos. “I need to remind them, you’re at home now. There are no limits.”

By Paul Post

Community solar is a large array of solar panels at an offsite location that allows customers to access such power without installing panels on their homes. Developers build and operate community solar projects, and energy delivery companies like National Grid purchase and distribute credits generated by the projects to participating customers.

It’s an easy way for residential and small business owners alike to offset the current 8.5 rate of inflation by shaving up to 10 percent off their electric bills.

“There’s very little downside with this,” said Nathan Giebel, EnergyNext LLC vice president of energy services. “It’s a win-win, which is why they’re so popular. We partner with a lot of chambers of commerce. That’s how a lot of businesses come to interact with us.”

EnergyNext is a division of Chicago-based Satori Energy and has an office in Saratoga Springs.

There are three main issues the firm helps clients navigate when deciding which community solar project to enroll in.

“The biggest thing people care about is, How much am I going to save? What’s the guaranteed savings percentage? Most are 10 percent. Some are 5 percent. If you see something less than 10 percent, there’s probably something better available,” Giebel said.

Second, contracts are typically long term, perhaps up to 20 years. So clients might want to know if it’s possible to get out of an agreement without incurring any fees. Giebel said this is usually possible, with a 60- to 90-day advance notice window.

And third, customers want to know how they’re going to be billed. In some cases, they’re sent a second invoice in addition to their regular utility bill, a situation most people want to avoid. So Giebel suggested finding a project that involves just one invoice.

by Christine Graf

A large-scale study conducted in Japan showed that increased work from home has led to an increase in lower back pain, and Google searches for the words “back pain” reached an all-time high in January 2022. Poor ergonomics in the home office are thought to be partially to blame for the worldwide surge in back pain.

Since the start of the pandemic, Denise Didio Buher, PT, owner of Orthopedic and Spine Physical Therapy in Queensbury, said her practice has seen an increase in the number of patients seeking treatment for back and neck pain.

“I have certainly seen an increase in all of this because people have been more sedentary since COVID, and they are all working from home. During COVID, I did tele-rehab, and I had a ton of people from New York City who were really trapped in their apartments. I worked with them to correct their seating, correct their posture, and give them exercises to counteract everything that they were doing.”

Dr. Brad Elliott, owner of Elliott Chiropractic in Clifton Park, said he has also seen an uptick in the number of patients seeking care for back, neck, and shoulder pain.

“Home workstations have kept providers like me busy,” he said. “There’s been a lot of overuse injury from working from home without a doubt. I’ve seen a lot of neck, shoulder, and upper back issues and a lot of nerve and muscle-based issues from forward head carriage.”

Buher is trained in the McKenzie Method, a biopsychosocial system of musculoskeletal care that emphasizes patient empowerment and self-treatment. She also does ergonomic assessments for individuals and companies.