A contractor walks in the house, and there it sits: the tower fan. Further advancing into the home, there’s an unplugged space heater. Heading upstairs to the second floor, another tower fan. Now sweating, the contractor turns down the hall, and it’s there, staring him dead in the eye: a window a/c unit. The horror … the horror.
Some contractors may simply see these items as creature comforts in a customer’s home. For those looking to address whole-home energy efficiency and comfort, however, these items can be terrifying. With trends in home-performance contracting shifting to performance as opposed to simply higher-efficiency equipment, contractors are left with the challenge of breaking the hodgepodge cycle of heating and cooling.