Retrofit America Brings 'Green' to Glen Cove

With oil prices skyrocketing in the past year alone, Retrofit America believes they hold the remedy for Long Island homeowners footing the bill.

The company is hosting a challenge for each town. Once Glen Cove has reached 50 retrofits, the homeowner who saves the most energy will receive a prize worth at least $1,000, according to Lauren Ritchie, Chief Financial Officer and owner of the New York franchise.

“Typically, energy bills can be reduced by 20 to 60 percent by retrofitting your home,” said Ritchie.

Retrofit America’s goal is to provide clean, energy efficient updates to households, such as sealing air leaks and adding insulation, in order to help save homeowners the cost of space heating, cooling and water heating. With a new office now located in Oyster Bay, the company is hoping Long Island residents will jump on their "green" bandwagon.

The company was started by a Dartmouth classmate of Ritchie’s, Ron Harris. He and CEO Geoff Berlin are “very interested in environmental issues and helping to solve our nation’s energy crisis,” said Ritchie. “If this country doesn’t sort out its energy problems, our children are going to have a very different life than we have.”

There are four steps to the Retrofit America process: A home energy auditor evaluates the home; loans, rebates and tax credits are discussed and lined up; a contractor implements the agreed efficiency improvements; and the work is verified by an auditor upon completion.

Although Retrofit America is a relatively new company, all of their contractors have been in business for decades in their respective specialties, according to Ritchie.

“The business [of retrofitting] has historically been handled by small, local contractors with varying degrees of skills and levels of quality,“ she said. “What we’re aiming to do is bring professional management, quality systems and IT systems to a business that has never really had that before.”

Through the company’s methods, homeowners can expect to pay from about $5,000 to $15,000 on their upgrades, depending on the age and size of the house. For example, a person with a pre-1980 house (who heats with oil and has $5,000 in heating a cooling bills) can normally save 30 to 40 percent per year on those costs. That same person can finance the $7,000 cost for efficiency improvements at 3.49 percent over 15 years, along with $600 in loan payments per year – a total of $1,750 in savings annually – and a 25 percent rebate from LIPA equalling $1,750 lump sum.

In terms of rebates, LIPA gives up to $3,000 for oil-heated homes, and up to $5,000 (75 percent) for electrically-heated homes.

“People should take advantage of them while they’re there,” said Ritchie, as the rebates are only a limited-time offer. Additionally, there is an obtainable federal energy tax credit which is now up to $500.

As stated in the White House’s “Recovery Through Retrofit” report, existing retrofitting technologies can lower home energy use by up to 40 percent per home, and “have the potential to reduce home energy bills by $21 billion annually, paying for themselves over time.”

For Retrofit America upgrades, the payback time is two to five years.

Although there appears to be monetary benefits to retrofitting, it’s very important to understand common myths about energy efficiency, according to Ritchie.

Manufacturers may suggest buying new windows if the house feels drafty, or the bills are too high. However, it could be the insulation that needs to be replaced, she claims.

“I’ve discovered that the maximum insulating value you can get for some of the most expensive windows is the equivalent to cardboard,” she said. “So if people’s windows feel drafty, it’s more likely to be air leaking around the windows, not the windows themselves. Same goes for a new boiler.”

Currently, Retrofit America is offering educational jobs, particularly to students and veterans of all ages, since the metro New York area operation – which covers Long Island – is 100 percent locally disabled- and veteran-owned.

“Retrofit America is providing homeowners on Long Island with energy savings and more comfort by improving the energy efficiency of their homes,” she said. “Through our hassle-free, one-stop-service, you can reduce your monthly utility bills and we’ll bring financing to the table so you have no upfront costs!”

Retrofit America is on Facebook, and can be contacted through their Web site or by phone: 1-877-813-0777.