Natural gas furnace and boiler rebate program

If your natural gas furnace or boiler is more than 10 years old, consider having an HVAC professional look at it. The time may be right for a more energy-efficient model. A new furnace or boiler can reduce your energy bill and keep you and your family more comfortable during winter months. You also can get cash back for your purchase.
Focus on Energy, Wisconsin’s statewide program for energy efficiency and renewable energy, offers cash-back rewards for qualified replacement natural gas furnaces and boilers. In addition, We Energies is partnering with Focus on Energy to provide an additional $100 rebate for certain cash-back rewards programs.

How to get started

Choose the equipment you are looking to replace in the table below. You’ll find information about qualifying for Focus on Energy cash-back rewards through the program links below.

How to apply

Complete the Focus on Energy application available by clicking the program links below. Your Focus on Energy application automatically qualifies you for the We Energies rebate. You do not need to complete a separate form for the rebate.

Notes:

• You must be a We Energies natural gas customer in Wisconsin to be eligible.
• You will receive separate checks from Focus on Energy and We Energies.

Residential Rewards program – single family, duplexes and triplexes

Eligible equipment/efficiency rating	Focus on Energy reward	We Energies rebate	Total
Natural gas furnace 95%+ AFUE with ECM	$275	$100	$375
Boiler 95% AFUE (<300 MBh)	$400	$100	$500

Home Heating Assistance program for income-eligible residential customers –
single family, duplexes and triplexes

Eligible equipment/efficiency rating	Focus on Energy reward	We Energies rebate	Total
Natural gas furnace 90%+ AFUE with ECM	$850	$100	$950
Natural gas furnace 90%+ AFUE	$475	$100	$575
Boiler 90%+ AFUE (<300 MBh)	$750	$100	$850

Multifamily Energy Savings program for owners or managers of apartments or condos
with four or more units

Eligible equipment/efficiency rating	Focus on Energy reward	We Energies rebate	Total
Natural gas furnace 95%+ AFUE with ECM	$275	$100	$375
Natural gas furnace 90%+ AFUE with ECM	$125	$100	$225
Natural gas condensing boiler 90%+ AFUE (<300 MBh)	$500	$100	$600

Business Incentive program for Fg1 or Fg2 customers

Eligible equipment/efficiency rating	Focus on Energy reward	We Energies rebate	Total
Natural gas furnace 95%+ AFUE with ECM	$275	$100	$375
Natural gas furnace 90%+ AFUE with ECM	$125	$100	$225
Boiler 90%+ AFUE (<175 MBh input)	$200	$100	$300
Boiler 90% +AFUE (175 to <300 MBh	$250	$100	$350
Boiler 90% AFUE (<=1000 MBh)	$2/MBh boiler input	$100	Depends on boiler size

How to find your rate

Check your energy bill.

Questions?

Focus on Energy programs
focusinfo@focusonenergy.com
800-762-7077

We Energies natural gas and boiler rebate programs
Email
800-242-9137 (residential)
800-714-7777 (business)

What's the FTC up to? Shedding light on false window claims

Getting contractors to finish the job - TODAY'S TMJ4

TodaysTMJ4 News ran this "Call 4 Action" segment on the news this morning, presented by Karen Stiles.  It has some good advice for homeowners in dealing with contractors.

What is in the estimate (and what isn't)

When a contractor presents you with an estimate for your home remodeling project, your contractor's forthrightness (or lack thereof) will speak volumes to the work they will perform.  The devil is in the details when it comes to home repair.  What materials and even what brands will they be using and how much?  When will the work commence and be completed?  Who is responsible for clean-up and disposal of job-related debris?  All of these and more should be spelled out in detail in the estimate.

It is a sad truth, but many laws have been put in place to protect contractors from unforeseen issues.  While well intentioned, the laws have the unintended consequence of putting home owners in potentially severe jeopardy.  Did you know a contractor can shake your hand, agree on a price and then come back at you up to three times for more money once the project has begun?  How much money?  As much as 25% more each time.  

Knowing this, some contractors deliberately underbid their jobs to get the work, realizing all along that they can always raise the price once you are committed.  That is why it is so incredibly important that every detail of the job be spelled out in writing BEFORE you agree to use the contractor.

