by Denise Massie
Pharos-Tribune
MONTICELLO —
MONTICELLO — Just like any other homeowner, Gene Wisinski was curious to figure out where a draft in his home was coming from.
“I wanted to maximize my heating bill savings,” he said.
One day, he felt the draft while sitting on the floor of a home he built. He became interested in finding the cause and one thing eventually led to another.
After completing a course for home and energy audits in Illinios, Wisinski became certified in infrared building science and started his business, Gene’s Thermal Imaging.
His business offers energy audit to help customers save money on their home or business heating and cooling costs. He uses an infrared camera to find problem areas, including thermal defects or air leaks.
“The average home loses anywhere from 5 to 30 percent of heating and cooling cost a month because of bad insulation, window drafts and seal drafts around windows and doors,” he said. “People say they need windows, when they really don’t.”
When a customer calls for an appointment, Wisinski first evaluates the home and looks for trouble spots. The energy audit starts at the crawl space or basement and continues upward. In each room he checks, Wisinski uses the camera to scan from ceiling to floor.
When he is finished recording the data from his findings, Wisinski offers the homeowner a report.
“The report can be anywhere from one page to 100,” he said. “It all depends on the trouble spots.”
In addition to looking for missing insulation, Wisinski also takes note of any moisture, electrical problems and bad or hot connection in the walls. He also offers outside evaluations and has a blower door unit, which helps to find air leaks.
The entire audit, on average, takes between 90 minutes and 2 hours.
In the report, he offers the customer side by side photos, so they know the exact area of concern. While he performs the home evaluation, he asks the homeowner to stand behind him so they can see the results on the infrared camera.
He will even consult with someone looking to build a new home on potential leaks.
Wisinski emphasizes that he does not do the actual work needed — such as insulating the windows and doors or adding more insulation.
“What I do is give them the tools to call local contractors,” he said.
Once the work is completed, either by the homeowner or a contractor, Wisinski will return to make sure nothing was missed. He doesn’t charge a fee to return as long as the homeowner holds onto the initial report.
Wisinski felt there was a need for a thermographer in the area. He said there are people selling doors, windows and furnaces — but if a window is not leaking, the customer doesn’t need a new one.
Small leaks can be fixed for a lot less money, he said.
A complete audit and report costs homeowners $180. Wisinski is focusing on White, Cass, Pulaski and Carroll counties. He hopes to build the business to 12 workers and offer services in even more counties.
According to Wisinski, the technology has been around for some time. With more people “going green” and becoming more aware, Wisinski said the popularity of this service is on the rise.
“There’s more to going green and energy savings than just changing a light bulb or flipping a switch,” he said. “I want to bring to people’s attention as gas and electricity costs go up, so does everything else. You want to grab on the majority of heating and cooling dollars you are spending.”
• Denise Massie is a staff writer at the Pharos-Tribune. She can be reached at 574-732-5151 or denise.massie@pharostribune.com
New Business
Name: Gene’s Thermal Imaging
Address: 657 N. 300 East, Monticello
Hours: By appointment only
Phone: 574-583-8266 or 574-870-8998
