By incorporating these enhancements savings can often be realized in equipment, thermal measures, and service call-backs. As a result, energy efficient housing can be achieved with minimal additional cost. While the Comfort Home Program is generally sponsored by utility companies, the participation by builders is totally voluntary. The acceptance of builders has generally reflected the value-added features the program offers with particular interest in a quality control process that provides them with a measure of performance along with a guarantee. Because the Comfort Home Program is based on a process that emphasizes performance testing, utilizing standards established by the industry, and emphasizes a team commitment of the builder and his subcontrators, increased awareness and sensitivity to quality workmanship is achieved.
Education is a natural consequence which helps to stimulate innovation and improve productivity.
In its simplest terms, the acceptance of preestablished measures of performance results in higher levels of performance that is translated to an improved standard of work for all jobs. Our experience with participants of the Comfort Home Program is that the time for diffusion of innovative technologies related to energy use is significantly reduced where active participation of all the contributing parties is involved, changes are based on solid research data that has been demonstrated in the field, and where specific measures are identified that can be tested and validated under pre-determined protocol. The Company Comfort Home Corporation, established in 1990, evolved as a natural outgrowth of the Energy Information Center, which was founded in 1984 to provide both services to, and enhanced awareness of, residential and commercial energy efficiency. Utilizing the experience gained in working with builders, subcontrators, home owners, and utility companies, the company developed the Comfort Home concept, which provides a strong marketing and educational program primarily directed to builders and subcontractors in cooperation with utilities. Operations include instrumentation, measurement and analysis of building energy use with a view to recommendnig and implementing practical retrofitting techniques, installation of load-shielding devices and systems.