Welcome to Maranatha’s Energy Saving Renovations.  Thanks, for visiting our web site.  Now, may we  offer you this introduction………

> Mike Priest, through his company, Maranatha General Contractors, Inc, has been building, remodeling, repairing, and renovating homes and small businesses since the early ‘80s here in Columbia, and the surrounding area.

> Renovating is our natural habitat, but now, saving energy for the home owner is joined to our purpose.

> Our Energy Saving Renovations always start with the home energy audit.  The goal of the audit is:

1. To check out  possible health and safety issues.
2. To search for problems in structural durability.
3. To examine the many factors affecting energy use.

Health & Safety  +  Durability  +  Energy Efficiency = Maranatha’s Energy Saving Renovations

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More comfort,  less energy loss,  more money left in your pocket!   That’s what we’re all about!!!!!

Our cells – Mike 573-808-0860, Ron  573-999-0033,  Lynn  573-489-1883

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I’m thinking, you’re asking, “So, what is a Home Energy Audit?

First, let me mention, the “Free Real Energy Evaluation?”

The” FREE,”  is your opportunity to discover if your home needs, “or qualifies for,” energy saving renovations which will enable you to cut consumption, cut costs, live comfy, and  –  you’re hardly going to believe this – get reimbursed for a large part of your “Investment In Improvement.” In fact, there may even be an opportunity to compare the “III” with the ROI.

But, perhaps, most of all, the “FREE” gives you the opportunity to make an informed decision based on your house, it’s systems, your utilities, and your lifestyle, as to whether to “HEA” or” NOT!”

If you are ready to get started, give us a call and we’ll get to it

What is a “Home Energy Audit?”

Now, let’s get on with answering the above stated question! The answer shouldn’t take too long, except,  there is a lot to ramble about here.

The word “audit” can be a bit intimidating when thinking about where we hear it used ordinarily. You know – like checking your income tax or sales tax or you books or on and on it goes….. But this audit deals, financially, only with the money being invested in, and wasted by, inefficient energy usage. Yeah, like the energy used to condition our homes, as it relates to energy bought and paid for every month, to condition the “great Outdoors!”

YOU Call, We Talk, We Look, We Test, We Scope, YOU Decide, We Work, We Test Again – YOU Win.

“YOU Call.” Of course nothing will happen unless or until you initiate the process. Best of all, unless the call costs you extra, there is no money spent to qualify for the “FREE,” but this is where the significant talking begins. And, by the way, the more we talk during the “FREE,” the less we talk during the test.

“We Talk.” The HEA begins with an interview. We will explain to you how the process will unfold, and glean as much information from you as possible, so that your house can be analyzed according to size, age, location, orientation, occupants, challenges, and on and on. The form is structured to give us the greatest amount of pertinent information in the shortest amount of time.

“We Look.” We’ll then go from top to bottom, from end to end, and inside and out, taking lots of pictures and notes to decipher at a later time. And, yes, we’ll need to look in the garage, the attic, the basement, the crawl space, the conditioned and unconditioned space; in fact, we’ll even try to look inside the exterior walls.  -  The roof, the vents, the chimney, the drainage, the bushes and even the trees. We attempt to look at everything that will affect your safety, the home’s structure and durability, and, of course, home energy use. Much of this will be done during the “FREE,” but invariably, there will more questions if and when you choose to test.

“We Test.” Perhaps, you are  thinking,  “Isn’t there some kind of strange fan that you hang in the door?” Yes, and we’ll get there in just a minute. But, first we’ll test the pressure (as compared to outside) of any area in your house that has within it the combustion of a fossil fuel. We’ll test the draft of the exhaust, and the color of the flame. We’ll test for gas leaks and escaping CO. And then, upon being assured that there are no problems in this area, we are ready to “hang the fan.” Turn off those combustion appliances, shut and lock all windows and exterior doors, secure the pets and children, and prepare to blow. (Out, that is!)

This is the part of the HEA that is called the “blower door test.”

During the run of the fan we can determine the extent and the places of both major and minor air leakage. We all suspect the windows and the doors, but who would think of looking under the sink, or around an outlet or switch, or those very practical and useful recessed lights, the soffits and base boards……  And, again, on and on, and on, it goes.

Now, the fun continues. We’re ready to turn your home back into your normal abode, and go to our normal abode, and put all the just acquired information into a sensible document that others, including you, can read and make sense of.  Conveniently, the structuring of all this information leads us into the next step.

“We Scope.” That is, we will construct a listing of steps that can and should be taken to make your house an energy efficient miser. Yep, it can be as tight as an “old penny pincher” when it comes to using that expensive energy. This document is officially called a “work scope.” And, now, and after all of the above, you, the home owner, can make up your own mind as to what should or should not be done.

We will give you our best ideas as to what is of most importance, and what will give you the fastest pay back or return on investment.  And also, we will discuss the long term advantages of taking the recommended steps, and how they will affect your health and safety, the durability of your house, and, of course, the increase in energy efficiency that should be attained. We will identify for you the programs, incentives, and tax credits that may be available to help offset expenses you may incur while accomplishing the recommended energy renovation.

“We Work.” With the information found in the work scope you can decide to do the work yourself, or go out and obtain bids from other contractors according to your specs, and/or we will give you a good faith estimate (bid) to have Maranatha’s Energy Saving Renovations do the work.  However you decide to do it, indeed, do it……

“We Test Again” After the work is done, we will test again; and this time we will have a representative from Columbia Water and Light, (Terry or Trent,) or Boone Electric, (Gary or Richard.) This is called the “Post-Installation test,” and with it, comes the assurance that work called for has, indeed, become work completed!

The results are then quantified, qualified, and verified. With the results of this test in hand you are now ready to receive the benefits of the “Energy Star” program – rebates, incentives, and tax credits made available to reward you for having done the right thing!!”

“YOU Win.” The seemingly high cost of a home energy renovation, spread over the life of the project, may seem rather small, in time, if energy prices continue to escalate, as many seem to think they will. What do you think? What do YOU think, will it be up or down, or a continuation of things and prices as they are today; which will it be?    Oh yes, and then, there is the planet, and our responsibility to others, and sustainability, and on, and on, and on…… It seems like I’ve said that before, so it is surely time for me to stop this “ron’s ramble,” so you can go on, and “get er done!”

YOU Call, We Talk, We Look, We Test, We Scope, We Work, We Test Again – YOU Win.