 I would hope most people would be smart enough not to accept a bid for roofing replacement that looks like this.  There are absolutely no details spelled out except a price and terms of "half down and half on completion".   What are you getting with this quote?  Are they roofing the house or garage or both?  Are they paying for removal of the old materials?  Are they removing the old shingles at all or just slapping another layer onto what is already there.  Are they paying for disposal fees?  Are they acquiring the permits?  Are they providing any insurance for accidental damage to your property, liability or Workers Compensation?  What type and brand of shingles are they using?  Are they using Ice & Water shield?  If so, how much and where?   What type of roofing felt are they using?  Are they replacing, adding to, re-using, or ignoring attic ventilation?  Are they flashing the chimney?  Are they providing additional flashing if needed?  Are they using a correct starter shingle and a proper hip and ridge shingle? 

I could go on and on.  The point is that if it is not in writing, you have no idea what they are going to do... and absolutely no recourse if they come back at you for all kinds of hidden charges.  You can not assume that they know what they are doing or are going to do things correctly. 

In this case, they at least spelled out that they are doing the roof on both the house and garage and that "someone" will remove the old shingles.  Again, way too many questions are not answered by this quote.  Again they are looking for half down up front.  That is a problem.

Intuit Small Business has found that over 31% of contractors fail within two years.  Within four years, that number leaps to over 56%.  Within seven years, 69% of contractors have gone out of business.  If some one tells you they need half the money up front,  what does that tell you?  It tells me they don't have the resources to purchase the materials and will likely NOT be there if/when you have problems.  Even if you do have problems and they are in business, your warranty claim may be all they need to close up "Dave's Roofing LLC" and open up "D Roofing LLC".   It only costs about $135 to open a new LLC and by closing the old, they no longer have any liability for your roofing installation. 

What about this quote?  Well it looks legitimate enough.  They spell out that they are in fact using Ice & Water shield, but is three feet up from the eaves enough to do any good?  Depending on the roof pitch, ice damming may occur beyond the protection that the three feet provides.  With a steeper pitched roof, the Ice & Water MAY HAVE TO EXTEND UP TWICE OR EVEN THREE TIMES AS FAR in order to adequately protect your home from water intrusion. 

They specify two brands of shingles "or comparable".  Who gets to decide which shingles they will use?  According to this estimate, they will essentially pick what ever shingles they feel like using, which more often than not will mean that they will pick the cheapest shingles they can find. 

What are the cheapest shingles?  Those that have a backing material manufactured from crushed rags, plant material and paper.  Known as "organic" shingles, they are cheap to produce because they are made of junk.  Unfortunately, three different manufacturers of these shingles are under class action lawsuits because the supposed 25 year, 30 year or lifetime warranted shingles curl, cup and deteriorate after anywhere from 2 to 7 years.  Why do they still sell them?  Because they make so much profit off of them because there is so little raw material cost and...they are banking on people selling their homes before the issue arises, leaving the new owners with no paperwork from-which to know what brand of shingles were used, who installed them or when. 

This estimate allows the contractor to substitute "comparable" shingles.  Are organic comparable to fiberglass backed shingles?  Perhaps in the mind of the contractor who is only comparing based on what gives him the highest profit margin on your job.

One other little detail about this quote.  Buried in the fine print is a line that reads "Any alteration or deviation from above specifications involving extra costs will be agreed upon in verbal or written form".  EXCUSE ME?  "Verbal"????   In other words, what this quote says is they can charge you anything they want to for this job and you have absolutely no proof that you did not agree to the added charges.

These are just a few examples I ran across.  Obviously,  you have to protect yourself.  You have to use common sense when it comes to estimates.  You cannot assume they will do it right.  If it is not in writing, it does not exist.  If it is in writing, particularly buried in the fine print, you can bet that it does exist and will come back to bite you in the butt.  The best advice I can give is to work with a reputable company, make sure they spell out the details of the agreement, and make sure you read the fine print. 

Don't "lien" on me

Improving your home should be an exciting and happy time.   Granted, it can also be frustrating when problems arise and things don't go as planned.  Costs escalate when unforeseen issues come up.  But what if everything goes well?  Your contractor finishes the job, it looks nice and you pay them for their services.  Time to enjoy, right?  Maybe not.

As a project consultant, part of my job is to help keep people from getting burned by inept  contractors and unscrupulous business practices.  During the consultation process, I tell them what to watch out for in order to avoid costly mistakes.

