> Seattle CPW Small Business Program

News Flash For Small Business - Did You Know?

In a typical restaurant, refrigeration, food preparation, and lighting make up over 50% of total energy use. In a typical grocery store, refrigeration and lighting make up over 60% of total energy use.

We can take the chill off those bills, lighten the energy cost burden and help small retail businesses warm up to energy savings! ecoFAB is now one of three approved contractors supporting Seattle's Community Power Works for Small Business, a revolutionary program designed to assist small businesses reduce energy use by 15% or more.

Think about it; this program can assist with upgrading your old and inefficient equipment and increase the comfort of your establishment for your customers and employees all while improving your energy expense bottom line.

It's easy — businesses can get help at every step!

All you have to do to get started is get a free energy assessment. Then, with your energy performance expert, go one-on-one to learn about possible energy efficiency upgrades and utility company incentives worth $1,000 or more. Finally, participation in this program gets you access to some amazingly affordable short-term financing. Now that just makes good business sense.

 

> Mind your Gaps and Cracks!

Ahh, a breath of fresh air. Open the window and enjoy a gentle breeze; clean fresh air feels so good. And then close the window, safe and secure from the elements. Yes, it's all about controlling the air flow. But there are many areas in your home that aren't so readily controlled; there is a real reason those drafts are so... chilling.

ecoFAB provides an easy and often overlooked solution. Air sealing is one of the most significant energy efficiency improvements you can make to your home.

Leaky House Syndrome

Air leaks transfer both moisture and energy, usually in the direction you don't want. These leaks carry hot humid outdoor air into your house in the summer, or warm moist air from a bathroom into your attic in the winter. Air sealing not only reduces energy costs; by controlling heat loss and humidity it will also improve your home's comfort and durability over the long run.

Air leakage between the living space and other parts of the house is often much greater than the obvious leaks around windows and doors. Most homeowners are aware that air leaks into and out of their homes through small openings around doors and window frames and through fireplaces and chimneys. What is not so evident, however, is that air also moves through living spaces from other unheated parts of the house, such as attics, basements, or crawlspaces. Since many of these leakage paths are driven by the tendency for warm air to rise and cool air to fall, the attic is often the best place to stop them. It's important to stop these leaks before adding attic insulation because the insulation may hide them and make them less accessible. Attic insulation itself will not stop these leaks and won't save as much as expected because the air will still flow through or around the insulation.

Heating and cooling account for 50 to 70% of the energy used in the average American home. Inadequate insulation and air leakage are leading causes of energy waste in most homes. Source: Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, one of the world's premier centers for research and development on energy production, distribution, and use.

Air is tricky. It can move silently through:

• cracks where two walls meet, where the wall meets the ceiling, or near interior door frames
• gaps around electrical outlets, switch boxes, and recessed fixtures (can lights are a big offender)
• gaps behind recessed cabinets, and furred-out or false ceilings such as kitchen or bathroom soffits
• gaps around attic access hatches and pull-down stairs
• behind bath tubs and shower stall units
• through floor cavities of finished attics adjacent to unconditioned attic spaces
• utility chase-ways for ducts
• plumbing and electrical wiring penetrations

We can stop it. An ecoFAB home energy audit includes an air gap and insulation check, offering an easy first step in the Rx to improve the health of your home.

 

> DUCK... What???

If it looks like a duck and sounds like a duck but carries a pair of kitanas and "DUCK" TAPE, what is it?

It's DUCK NINJA!

As one of Puget Sound Energy's preferred Duct Ninja program contractors, ecoFAB provides duct sealing and insulation for existing homes. Our fine-feathered Office Manager, Heather, put a fun spin on some very important work this Halloween.

Don't mess with the Ninja. Especially when she's a duck.

 

ecoFAB  210 S. Hudson, Ste. 304 Seattle, WA. 98134