“Obtaining the knowledge necessary to do building performance testing will expand the services that you offer to customers, helping you distinguish yourself and rise above the competition.”
— Michael Lotesto on the business advantages of building performance testing.
“With over 25 years of experience in the building and remodeling industry, I found that I could expand my business by adding diagnostic services,” Lotesto says. “Such testing added great credibility to my recommendations, and convinced many clients to undertake the changes. It also made their homes more energy efficient, more comfortable, and healthier. Although it takes additional education, I recommend this as a sure-fire way of increasing a remodeler’s business, professionalism, and confidence. It has increased my leads and closing ratios by about 20 percent.”
LOTESTO’S STORY
[IMAGE: The energy efficiency upgrades Lotesto performed on this Flossmoor, Illinois home should save $700 per year in energy costs.]Howard W., a homeowner in Flossmoor, Illinois, is far more technology-savvy than the average client. A technical reporter by profession, he spent a significant amount of time and money renovating his home to make it more comfortable and energy efficient. Despite his efforts, the home was still drafty and his utility bills weren’t measurably decreasing.
For help, he turned to Michael Lotesto, President of Performance Exteriors LLC, a building performance testing company that uses whole-house diagnostics to determine precisely why a home is losing energy and how it can be renovated to deliver a better return on investment.
“Over the last few years, Howard used all the knowledge that is readily available to consumers to make what he felt were informed decisions about his house,” Lotesto says.
“The year before last, he spent quite a bit of money to install a high-efficiency boiler, add insulation in the attic and crawl spaces, re-side the house with rigid foam insulation board, and replace all the windows with energy-efficient ones, only to realize his investments weren’t paying off as he had hoped. He followed the principles that most contractors would to make his house more comfortable, but it was still drafty and cold.”
