House as a System approach

Select a contractor that uses a 'House as a System' approach to conducting renovations. Make sure they understand that the different components of a home are inter-connected and making changes to one portion of the home will affect others.

A "house as a system"-oriented contractor should:

• upgrade mechanical equipment with new, energy-efficient equipment - programmable thermostats to save energy on heating, or quiet and efficient bathroom and kitchen fans for improved ventilation
• make the building envelope or shell more energy-efficient by adding insulation to the areas of greatest heat loss, and by weatherstripping and caulking gaps and cracks
• replace older inefficient windows with Power Smart rated models
• replace old exterior doors with insulated steel ones