Archive: Business & Technology

We have come a long way since that humble frog sang out from his lily pad.  Over the past several years consumers have been placing a high priority on “being green” in their purchasing decisions as well as how they live their lives.  Americans have become very conscious of ways to become more energy efficient, lower their carbon footprint while at the same time maybe “saving some green” as well.

Matt and Kelly Skeval are no different.  When they bought their first home in Ithaca in 2009, they both dedicated themselves toward home improvements and first on their list was energy efficiency.  Matt shared one of his early revelations.  “When you are buying a home, you look at the cost of the mortgage and the insurance and you calculate your taxes to make sure you will be able to afford this large investment, but many people don’t take into account the amount of energy they’ll be buying over the life of their home.”  That expense can add up quickly and at the same time it is one of the easiest costs to reduce.

On their quest toward “being green” and “saving green”, Matt and Kelly discovered that there wasn’t a lot in the way of information and resources easily available to them.  After doing some internet research and making inquiries, Matt and Kelly still didn’t know where best to start.

After going through the process themselves and making improvements on their own home, the Skevals decided to open their business Pro Energy Consultants of Ithaca.  “While there are other energy auditors out there,” explains Kelly “what makes us different is that we are independent consultants.  We are not energy contractors who will benefit by the amount of money spent on improvements.   There are lots of great contractors in town and we make recommendations to our clients, but determining their energy saving goals and needs is our top priority.” 


Pro Energy Consultants is a national company with more than 16 years’ experience having completed over 12,000 audits.  The Skevals’ extensive training with Pro Energy has taught them to identify areas where homeowners can save and compile a list of recommendations to the homeowner in order to meet their goals.  Matt and Kelly ask the homeowner to accompany them throughout the audit, so that they can explain the processes.  They share how infra red technology works and its applications for energy efficiency and really conduct their assessment using a ‘whole house approach’. 

“My favorite part of this business is when we complete an audit and share the results with a homeowner… seeing their reaction.  People are empowered when they understand how their home ‘works’ and how that relates to their energy efficiency and comfort.” says Kelly. 

Richard Scott recently had Pro Energy Consultants audit his home in Trumansburg.  “Matt and Kelly gave us recommendations on how to make improvements without breaking the bank.  For example our duct work was leaking massive amounts of heat and air [into our basement] because the ducts were not properly sealed. We went out and bought a tub of mastic duct sealant that cost a whopping 12 bucks. After it was dry, we felt a huge difference in the amount of heat that was now coming out of the vents and into our living space.

There are a number of low-cost steps that property owners can take that will make a  difference in their energy usage. (see sidebar)  Matt expresses his surprise at the number of people who think they need to spend a lot of money to save energy.  ”Before people go spend thousands of dollars on new windows or a new roof due to ice damming issues, they need to diagnose their problem rather than just put a bandaid on it.  We ascertain the reasons they feel drafts or have high utility bills.  We don't guess when it comes diagnosing home comfort or energy problems.”

Kelly adds “One of the biggest benefits we provide is cost avoidance-we save clients from spending thousands of dollars on improvements that don’t actually improve energy efficiency of a property.  The most common energy issues we find are actually quite easy and inexpensive to remedy.”

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