Bad Install = Bad Product
Any installed sales pro with experience has horror stories of having to replace products that were installed in incorrect or suboptimal fashion. For the homeowner, that usually means paying a low price for the first job and a higher price for the second one. But such experiences point to a truism: A good product installed poorly performs little or no better than a shoddy product.
“Critical to every installation is ensuring the products are installed plumb, level, and square, and properly insulated,” says Marshall Baser, business development manager for A.W. Hastings, an Enfield, Conn.-based company that distributes Marvin Windows and Doors to building materials and window and door retailers. “Otherwise, if there is air infiltration, the perception may be that the window or door is not performing when, in reality, the issue is poor installation.”
Pros should use supporting materials that are compatible, and sequence those materials correctly, when installing to ensure a proper seal, Baser says.
For others, it’s a matter of small details when working on a job. Schmidt Siding, for instance, takes pride in caulking all siding underneath, with no caulking ever being externally visible.
The EPA’s Rashkin says there’s a strong case for using home improvement contractors, auditors, and the like to improve the energy efficiency of homes.
“Rest assured, as energy costs escalate dramatically in the near future, homeowners will look to the services of experts, like house doctors who fix sick homes,” he says. In cases where there are multiple problems, homeowners need contractors with multiple skills, capable of giving “a whole plan of what you can do to fix the whole problem,” he says.
Green from Cradle to Grave
It’s one thing to sell products that promise to preserve heat and air conditioning or prevent water from finding its way into a home. It’s a different proposition to select and market products that do the best job of keeping the elements out; to use only installation materials that further enhance energy conservation; and to follow rigorous installation procedures that ensure the investment pays off in maximum environmental benefits.
But not all dealers think there’s an immediate value in a green strategy to customers or to their businesses. “I don’t see a gigantic number of people interested in that,” says Ken Vandeventer, president of Tehachapi Lumber, Tehachapi, Calif. He adds, however, that he expects green demand from customers to be “significant” in the future.
Somewhere in the middle of the early-adopter zealots and the fence sitters is Jim Lett, president of ABE Doors and Windows of Allentown, Pa. Lett says he’s studying whether to turn up the marketing on green products and installation practices. “There’s a lot of talk right now of green, green, green,” he says. “Some of that is genuine, and some people are just trying to ride the coattails of green while not practicing it.”
Seeking the Right Tool
For those focused on green as an installed sales differentiator, there clearly is no substitute for using products that offer the greatest levels of energy conservation. The Energy Star rating from the federal government is the starting point.
Contractors such as Schmidt Siding, Mankato, Minn., emphasize the use of steel siding and steel roofing. In the Midwest, vinyl siding often can’t stand up to harsh winter conditions, Brenke contends, so steel is preferred. Moreover, about 20% of the steel siding he installs is from recycled material, and it’s 100% recyclable in the future.
Advocates of vinyl siding argue, meanwhile, that their product needs less energy and water to produce than brick and fiber cement, yields less waste during installation, is extremely durable, and qualifies for LEED credits.
Brenke similarly markets windows that include recycled material and are recyclable. And, of course, there’s the steel roofing that can be laid directly over deteriorated asphalt. While those roofs command a premium price, Brenke maintains that the material more than pays for itself over time.
“When you put on asphalt, 10 to 15 years from now, you have to tear it off and throw it into a landfill,” he says. “And people are saving huge amounts of energy with steel roofs.”
From a marketing perspective, Brenke says his company’s radio, TV and trade-show advertising emphasize energy and environmental conservation, as well as how customers can save money by going green on home improvements.
Others emphasize the benefits of their products, especially as alternatives to popular, and popularly priced, vinyl.
A.W. Hastings’ Baser notes that Marvin’s use of fiberglass in its Integrity product line is an important alternative to commonly used vinyl windows. “They’re made out of pultruded fiberglass, which combines specially compounded resins with thin cables of glass,” he says. Glass is derived from sand, a very abundant material and certainly considered green. “It doesn’t expand and contract like vinyl, so each window remains tightly sealed, eliminating air leaks and greatly reducing stress cracks and seal failures,” he says.
Quality remodeling products are an important consideration, given the prevalence of energy loss in homes throughout the United States. Every step that a homeowner can take is a positive one toward reducing carbon emissions.
The Whole Nine Yards
Among dealers interviewed, SIR Home Improvements has gone the furthest in positioning itself as a green installed sales operation. SIR is certified by the Institute for Green Business Certification in St. Joseph, Mich., and employees are certified by the National Association of Home Builders so they can analyze new homes for their greenness.
Achieving that green business certification meant SIR had to pass an audit that examined its business practices in areas such as recycling, environmentally friendly purchasing, energy and water conservation, and more.
“When companies can put on their Web sites the green business certified logo, and can announce to the world they are a green certified businesses, we’ve seen tremendous results where sales have increased,” says Gregg Beaudette, president of the institute. SIR was the first home improvement contractor to be certified by the institute, which Beaudette says has certified “thousands” of other types of companies. “It’s a great tie-in for that industry,” he says, which is already selling products geared toward conserving energy.
SIR Home Improvements also offers customers what amounts to a free green audit when they buy whole-house siding or window jobs. Its inspectors will analyze attic insulation, light bulbs, the furnace, windows, and more, then deliver a complete report on ways the homeowner can reduce energy output and carbon emissions to save money. That report comes as part of the warranty papers on the installation work that SIR performs.
“We’re not charging for it, and we think we can save them tens of thousands of dollars over time,” Mumford says.
Mumford says his company recycles to the maximum extent possible the old materials it removes. For instance, he’ll use a special dumpster when removing windows, which includes removing the glass and separately recycling aluminum or wood. He notes the recycling-intensive approach costs his firm more than using a landfill, but “we feel that approach follows the criterion and process we’re involved in,” he says.
Others in the industry think the green movement will only accelerate in installed sales, and they welcome the opportunities that could bring. “I think the whole green movement is picking up steam, probably because it can have a positive effect on people’s bottom line of running a house and saving money,” says Mans. “When people want to update products and buy the latest and greatest or the most energy efficient, that is a good lead-in for us to sell an installed product.”
When it comes to green practices, now’s the time to decide whether your company will lead, follow, or stay on the sidelines. If your customers aren’t asking about your green practices today, it’s likely they will in the near future.
–Tom Smith is a writer who lives in Williamsville, N.Y.
