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Dennis Brachfeld Provides Knowledge on Making Your Home More Comfortable and Energy Efficient

BrokerIPTV: We are talking with Dennis Brachfeld today, energy consultant for existing homes and Dennis, welcome.

Dennis Brachfeld: Welcome. Happy to be here.

BrokerIPTV: Thanks for being here. Tell me about your company, what you do?

Dennis Brachfeld: We specialize in making existing houses more comfortable and more energy efficient.

BrokerIPTV: How many homes are inefficient, when we talk about heat, when we talk about energy? What would you say?

Dennis Brachfeld: Well, I will tell you. We have worked on a little over 30,000 houses since I started the company and we still haven't even scratched the surface. So, nowadays new houses that are energy star labeled, which I would say are less than 5% of the market, are pretty energy efficient; they won't need me.

BrokerIPTV: Right.

Dennis Brachfeld: But historically....

BrokerIPTV: But that is only 5% of the market.

Dennis Brachfeld: In today's market, right. Energy ....

BrokerIPTV: That is, 95% are all losing heat and energy.

Dennis Brachfeld: Correct, wasting it.

BrokerIPTV: Why is that? We were talking before we got started and you had the perfect answer.

Dennis Brachfeld: Right, because typically homeowners ask how many square feet do I get for the buck and it is not a problem yet, but once you have a problem, you look for the best stock. So, once a homeowner acknowledges they have a problem, they look for us.

BrokerIPTV: And you do what you call a comfort home audit?

Dennis Brachfeld: Correct.

BrokerIPTV: What is it? Tell us a little bit about it?

Dennis Brachfeld: Well, I kind of believe in the 80/20 rule that if a homeowner is aware of their environment, they probably know where 80% of the problems are and we can figure out why those are problem areas - either too hot in the summer or too cold in the winter. So, we rely on their input, on the comfort audit, and you need all the instrumentation to do an audit where the homeowner doesn't know about the house. Let's say they are deciding to decide between two houses they haven't lived in yet and that is more of a detailed scientific audit.

BrokerIPTV: All right. We are also talking about keeping your house cool. You know during the summer so... is that the same process that you go through?

Dennis Brachfeld: It is a little bit different. The physics is a little bit different because the physics of heat - heat goes from hot to cold, heat does not rise, warm air rises, warm water rises, but the reason why the upstairs is hotter is basically because it is closer to the roof and the roof and attic get so hot and downstairs it is cooler because it is further away from the roof, not because warm air is rising. So, we really make sure the attic is well ventilated to let that heat out in the first place and then we insulate the attic insulation or shading east and west windows.

BrokerIPTV: All right. Last question - this wasn't what we talked about. Settle this fight for between me and my wife. We have got a finished basement. She says keep the vents closed in that basement because I want all the heat going upstairs. I say keep the vents open in the basement so you get heated from bottom up. Answer?

Dennis Brachfeld: Okay. Yeah, the answer is complicated, but it is how much air goes through your furnace. It is like your radiator. When your radiator gets plugged up, your engine overheats. By closing up some of the vents, you are slowing down the amount of heat that is going through your furnace and so you are sending more of the heat up the chimney. So, it is more efficient to have as many vents open as you can and get more heat air going through that furnace to transfer more into the house.

BrokerIPTV: I think I may have won that. Dennis, thank you very much. Appreciate talking to you.