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Dennis Brachfeld on Reducing Your Energy Bill, "think globally, but heat locally."

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

Dennis Brachfeld: Thank you. Glad to be here.

BrokerIPTV: Glad to have you here. You say that you have been doing this for 30 years and I think and the topic we are talking about here is this is kind of a sign of the times, energy efficiency and so forth, but you are saying you have been doing this back 30 years. Was business booming 30 years ago?

Dennis Brachfeld: Yes. The first awareness with the oil embargo I think was in 1972. That was the first awareness. Before that, we had a glut of natural gas in the Rocky Mountain region. So, there was no incentive to conserve energy in the Rocky Mountain region.

BrokerIPTV: All right. Since being environmentally friendly has caught on, what has happened to your business? Has it just skyrocketed?

Dennis Brachfeld: Yes, it's become much more mainstream, but we are still behind granite countertops I think.

BrokerIPTV: Really?

Dennis Brachfeld: In improvements, yeah.

BrokerIPTV: Really. Yeah, so people will spend the money on the countertops and put off the energy consultant.

Dennis Brachfeld: Right, but then when they realize their house is uncomfortable, then they do it and I say whether your home is your shelter or your castle, you deserve to be comfortable in it.

BrokerIPTV: Now builders are trying to build environmentally friendly homes these days and I imagine that they are going to start getting the message that that includes energy efficiency. Are they talking with you at all?

Dennis Brachfeld: Yes, and even though my specialty is existing houses, for some of the very good builders, for instance, Harvard Community that built a near zero energy house and they are totally utility built - heating, electric, and utilities is $600 a year.

BrokerIPTV: Yeah.

Dennis Brachfeld: A year and I have gone to some brand new houses in Highlands Ranch. They have frozen pipes. They have only been there three months. I have been up to Bradburn Village and they had $450 monthly heating bill and supposedly a superinsulated house; so, it really takes somebody who is dedicated and has it tested by outside auditors, energy auditors.

BrokerIPTV: All right. So, talk about building an energy efficient house, 30 years ago verses today, biggest difference.

Dennis Brachfeld: Well, it is interesting. 30 years ago the costs were about half of what they are now and a lot of people thought, well, it is just not necessary because natural gas was landlocked here. We had more supply outstrip demand. We had more natural gas than demand and it didn't make sense to insulate. So, even though we have seen the greatest increase in energy costs in the country last four or five years, we are still in the bottom third. So, we have a long way to go to catch up to the rest of the country, but we are heading that way.

BrokerIPTV: All right. What is the one thing people can do to reduce their energy bill that is easy?

Dennis Brachfeld: Okay. The one thing is be aware of their environment and figure out where they spend their time and target their improvements to the area where they spend the time. It could be the family room or the kitchen and be comfortable there. I have adopted a saying: heat - think globally, but heat locally. So, nowadays with natural gas prices going up sometimes electric heater makes a great sense. They heat one family room with electric heater instead of heating the whole house with a giant over-sized furnace. It makes a lot of economic sense.

BrokerIPTV: Very interesting stuff. I appreciate that. Thank you.

Dennis Brachfeld: Thanks for having the interest.