A Holland-based company that started up last winter offers energy audits to West Michigan homes.
Nearly a year in the making, Dwelltech Solutions was started by Brian Bosgraaff, owner of Cottage Home, which constructs LEED certified custom homes along Lake Michigan. Bosgraaff brought two employees on board to get the new endeavor on its feet.
“(Dwelltech Solutions) is a home
performance auditor. We do home energy audits, and we also do
contracting to improve the home,” says Dwelltech building professional
analyst Tim Bastiaanse. “In an audit, we do a room-by-room assessment,
and we discuss any concerns the homeowner has, whether it’s high energy
bills or a drafty room.”
The audit checklist includes the roof
and attic insulation, possible mold, windows, doors, appliances and
more. They use an infrared camera to check walls, and can detect heat
and cold, as well as water leakage.
Bastiaanse says that anyone who owns a
home could use an energy audit, but Dwelltech focuses on older
lakeshore homes that get beaten up by the elements.
“We don’t exclude anyone, but we see a lot of energy hogs along Lake Michigan,” he says.
Dwelltech Solutions' headquarters, 26
W. Sixth St., was previously a warehouse for Cottage Home. Bosgraaff
transformed a 2,200-square-foot area of the building into an office and
warehouse. Bastiaanse says the company located in Holland because of
the proximity to its parent company and the central location in its
coverage area – north to Muskegon, east to Grand Rapids and south to
the Benton Harbor area.
Dwelltech employs two building
professional analysts. Both were in the construction industry for more
than 18 years before joining Dwelltech.
The firm is Building Performance Institute certified. According to Bastiaanse, there are currently three BPI certified companies in Michigan.
Source: Tim Bastiaanse, Dwelltech Solutions building professional analyst
Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at [email protected].
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