Contest Winners: The Collmus Family

$10,000 Makeover

John Collums

Ivy, Albemarle County

2212 Square Feet
Year Built: 1983
 

Contractor: Abrahamse & Company

Abrahamse is working with the following local contractors to complete the work: Comfort Source, Key Green Energy Solutions, Piedmont Radiant and WeatherSeal. 

"Abrahamse & Co. Builders, Inc. is the best LEAP contractor in the program and we want to prove it. There is existing housing in Charlottesville and surrounding counties that need energy upgrades.  The SMACKDOWN gives us the opportunity to educate homeowners about the benefits of energy retro-fits. Abrahamse & Co. Builders, Inc. has always been on the cutting edge of building durable energy-efficient homes with healthy indoor environments.  We built the first certified American Lung Association Health houses in Virginia.  We have LEED Accredited Professionals and Certified Building Analysts on staff.  By working within the LEAP program, we can take energy efficiency to the next level." -- Abrahamse & Co.

"The energy auditor's job is to identify the most cost effective things people can do to improve the energy efficiency of their homes.  The Smackdown Contest was a great challenge: to make sure all the most important improvements fit into the budget of the Home Energy Makeover Contest winners." -- Key Green Energy Solutions

Why This House? 

The Collums family of five plus their two exchange students live in a 1983 house with high energy bills and comfort issues. Among the main culprits are old appliances and heat pumps plus duct work outside of the conditioned space.

Basic Issues Uncovered in Home Energy Assessment:

• Air handlers and duct work located in attic and crawl space
• Duct work very leaky and poorly configured
• Most attic and knee wall areas poorly insulated
• One heat pump broken and old inefficient DHW tank
• House is more than 3.5 times as leaky as it needs to be

Home Energy Improvement Measures with Makeover:

• Conditioning of crawl space and knee wall areas with foam
• Duct work reconfigured in crawl space, sealed and insulated throughout
• Major attic areas sealed and better insulated
• New heat pump system and HP conversion kit added to DHW tank
• Wood stove integrated with heat pump and leakage reduced in half

Expected Benefits:

Increased comfort throughout the home, improved indoor air quality.

Projected Energy Savings:

30-40%