One of the biggest mistakes is in assuming that just because you pay the contractor, that your financial liabilities for the project are done.  Unfortunately for homeowners, there are laws designed to protect sub contractors and material suppliers.  The laws, while well meaning, put the homeowner in severe financial jeopardy.


Essentially, anyone in the supply chain, from the distributor to the manufacturer to the sub contractor performing the installation can place a lien on your home if they did not get paid for products and services rendered at your property.  So even if you pay the contractor in full, if he/she does not pay the warehouse or subcontractor, they can file to place a mechanical lien on your property and force you to pay for those products/services again.

I was about to explain that to a client yesterday, but before I could, he related his own horror story.  He literally lost the farm because his contractor failed to pay the supply house for materials used on his project.

An elderly gentleman from Lebanon, he told me his contractor did a great job so he paid the balance of what was owed for the $175,000 project.  The contractor took the money and even provided a lien waiver.  Because the contractor didn't pay the supply house, the supply house placed a lien for over $100,000 on the property.  The farmer didn't have the money to pay to release the lien, so this poor man's farm was foreclosed upon.  Not only did he loose his farm, his credit was ruined, which came back to haunt him again years later when he wanted to purchase a furnace and air conditioning from me. He went on to say that he was not the only victim of this contractor.  Before he was caught, the contractor did the same thing to other people that he knew.



In order to protect yourself, homeowners are required to obtain a lien from everyone in the supply chain.  This places a tremendous burden on the homeowner, since they may or (in most cases) may not even know where the materials are acquired from. 

As a project consultant, it is bad enough to read about some of the unethical / incompetent business practices home owners are subjected to.  Hearing about them first hand and seeing the effects is even worse.  The problem is that once someone has been victimized, they are often put under such financial distress that they cannot afford to have a legitimate contractor resolve the original problem.  As a result, they become victims all over again. 


One elderly woman who needed a new roof had already had three "new" roofs installed on her home, but it still leaks when it rains.  With five liens placed on her home by the "contractors", she cannot get financing for a quality roof replacement - even though the home was paid off prior to hiring the first contractor.

As I was relating these stories to a potential client, he boasted that that would not happen to him.  Unfortunately, it is just that type of arrogance that opens the door to fraud.

My best advice: Make sure you are dealing with a reputable firm with a track record of sound and honest business practices.  A little more research up front can save huge in the end.

The problem with vinyl siding...

One of the biggest issues we run into every day is the fact that home improvements are not a commodity type of item.  A window, roofing or siding product from any given manufacturer may look nearly identical to our offerings.  When faced with paying more for something that looks the same, homeowners will often go for the cheaper option thinking they are getting the same quality.  It is 3-7 years later that they realize how huge the differences can be and why spending a little extra money would have been a much better investment.

With vinyl siding, the main aspects that affect durability and good looks is the quality of the raw materials and the quality of the installation.  Vinyl siding looks like vinyl siding.  Unfortunately, most vinyl siding is comprised of on 18% actual vinyl.  The rest of the material in the mix is recycled plastic.  While I am as big of an environmental advocate as you are likely to ever find, recycled plastic makes for an extremely poor quality siding.

What is wrong with recycled vinyl????  Have you ever owned resin lawn furniture?  What does it look like after a few years out in the sun.  It gets faded, discolored, chalky and brittle.  Then it ends up on the curb on garbage day.  That is precisely what happens to siding made from the same material. 

• The slightest impact can cause recycled plastic siding to crack and break away.

 

 







 

• Lacking in structural integrity, the grip edges between panels have a poor hold on the panel below.  As a result, the siding comes loose on the wall.  Vinyl starter strips don't firmly secure the siding at the base.  Not only does this allow the siding to flap in the breeze or even rip off of the wall, it also opens infiltration points for moisture, bugs, bees and bats.

 

100% vinyl siding has much more strength to hold the pieces together against the forces of nature.  Treated with titanium dioxide, which serves as a sun block, weathering effects are drastically reduced.  An impact modifier keeps the vinyl from becoming brittle and a  temperature stabilizer allows for even expansion and contraction.  This produces a far superior material made to withstand the temperature extremes that siding will undoubtedly be exposed to.  Of course, the craftsmanship of the installation is another huge factor.

