Sustainable Series: Becoming Efficient and Saving Money with National Energy Audits

Last week we looked at a few of the clean energy measures the Town of Brookhaven and the Town of Islip have taken in recent years. With the help of the Sustainable Institute at Molloy College we were able to track some of the renewable energy (RE) activities in the Sachem Area, but that is only one portion of the clean energy movement.

Another large portion of the movement is energy efficiency (EE). For many, EE is the first step residential homes should take in an effort to save money and become green, and it’s National Energy Audits job to see that they do. 

National Energy Audits (NEA), with corporate headquarters at 601 Portion Road (a string of second-floor offices above the Wachovia Bank in the eastern corner of the Waldbaum's Shopping Center), boasts being the nation's largest home energy audit and solution company. Interestingly enough, the company is less than two years old and was founded by three Sachem graduates.

"We're not even in business two years and we've gone from three partners to over 200 employees in five states," said Carlo Argila, President of NEA and one of the three founding members. "The industry is one of those things – like the dotcoms before things blew up – there is a lot of excitement behind what we are doing."

That excitement spans investors and renewable energy companies, but the ones right now that benefit directly from NEA's services are homeowners. NEA services homeowners with a staff of trained and certified auditors that visit homes and identify where energy is being wasted, whether it be poorly sealed windows, leaky attic access, old insulation, or heating and cooling systems.

"Over two-thirds of the heated and [air-conditioned] cool air you pay to heat and cool your home is wasted," Mr. Argila said. "It's used on the backyard."

According to Argila, an average audit takes roughly three hours to complete. Several tests are administered, including a blown-door test where, in layman's terms, a huge fan acts as a vacuum and sucks in all the home's air to identify leaks. Right now, though, if you were looking to schedule an audit the quicker you act the better – NEA is booked for the next month.

Shedding light onto the company's success, and full calendar, is cost. For instance, a 30 percent Federal Tax Credit courtesy of the 2009 stimulus package is just one of a handful of incentives NEA customers can take advantage of. Coupled with that, an audit conducted by NEA's runs between $49 and $250, considerably lower than choice competitors.

"It's very inexpensive to audit," Mr. Argila said. "We are a volume-based business. We take a very different approach and really take that approach to make sure a mass number of people can get them done."

At the moment the company solely focuses on residential clients. In the next 12 to 18 months, however, Mr. Argila said NEA hopes to expand its services to commercial clients. Beyond that Mr. Argila said NEA has the notion of adding a solar division. Moreover, the company has even started putting together a pilot television show called 'Hybrid your Home,' which will be a program similar to 'This Old House' and 'Dirty Jobs.' But even with the company's growing plans, the focus right now is EE, which, according Mr. Argila, is the first step in the clean energy movement.

"First you start with energy efficiency," Mr. Argila said. "Right now solutions are very cost effective. Ultimately it's the first thing people should do."

It's also a growing field Mr. Argila encouraged students to look into as a possible career choice.

"It's a huge industry," he said. "I recommend any student to explore the industry and get into it as quick as possible."

To learn more about the company, and energy audits and solutions, or to view a preview of the show 'Hybrid your Home,' visit NEA's website.

Sachem Patch Sustainable Series

Week 1: Introduction to the Series

Week 2: Towns of Islip and Brookhaven Already in the Green Game

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