Home Comfort Explained

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Are your windows getting the blame? Physics is the name of the game! Before you rush to replace them, watch this eye-opening episode of Home Comfort Tactics. Join Eric Gans, certified energy auditor, as he unravels the surprising truth about windows and home energy efficiency with Teresa, a homeowner questioning everything she thought she knew. Learn why windows account for only 10% of air leakage...

Tired of shivering in your Cape Cod house? Looking to get to the bottom of the problem once and for all? Discover how one homeowner transformed his drafty Cape Cod into a cozy haven. From shocking energy audit revelations to DIY detective work and a successful renovation, this episode is packed with actionable tips for improving your home's comfort and efficiency. The key to a comfortable hom...

Discover how Maryland homeowners can tap into thousands of dollars in energy-saving rebates through BGE and Pepco's rebate programs. In this video, Eric Gans from Hometrust Remodeling breaks down how home energy audits, air sealing, insulation, and HVAC upgrades can reduce energy bills while maximizing rebate savings. Learn why common problem areas like attics, rim joists, and recessed lights...

This podcast episode from "Home Comfort Tactics" delves into the story of a homeowner in Rockville, MD, named Alex, who faced a perplexing condensation issue in their new home. Despite numerous consultations with experts, the problem persisted, causing discomfort and energy inefficiency.  The host, an experienced energy auditor, was approached to help resolve this "Dew Point Dilemma...

In this episode of Home Comfort Tactics, we dive into the Home Electrification and Appliance Rebates (HEEHR) program, a cornerstone of the Inflation Reduction Act to make homes more energy-efficient. We explore how the program's $4.5 billion fund is helping low- and moderate-income households afford crucial upgrades like heat pumps, electric stoves, and insulation through point-of-sale rebate...

What you may find a little different about my approach to explaining the Inflation Reduction Act HOMES Rebate program is that I try remembering when I was a homeowner and a window contractor. I did not know or understand anything about the whole-house approach or how it could change how I think about comfort and energy use in my home.  When some of the critical concepts started to click for me, I...

Overview of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (H.R. 5376): Two years ago, the United States government introduced the Inflation Reduction Act, a bold move with a whopping $8.8 billion earmarked specifically for Home Energy Rebates.  It is a significant investment in Home Energy Rebates and should highlight the importance of getting these improvements made to your home. I provide you with an intr...

Thank you for listening! If you would like to learn more about my home performance company or get in touch, please visit https://www.hometrustremodeling.com or https://ericgans.com. Unlock Your Home's Full Potential - Hometrust Remodeling, Your Trusted Partner in Maryland Home Performance Learn more at homeairleakagetest.com Watch this stuff on YouTube

I am a Certified Energy Auditor in Maryland.  I have had several revelations over the past several years, and this important one is about replacement windows. I am a contractor and a homeowner who fixates on personal comfort in my living space. I like to share my experiences with home comfort and remodeling so that you can make decisions that are light years ahead of my own! Despite my initial bel...

If you live in Maryland and want to learn more about the insulation R-values you need in the different areas of your home, this video podcast can help. You need to measure insulation through a slightly different lens. Rather than focusing on which insulation is better, achieving the recommended R-value for specific areas of your home's shell is more critical. There are two essential things to...

Getting a home energy audit is one of those things that many do not fully comprehend the benefits of until the assessment is complete. At that time, a well-trained energy consultant will be able to walk you around your home and illuminate issues that you have likely been walking right past for many weeks, months, or in some cases YEARS! Don't wait any longer and empower yourself TODAY to make...

Continue your journey to better home comfort with part two of my fall bucket list of things you can do to make your home more comfortable. I have helped hundreds of Maryland homeowners attain a better quality of life regarding their home comfort. This podcast's mission is to break through to homeowners and help shape a new way to think about your living space, which can transform your quality...

Start your journey to better home comfort with my fall bucket list of things you can do to make your home more comfortable. I have helped hundreds of Maryland homeowners attain a better quality of life regarding their home comfort. This podcast's mission is to break through to homeowners and help shape a new way to think about your living space, which can transform your quality of life. I kno...

As an energy auditor, certified through the local Maryland utility, I am responsible to help homeowners figure out solutions for their damp or cold crawl space and explain to them in easy-to-understand ways the benefits of insulating it right. 00:00 How Can this Episode Help? 02:48 Recent Crawl Space Visit 04:52 The Reason this Encapsulated Crawl Space is not Encapsulated If you would like to lear...

This episode of Home Comfort Tactics shares several exciting and interesting ways you can think about your house as a system.  Chances are that your house will have at least one of the things on the list that might be neglected.  I was once an unsuspecting homeowner (and contractor simultaneously) living in uncomfortable houses and paying for new HVAC to fix the problem. There is much more to comf...

We learn to get to the root of the problem in grade school, and it can apply to many aspects of our lives including issues around the house that don't get the correct diagnosis and reappear. I used this podcast episode to touch on a few key points related to a recent situation that unfolded between May and June 2023. The homeowner in Rockville Maryland had drywall tape peeling at the turn of...

I will tell you right now - this study proves that you should not replace your windows if you want to make your home more comfortable! This study shows that replacement windows only reduce drafts by 6% compared with other, less expensive retrofit plans, including sealing the attic and other important places like the top of the foundation wall in a basement or crawl space. I am a former window cont...

Air leakage in your home is the number one reason for comfort problems and high energy bills. Learn more at homeairleakagetest.com Watch this stuff on YouTube

Performing a home energy audit without proper testing equipment or training is not possible, however every homeowner can look for these five signs to decide if getting a comprehensive home energy audit is worth the investment. In order to decide if you need a comprehensive home energy audit, it is helpful to have a general idea of it's overall function. According to the EPA Local Residential...

If you just bought a home - congrats! Chances are very high that you got a home inspection during the process, and it has a list of things you need to do to keep it up to "code". But I am willing to bet that the list lacks many essential items to make your home super cozy and energy efficient. Here is a link to the podcast file: https://residentialcomforttactics.buzzsprout.com Thank you...

This week we discuss the importance of choosing the right energy auditor to maximize your available incentives. We touch on encapsulating your attic compared with not and some of the advantages you get - going either way. Overall, it was a fun episode with several good nuggets of information, including a little bit about roofing. Learn more at homeairleakagetest.com Watch this stuff on YouTube

In this episode Kyle and Eric discuss raccoons in an attic and how that can drive up an energy bill. We also get into the benefits of getting your HVAC ducts checked through a home energy audit. Learn more at homeairleakagetest.com Watch this stuff on YouTube

In our fourth week together, Eric and Kyle dive into the show and revisit some of the exciting things that happened to us related to Home Performance in the past week. Learn more at homeairleakagetest.com Watch this stuff on YouTube

2023 should be the year you start looking at your home and comfort in three-dimensional ways.  You can make intelligent, inexpensive upgrades with the proper guidance.   As a certified home energy auditor, I see the same problems repeatedly. The most important thing to understand is that many of the issues I point out to homeowners are hiding in plain sight. The physics behind the issues we all ex...