On Friday the CT Clean Energy Corps ventured to Wesson Energy in Waterbury, Connecticut. Wesson Energy is one of our approved contractors working through the Neighbor to Neighbor Energy Challenge, and were kind enough to invite us to their training facility to give us an overview of home efficiency upgrades and answer some of the Corps pressing questions.
One of the first things we discussed was the presence of HVAC or Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning unit in houses where we would be encouraging deeper energy savings. For example, depending on the type of heating systems they used, such as a boiler, a furnace, or electrical heating, we would tailor our discussions to fit the homeowner's needs. The most important thing for most homeowners is comfort, and with inefficient heating systems installed, sometimes incorrectly, they pose a danger to the comfort level of the consumer as well as wasting energy and making the home more expensive to maintain. With understanding upgrades, we can talk knowledgeably to town residents and get them equally excited about the possibility of a new heating or cooling system installed in their house as well as give them access to rebates through our Home Energy Solutions program.
We also learned more about insulation, ice dams, and about the contractor homeowner relationship. It was a really informative day, and the Corps was very excited to have such a knowledgeable resource at our disposal.
To end a fun afternoon of training, we headed to a local hibachi restaurant for a team lunch before heading back to work. This proved especially entertaining when the hibachi chef tried to toss zucchini into everyone's mouth, a task especially challenging for Kayla (just kidding Kayla, we saw you catch one). Overall it was a great day of learning about home efficiency and watching your coworkers get hit in the face by vegetables.
-Kevin & Stacy
