Regis McQuaide, an award-winning contractor and founder of Master Remodelers, was already a member of the Green Building Alliance and his company's designer is a Certified Green Professional. Now McQuaide can add another “green” credential to his resume- Certified Building Analyst.
McQuaide recently completed coursework to become one of only eight contractors in the Pittsburgh area with this certification from the Building Performance Institute, which means that he is now trained to use state of the art technology to improve energy efficiency and greatly reduce home energy costs. In a home energy audit McQuaide will do a basic walk through, use blower door technology to measure pressure and air flow, and use an infrared camera to detect where heat is going. He'll take that data and then do computer modeling to determine the most cost effective ways to improve efficiency. “It's like giving the house an MRI,” says McQuaide.
McQuaide, who just celebrated his 20th year as a remodeling contractor, has noticed much more interest in green remodeling lately, particularly as energy costs have risen. He believes that cutting down on energy use should be the first thing to look at in limiting a home's environmental impact. “The two e's in green should really stand for energy efficiency,” he says.
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Rob Cullen
Sources: Regis McQuaide, Master Remodelers
Image courtesy Randy Strothman & Associates