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Dorothy Stanich and Jeff Haag started EnviroGreen Insulation in 2008 with a mission to provide expert service to a New Orleans market loaded with what they considered poor foam insulation work.
Haag, a certified energy rater with nearly a decade of experience, said many of the foam-insulated homes he rated didn't correctly apply the polyurethane material along attic beams and underneath floors. The result was a waste of money, he said.
"I started EnviroGreen because I thought we could do it better," Haag said.
Now EnviroGreen is busy, with work booked throughout July. Stanich attributes the demand to a well-trained work force as well as an emphasis on consumer education.
"We are contractors. But along with the insulation part of it, there is the knowledge part of it," she said.
Despite that expertise, EnviroGreen will have to jump through a few more hoops to participate in the $5.7 billion federal Home Star program that the House of Representatives approved in May and has been touted as a boon for energy efficient remodelers.
The bill, dubbed Cash for Caulkers, will give thousands of dollars in rebates to homeowners renovating with better insulation and energy-saving windows and doors.
But some Louisiana contractors are concerned...