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Having spent more time in Asheville attics than any sensible person would stomach, we've seen it all.  Many times over.

And we've installed it all.  Fiberglass, cellulose, spray foam, sealants and caulks, insulation dams, radiant barriers, kneewall backing, whole-house ventilation, the list just goes on and on.

Lo these many years, the one thing that's been absent is a nearly universal solution for 95% of the attics we've inspected. 

Until now. 

We're delighted to introduce the Asheville Insulation System.  The one solution that will make your home perform like it's supposed to, with a minimum of disruption to your life.

Alright, you say, cut the sales blather and tell us what this amazing system is…

Glad you asked.

(A footnote for the following description.  I've already gone to great lengths to explain what all of these disparate elements are, so I'm linking to them within the site.)

It all starts, of course, with air-sealing your "building envelope".  Stemming the loss of heated and cooled air is job #1, it's where the rubber meets the road, and it qualifies you for a very nice rebate check for $375 from Progress Energy.  Isn't it about time you got a check from them?

By the way, the whole shootin' match also qualifies you for up to a $500 rebate from the IRS.  Who couldn't use a break from those folks?

Next, we install R-38 insulation, either cellulose or fiberglass, depending on your choice, on top of your existing insulation.  Ideally, we can get you to R-50 or above.  Now that's insulated!

The final step is the installation of a Radiant Barrier, on top of your spanking new insulation.  

Again, if any of this is new to you, please click the links in the description to get loads of information about each of these products and processes.

OK, fine, you say, how much is all of this going to cost me?

Also glad you asked.

Priced individually, and if we installed all three, it would cost $3.54 for each square foot.  But now, you can get the complete Asheville Insulation System for only three bucks per square foot!  For the average home that's a $500 savings!  And, it's a real insulation system that you need never think about again. 

To top it all off, for a limited time we're offering our Home Performance Checkups for free, ordinarily $100, just to get the ball rolling on "The System".

But hurry, we're not going to be this heated up forever.  Once the system is adopted, writ large, by Asheville homeowners, the Checkup will cost you a hundred smackers again. 

Call us today to schedule an appointment (828) 281-7466.

If you've never seen a Velux Suntunnel in action, you have to check these things out.  The whole shebang can be installed in a matter of hours and looks just like a flush-mounted ceiling light fixture, except that it's filling your room with natural light.  They can also be installed with a genuine light fixture inside so you have light both day and night.  (Hey, that rhymes!)

Of course, traditional skylights are super cool too.  But the Suntunnel does away with all of the muss and fuss of getting daylight into your home.

Got a dark bathroom or kitchen?  A new skylight from Velux will change your life.

We've already installed tons of them, for tons of happy customers.  If you're looking for a way to light up a room for at a very affordable price, call Conservation Pros to get the contact info for some referrals.

Most importantly, the fact that there's only one tiny hole to cut in your ceiling and roof means an absolute minimum of dust, dirt and time in your home.

Is there another way to get daylight into your Asheville home without disrupting your life at all?  If so, please tell us about it so we can offer that too!

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/06/28/opinion/main20074960.shtml?tag=mncol;lst;1

For the record, Edison did NOT invent the incandescent light bulb.  He figured out how to make them last longer and how to mass produce them, by way of a coconut thread I believe.

By now, everyone but Texans knows that these little heaters that, by happy accident, throw off 10% of the energy they use as light, are an unbelievably dated and wasteful technology.  But down where the stars at night are big and bright, they just don't give a rattlesnakes behind.  By golly, Texas lawmakers have passed a bill, and sent it on to Governor Rick Perry for his signature, that allows Texans to skirt the federal law that phases out incandescent bulb technology.

Now, I don't suppose that Texans like wasting energy any more than the rest of us.  And I don't reckon they want to keep paying higher bills to light their homes, businesses and by-ways.  I reckon they're just giving Obama the finger.  Because they're Texans Goldangit.  And political grandstanding is a way of life in Texas.

But, I gotta tell ya, pardners, this one's just flat-out stupid.  Yes, advancing technologies in lighting are not fully developed.  Now listen good, varmint.  The way you speed technological advancement is by ensuring that it's adopted on a grand scale, spurring research and development while driving down costs.  

In Texas, they seem willing to live in the dark ages, all the while bitching that advancement isn't happening fast enough.  Time to update the slogan to, "I'll keep my Bible, my guns, and my light bulbs, you can keep the change."

Say what you want about whether or not the government can or cannot create jobs, I don't care.  Fact is, we never got the chance to find out.  The partisan bickering and spoiled-brat politics got in the way of Obama even having a chance to make the vision a reality, or a complete bust.

Add to that the sheer magnitude of the undertaking, and the time required to get it moving, and you've got a political thorn in your paw.

Perhaps it was foolish of Obama to make such grand promises back when he was just a babe in the woods, in presidential terms.  And I have to admit that I haven't always been kind to his efforts.  But, he got a lot of people, myself included, all heated up about the possibility of a green economy and a whole bucket-load of green jobs.

Unfortunately, the jobs didn't come.  Now, all we're left with is bloated government weatherization programs (I worked closely with one, trying to "trim the fat", only to discover that it was all fat, all the time.) and feelsy-goody nonprofits.

As I understand it, the Bureau of Labor Statistics is conducting an audit to determine just how many green jobs have been created.  And it's likely to be just another sharp stick in the eye.

Read the article here:  http://politi.co/lV8GOz

Those of you who aren't going to click through can read the statement right here:

"Energy management programs are all well and good. And they certainly have a place in the greater strategy for the reduction of energy consumption. However, our primary strategy should be stemming the waste in our existing homes.

According to the EPA, 10% of our annual energy expenses are wasted through the building envelope. Given that the residential sector in the US, in 2005, consumed 10.55 quadrillion BTU’s of energy, that means a potential savings of 1.05 quadrillion BTU’s. Imagine a pile of coal that’s 10 feet thick, one mile wide and about 3.3 miles long. That’s one quad. Wasted. Every year. And rising…

Obama had it right with the Home Star package but no one in DC had the fortitude to make it fly.

Air-sealing and insulating every home in the US is where the rubber meets the road, folks. Energy management is like trying to stop a spurting artery with a butterfly band-aid."

I'm not actually suggesting, of course, that you should bilk the government.  I just thought it was a catchy enough title to get your attention.

Read the rest of the article here.

Apparently, venture capitalists are running scared from all things solar.  Why?  It's a business model that's entirely propped up by federal dollars.  Were it not for the incentives, there would be no solar industry in this country.

Alternative energy firms have been the darlings of silicon valley for the last few years, based on promises made by Obama to create a "green economy".  VC's are now worried that, with the efforts to cut the budget deficit consuming DC, the fed may not make good on financial promises it's made in the past, or will make in the future.

In the 70's, solar was the promise of the future, Carter installed solar panels on the white house and electric cars were going to save the world.  Does any of this look familiar to you, dear reader?  It looks like we might be headed down that road all over again.

A friend of mine said, just the other day, "History repeats itself.  It has to.  No one is listening." 

Unless something monumental shakes loose here, we're going right back to the Reagan years, folks.  

It's been fun.

This post was inspired by a fantastic article by Tim Mullany with the humble title "ECO WEAK-O", the full text of which can be read at this link.

Maybe we should start a poll…