Service · Implementation
Implementing the improvements recommended in your audit report — air sealing, encapsulation, spray foam, insulation, HVAC, and windows — sequenced for maximum rebate and fastest payback in Atlanta's hot-humid summers and cold winters.
How implementation works
After performing the diagnostic tests to identify the specific problem areas in the home, we also provide a recommended scope of work to address the high-priority efficiency improvements identified in the audit report. We'll include the rebate amount that you'll qualify for based on the scope of work, so you know what your net costs will be going into the job. A big part of the service we provide is helping you maximize rebate potential and therefore achieve the fastest return on investment.
ECS works closely with a sister company that can give you specific pricing for each improvement you elect to implement. If you use our sister company to do the work, we also return to run "test-out" at no additional cost — verifying the work was done properly, measuring the improvement, and testing for carbon monoxide safety per Georgia Power guidelines. Periodically, a representative from Georgia Power will join us at test-out as a quality control measure.
01 · Low-hanging fruit
"Air sealing" refers to sealing the leaks in the building envelope. Air sealing is generally considered low-hanging fruit since the cost to address the leaky areas is usually small and the return on investment is very fast.
Air sealing generally involves sealing off leaky areas with caulk, backer board, expanding foam, insulating gaskets, weatherstripping, and can light covers. If you're on a budget and your home or building tested as leaky, air sealing (along with lighting improvements) are usually the first improvements to implement.
Keeping the heat or air conditioning inside the structure improves comfort level and decreases the load on the HVAC system(s), which in turn reduces costs.
Talk about air sealing →
02 · Cleaner air, warmer floors
Crawl space encapsulation entails sealing your crawl space off from outside air and humidity — including sealing off vents to the exterior — using a high-quality vapor barrier and closed-cell spray foam. It creates a clean operating environment for HVAC and ductwork, eliminates mold, warms up the floors in winter, and helps keep bugs and critters out.
The process installs a sturdy, reinforced vapor barrier along the entire floor of the crawlspace, sealed along all seams and at least 12" up all piers and foundation walls. Reinforced 10–12 mil polyethylene is the most common because it's the most durable. Closed-cell spray foam is then applied along the foundation walls, piers, and the top of the rim joist to secure the vapor barrier in place and seal off the crawl space from the earthen floor and outside air.
Crawl space encapsulation can make a big difference to your home, especially here in the north Georgia climate — preventing mold, keeping water and humidity out, and keeping pests like termites and opossums from setting up camp under your feet.
Get a crawlspace estimate →
03 · The premium envelope
Spray foam is widely regarded as the best form of insulation on the market today. Encapsulating your attic or crawlspace in spray foam provides an excellent alternative to traditional fiberglass insulation. In an attic, spray foam is applied directly to your roofline instead of the attic floor — bringing the attic into the building envelope so it no longer gets hot or cold.
Attics in the north Georgia climate get as hot as 135°F and as cold as 40°F. These extremes force HVAC and ductwork to work extra hard to pump cool air through a hot space or warm air through a cold space. In an encapsulated attic or crawlspace, the temperature stays moderate, which maximizes efficiency and extends the operating lifespan of your HVAC system.
The two primary types are open cell (low density, water-permeable — used on attic rooflines and wall cavities) and closed cell (high density, doubles as air and vapor barrier — used under subfloors and along foundation walls). Our detailed energy audit will determine which solution is most effective for your home.
Ask about spray foam →
04 · Cost-effective comfort
Insulating your home is one of the most cost-effective ways to make your home more energy efficient and comfortable. Insulation products are rated by effective resistance to heat flow — "R-value." Higher R-value means lower heating and cooling bills and more consistent temperatures.
Most homes and buildings in north Georgia were built before 1990 and are poorly insulated — if at all. Current Georgia building code requires R-38 for a traditionally insulated attic and R-19 for spray foam encapsulation along the roofline. That's roughly 14" of fiberglass or 5.5" of spray foam.
Fiberglass batts are the most common and least effective insulation in existing homes — ineffective when they sag or compress. Loose-fill fiberglass is more effective because it gets into crevices and gaps that batts miss. Cellulose is shredded newspaper treated with borate — better for the environment, dustier than fiberglass, with a higher R-value at approximately 3.1 per inch.
Discuss insulation options →
05 · Sized right. Sealed tight.
HVAC systems typically have a lifespan of 12–20 years. As your independent diagnostic company, we assess your mechanicals and recommend the big-picture strategy — we're not an HVAC contractor, so we don't clean coils or diagnose individual units. A qualified HVAC professional can measure system efficiency in detail by calculating duct leakage and flow, duct sizing, equipment efficiency, filtration, refrigerant charge, system location, and total static pressure.
Often, additional square footage has been added to a home without adding to the HVAC system — causing pressure imbalances, high bills, and a less comfortable home. Sometimes the smartest fix is a zoned system or a mini-split rather than a full replacement, and an older unit isn't automatically one to replace now — we recommend replacement only when it's the pragmatic call. Oversized is as bad as undersized: an oversized system "short cycles," reaching set temperature so fast it never pulls humidity out of the air, leaving the home clammy. A "Manual J" load calculation determines correct sizing; a "Manual D" determines correct ductwork pressure balancing.
The ductwork system contributes an important part of total home efficiency. Its job is to deliver the correct cubic feet per minute (CFM) of heated and cooled air to specific areas of your house. We commonly find disconnections, large holes or gaps, and leaky ductwork connections — homeowners who redesign or tighten existing ducts can get an effective payback while increasing temperature consistency.
Get an HVAC referral →
06 · Comfort at the glass
Leaky single-pane windows and old exterior doors are a common source of drafts and lost energy. An audit tells you whether windows are actually worth addressing on your home — often they matter, just rarely first — and what the most cost-effective path is.
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Talk about windows & doors →Start with an audit. We'll show you which of these improvements moves the needle most for your Atlanta home, with rebate math attached.