Have you had your home checked out, to see if it’s ready for another grueling Midwest winter? A home energy audit determines how much energy your home consumes and assesses what measures you can take to make your home more efficient. Just because “nothing’s broken” doesn’t mean your home may not have a serious energy problem, or several small areas where you could be saving energy every month.

Several RECC members had their homes checked out in the past year, under the HomE program that offered insulation and heating system rebates with funding from the State Energy Office. They often found that their attic insulation was below today’s construction standards, along with installation deficiencies and obvious air leakage paths.

Audits were performed by RECC and local contractors, and efficiency projects included fiberglass, cellulose and spray foam insulations along with rigid foam board, in addition to caulking and sealing materials.

While RECC does not have insulation rebates available at this time, you can still take advantage of federal tax credits for qualifying insulation and high-efficiency heating system projects completed before Dec. 31, 2013.

Here are several local insulation contractors you can contact about checking your home’s weatherization needs. We always suggest getting more than one bid on any major project to help you determine the best plan for your home.

Anders Insulation                All Green Contractors          Pioneer Homes

New Berlin                             303 Williams Lane                 430 S. Spresser St.

Springfield                              Chatham, IL  62629                Taylorville, IL 62568            

(217) 306-2300                       (217) 483-7803                       (217) 820-0481

R Factor Insulation               Capital Weatherization      Prairie Insulation

433 N. Broad, P.O. Box 198   300 S. Church St.                   3501 Mayflower Blvd

Carlinville, IL  62626              Mechanicsburg, IL  62545     Springfield, IL 62711

(217) 415-3315                        (217) 364-8026                       (217) 787-9388

EnviroFoam of Illinois          ProFoam

PO Box 15                               327 Goby Trail

Chatham, IL 62629                 Waggoner, IL 62572

(217) 553-8661                        (217) 710-5375