• Using "J" channels for inside corners, exposes the inside color of the "J' channel, rather than a more finished off look typical of proper inside corner piece.  "J" channels used to "finish off" the bottom of the siding provide places for leaves, debris and moisture to collect; all items which bugs just love.

 


 

• Uncapped outside corners offer another invitation to pests. 

• Overlapping sufficiently to allow for expansion and contraction is something you would expect contractors to understand.  It is basic Siding 101 material.  Unfortunately, to save a few bucks, it is not uncommon to skimp on the overlap.

Unfortunately, since new siding looks like new siding, all too many people opt for the cheaper alternative when evaluating quotes.  But as most people would agree, good things are rarely cheap and cheap things are rarely good.  If the national average price people are paying for a 1250 square foot vinyl siding job is nearly $12000 (statistic from http://www.remodeling.hw.net/2011/costvsvalue/national.aspx), doesn't it make sense to be suspicious of the guys that offer to do the project for half that price?  Do you seriously think that they would have more buying power than the largest home improvement company in the country?  What are they cutting corners on?  I will give you a hint.  QUALITY !!!

Quality of the materials.
18% PVC with 82% recycled plastic rather than 100% PVC treated with titanium dioxide to reduce the effects of weathering, an impact modifier to keep the vinyl from becoming brittle and a temperature stabilizer to allow for uniform expansion and contraction..

Quality of the installation.
J channels in corners rather than corner pieces, squaring off corners around windows and doors rather than mitering them, cutting holes in the siding for electrical outlets and faucets rather than installing finishing pieces, not capping off corner pieces, and so on..

Quality of the installers.
Did you realize that the home improvement industry is the largest employer of ex-cons and ex-felons.

Quality of the protections (or lack thereof) that consumers mistakenly believe are automatic.
These include insurance to cover incidental damage to your property, liability in case a little neighbor kid gets nosy and ends up getting hurt during the installation, and Workman's Compensation.  When workers get paid under the table, they are not covered by insurance. For anyone who has ever watched the commercials on TV that ask " Hurt on the Job?  We will sue the daylights out of them for you", who do you think they are suing???

Quality of the warranty protection.  Since 69% of contractors fail within 7 years, what kind of warranty protection do the homeowners actually receive?  Home owners may be told they are getting a 25 year warranty, but who is there to honor it?  Even if the contractor is still in business, they will often blame the problem on the manufacturer.  The manufacturer will turn around and claim that the installation was not done in conformance with factory specifications, thereby nullifying the warranty.  Doesn't it make more sense to spend a little more up front to use factory trained, factory certified installers who install quality products to factory specifications and backed by the oldest and largest contractor in the country?  You can decide that one for yourself.

A bay window would look great there !

 

It is amazing the difference that a bay window makes in the appearance of a home, making a grand transformation from ordinary to extraordinary.  The bay provides vastly improved ventilation over a conventional picture window due to the inclusion of double hung or casement flankers (the side windows of the bay unit).  Protruding out of the home, the bay brings the picturesque out-of-doors into your home, while visually expanding the size of the room.  With gorgeous natural wood framing, the bay creates a stunning showcase for holiday or seasonal items, or whatever belongings you want to highlight in your room.  The vinyl window frames and sashes, insulating glass spacer system, and foam insulated base combine to create a window unit that is not only visually stunning, but energy efficient as well. 

If you are thinking about replacing an old, drafty picture window, why not consider upgrading to a bay?  For a little more than the cost of an Egg McMuffin per day, you can make a statement !

Want windows that keep out more than just the elements?

Social media policy precludes me from showing the video footage, but we have windows with security glass that a grown man cannot break into with a baseball bat.  They keep out more than snow, rain, wind, harmful UV rays, dust, moisture, bugs, bees or bats.  If you want the peace of mind that comes from having steel bars on your windows (without actually having steel bars on your windows),  give us a call at 877-747-6589.   We will be happy to provide a free in-home consultation and show you the amazing video footage.

Need some carpeting that can stand up to a herd of elephants?

hhttp://youtu.be/UJ_z8qiELgE

Tell me you are not seriously shopping for the lowest price for your home improvements

I was visiting a family yesterday talking about a window project they wanted to get done.  As part of our consultation process, we inform our clients about the industry and what to look out for. Whether or not they choose to work with us, we feel a corporate responsibility to help keep people out of harms way.

