As a writer and resident of Syracuse I’ve watched as program after program that are designed to assist low-moderate income homeowners fail to live up to promises. They have failed to provide value for the homeowner by performing work not necessary or performing work so badly that the homeowner was better-off before government assisted help was dispensed.
This is applicable to the recent home energy program where New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) would pay 50 percent of the cost of energy savings related upgrades. This service included an energy audit which should identify where leakage is occurring through walls, doors, windows, etc.
I witnessed a contractor from the NYSERDA program quote a project and even perform the requisite air flow test. When the homeowner was scheduled to have the work performed, to her surprise the house already had foam insulation installed. Her work-order clearly said that the entire home would be insulated, but the estimator never bothered to check to see if the home had already gone through some energy saving efforts. Areas identified by the homeowner included a kitchen that leaked cold air throughout the winter.
The homeowner was initially pleased with the prospect that 50 percent of costs were being subsidized. But that’s where the pleasure ended.
Once completed, the company refused to address the issue of extremely drafty conditions that the government funded program was supposed to address. In fact, the project construction staff consisted of several people hanging out with nothing to do for hours on end.
At the end of the project the homeowner was forced to finance additional funds to partially eliminate draft conditions that this government sponsored program was supposed to correct.
What if the homeowner hadn’t discovered foam insulation in major sections of the home?
I had similar work done on my home without the benefit of a government subsidy. The cost was affordable and done properly. Without the subsidy, my costs were lower than the subsidized energy saving initiative!
The NYSERDA program assisted many in achieving energy savings through government financed installation of upgrades. However, I believe some of these companies slapped together quotes and performed work in an effort to take advantage of some free government money.
Jan. 8, 2012
