Connor Contracting and Energy Smart of Vermont Honored for Energy-Saving Buildings
Barre, VT
Two area firms have received Efficiency Vermont’s “Best of the Best” awards for energy efficient construction and renovation. Barre-based Energy Smart of Vermont has been granted awards for efficient renovations of two historic homes, while Connor Contracting, of Berlin, received shared honors for an energy saving cold-storage facility.
Energy Smart of Vermont received recognition for its transformation of a drafty Victorian house, with high heating bills, into a comfortable, energy saving home. When the contractors initially assessed the home’s weatherization needs, they discovered extensive air leakage at the top and bottom of the building. Energy Smart of Vermont installed a vapor barrier over the basement dirt floor and conducted air sealing and insulation in the attic and basement, cutting the homeowners’ annual energy costs by more than $1,200.
Energy Smart of Vermont has also been honored for upgrades, to a 160-year-old farmhouse, that reduced annual energy bills by about $800. Before the improvements, much of the house had little or no insulation, making the home uncomfortably cold and costly to heat in the winter. Energy Smart of Vermont did a comprehensive job of air sealing and insulating the building. The project entailed innovative solutions, including the construction of an air-tight, insulated attic hatch, and of a basement bulkhead sandwich door. The crew also removed and carefully replaced exterior siding in order to install insulation while preserving the façade of the home.
Connor Contracting is a co-recipient, with Waterbury-based Joseph Architects, of an award for the total rehabilitation and substantial expansion of a former granite shed, in Barre, into a cold-storage and shipping facility for the Capital Candy Company. The structure’s efficient design enables the owners to meet their energy needs at a savings of more than $67,000 per year. Energy-saving structural elements include high-performance insulation on walls, roof, and the slab foundation; high R-value exterior doors, and quick-closing interior overhead doors. High-efficiency equipment was used for refrigeration, freezing, space heating, water heating, and lighting. Connor Contracting was Construction Manager for the project.
A total of 13 award recipients were recognized on February 3rd at Efficiency Vermont’s annual Better Buildings by Design conference in Burlington. This is the Northeast’s premier design and construction conference, focusing on building efficiency, durability, and value. More than 1,000 leading building design professionals and construction tradespeople attended.
Given annually, the Best of the Best awards recognize high achievement by architects, engineers, builders, and contractors using energy efficiency and sustainability practices to construct or renovate Vermont buildings. Awards are given for commercial and residential new construction, commercial major rehabilitation projects, renovations completed by Building Performance contractors and home improvements made by Home Performance with ENERGY STAR® contractors.
About Efficiency Vermont
As the nation’s first Energy Efficiency Utility, Efficiency Vermont has helped Vermont avoid over 13.2 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions and has received the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s ENERGY STAR program Partner of the Year – Sustained Excellence award for the last eight consecutive years. Efficiency Vermont works with partners to help our state transition to more affordable, low carbon energy use through education, incentives, and support for our clean energy workforce. Learn more at www.efficiencyvermont.com.
Efficiency Vermont Press Contact
Matthew Smith
Phone: (802) 540-7662
[email protected]