The scary thing is, homeowners ofter have horror stories of their own.  The family I visited yesterday had a litany of issues with various contractors that built their home including shoddy workmanship and escalating costs far beyond the initial "estimates".  Worst of all, one of their contractors was actually a man who is now in prison for attempting to murder his wife.  http://www.doj.state.wi.us/absolutenm/templates/template_share.aspx?articleid=604&zoneid=5  

When you bring a contractor into your home, do you have any idea what you put at risk?  The home improvement industry is poorly regulated.  As a result, it is one of the largest employers of ex convicts.  You are trusting someone you have never met with probably your biggest investment - Your home.  You are also giving them access to your home, your possessions, your credit information... AND YOUR FAMILY.   Do you want to take the potential risk that you may be inviting a crook, con artist or pedophile into your home???

Let's assume you hire someone who is not out to scam you.  Yes there are good people in the world and some actually work in the home improvement field.  Unfortunately, there are a lot of good people who have fallen on some pretty tough times over the last few years.  Out of work because of the burst in the housing bubble, they decide to put their hammer and pickup truck to use to make some money doing home repairs/remodeling.  They start a business and take out an ad in the Yellow Pages.  They may actually take out insurance like it states in their ad.  Unfortunately, in the dead of winter and needing to make their truck payment, that insurance coverage gets dropped because they just can't afford it.  Chances are you would never know that unless one of the guys they pay under the table to help on the job, falls off of your roof.  Who do you think would be getting sued for the tens or even  hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of medical bills? 

Let's say that the job gets done well and no one gets hurt.  You pay the contractor in full and go about your business.  Unfortunately, the contractor  for whatever reason doesn't pay the distributor for the materials or the sub-contractors he hired.  Who knows why?  Maybe he has medical bills to pay, his truck blows its transmission, or he needs the cash to get materials for the next job.  Even though you paid in full, your could find a lien on your house filed by any one involved in the supply chain for your home improvement project.  You could be legally forced to pay for the job again, even though you already paid for it.  Worst case scenario, you could lose your house !

Let's think about a happier scenario.  The project is done, no one gets hurt and everyone gets paid.  Life is good... or is it?  3-5 years down the road, you have a problem with the job. Your window seals fail, your roof leaks, your siding oxidizes and fails.  Whatever the problem, you try to contact the contractor because you had been given a "Lifetime" warranty.  Unfortunately, the contractor is no longer in business.  He is not their to honor the warranty so now what do you do?  The sad truth is that within 2 years, 31% of home improvement companies fail.  Withing 5 years, that number escalates to over 50%.  Within 7 years, 69% of home improvement companies are out of business.  A lot of good that lifetime warranty is at that point.

Let's say he is still in business.  You call him and he says it is a manufacturing defect.  You then contact the manufacturer who comes out, inspects the job, charges you for the inspection, and then denies the claim because the installation was not in accordance with the manufacturer's specifications.  Read the fine print on the Warranties for windows, doors, roofing materials.  In virtually every instance, the warranty is void if not installed to manufacturer's specifications.  How do you know if it is done to those specs? 

Our windows come from the factory with stainless steel screws taped to the frames.  These screws cost $.50 each, but are required to meet factory installation specs.  If a contractor saves a few bucks and buys a box of sheet metal screws to install your new windows, they are voiding the warranty before they ever leave your home.  

I certainly understand the desire to get the best deal.  Being a consummate bargain hunter and do-it-yourselfer, I myself am extremely averse to paying too much.  With home improvements, however, the stakes are just too high and the pitfalls too deep: Scams, fraud, lawsuits, liens, insurance claims, identity theft, shoddy workmanship, use of inferior materials, and warranty coverage that isn't worth the paper it is written on.

• When you are investing in your home, doesn't it make sense to go with a company that fingerprints, drug tests, credit checks and  performs Federal and State criminal background checks on its installers?  

• Does it seem reasonable that installers are factory trained and certified, use proper installation techniques and methods and install to factory specifications, thereby protecting your warranty coverage?

• Would you be comforted in knowing that they are covered by a multimillion dollar policy for Worker's Compensation, public liability and incidental damage to your property?  

• Wouldn't it be seem appropriate that when you pay the bill, you receive a waiver of Lien?

Perhaps, at least as it pertains to the home improvement business, it makes more sense to go with a company that is reputable than to roll the dice and take your chances just to save a few bucks.