Balance Point Home Performance

We can’t sing enough praises about Balance Point. Truly in a class by themselves, they fully understand the science of energy performance and are leaders in their field when it comes to research and analysis.
Over the past three years, we undertook two construction projects in Nevada City, CA — an income property and new home. In both instances we hired Balance Point to advise us on energy performance in the areas of air tightness, insulation, heating and cooling and other mechanical systems. In each case they developed a comprehensive analysis, explained all of our options and helped us come up with a workable plan to get the most out of our energy performance budget.
Since energy performance at this level is still relatively new in the building trades, Balance Point worked closely with our contractors providing the guidance necessary to achieve the performance goals we set. We also hired Balance Point to perform some of the subcontracting work (heating and cooling, rough plumbing, insulation, etc.) and across the board, they did an excellent job.
Balance Point was extremely responsive whenever we had questions and most impressively, they came in on budget. At the end of each job, they measured the energy performance levels we achieved, which came in at or better than our target numbers.
Overall Balance Point was a delight to work. The results we achieve included buildings that are highly energy efficient, quiet and comfortable and with utility bills that are much less than they otherwise would have been if Balance Point was not involved.
Dave B.

Dan and Gavin and their crew have done extensive work on our house over the last 8 years on three major jobs and several smaller ones, always with outstanding results.
We live in an 1890s Victorian that has an addition that was built in the 1990s. When we moved in, the house was drafty and cold. In the winter, the large furnace would run continuously but the interior temperature would never reach 68 degrees. There also were lines on the carpet where dust was sucked in from the basement between the floorboards. Olive oil in our kitchen would congeal overnight because the room was so cold.
To fix these problems, Balance Point sealed and insulated the attic and the floor between the basement and the first floor. They also installed a smaller furnace with new, tight ducts. We also had a window specialist restore and tighten (but not replace) our original wood wavy glass windows. As a result of these efforts, the house is now tight and warm and heating bills are very reasonable, even without replacing the windows or working on the walls. And all of its original charm is still intact.
Dan and Gavin also have helped us fix water and drainage issues that had plagued the house. With new French drains, gentle re-​contouring of a couple slopes, and correction of poor decisions made by the previous owner, the house is now dry.
These are only two of the many things that they have done that have completely transformed our house into a cozy home. A few more include installation of efficient water heating, fixing a roof and deck system poorly designed and installed during the 1990s addition, and covering the bare dirt portion of the basement to reduce excessive moisture levels.
Dan and Gavin are thinkers who know homes and energy efficiency. They approach problems carefully and thoughtfully and always explain their approach. Their crews are also great guys who are good to have around. If you look at my other Unilocal reviews, you can see that I am generally a strict grader. Balance Point fully earns their five stars.

I’m writing this review based on an excellent experience my family had with Balance Point Home Performance. Considering that the HVAC/​Home Performance space is fragmented with so many companies providing varying levels of quality, commitment, and general ethics, I feel it is important to provide information that might help others make a good decision.
We recently moved into a home built in the 90’s with solid construction, six inch walls, dual pane windows, and insulation throughout, so we assumed it would be energy efficient. During the winter we ended up spending over $ 300/​month on electricity and $ 500/​month on propane. With the heat running all day we still felt cold and the air in the house was very dry. Family members got sick multiple times over the winter.
Reasons we chose Balance Point:
1. Balance Point was the only company recommended by CBCPA (Efficiency First California) and CBCPA made it clear to me that choosing the right company for this work is essential due to the complexity of home performance
2. Gavin (co-​owner) took the time to talk with me on the phone and thoroughly understand our situation before agreeing to work with us. Other companies seemed desperate, but Balance Point qualified the situation to ensure their services were the right fit, before asking for my business
3. References from existing local customers were exceptional
4. Price point was nearly equivalent to other providers and we felt the service would be more thorough and higher quality with Balance Point
Balance Point tested our home for Shell Leakage, Insulation, Window Glazing, Air Delivery for the HVAC System, Duct Leakage/​Conduction, Ventilation/​Exhaust, Hot Water, Combustion Safety, Drainage, Crawl Space Moisture, and other items that were focused on the concerns we had identified. This resulted in a 31 page document which was the basis for the opportunities to improve our home. We decided to tackle the major areas and the safety issues, including sealing interstitial cavities and installing sealed recessed lighting, replacement of the HVAC system including all duct work, and replacement of our two water heaters with a single high-​efficiency unit.
The benefit of this project is that our home is finally comfortable. The heating system is highly efficient and keeps our home at the right temperature all the time. We aren’t losing heat (or cooling in the summer) through the duct system, or any of the holes that existed in the structure. The new system uses a two stage heat pump and also has a hydronic coil that acts as an auxiliary heat source if the temperatures get really low. It is silent when it runs, so the heater doesn’t wake me up in the night, and since it is electric, we are using drastically less propane. The new water heater works amazingly well. We have found that although it utilizes a tank, it’s recovery rate is such that you can take multiple showers back to back without ever running out of hot water, and we feel much better that our home doesn’t have combustion gasses leaking into the living space.
Dan and Gavin managed the project from start to finish, and it was completed exactly as we had discussed, and on budget.
Intangibles: Every person in the crew was a good guy — always said hello to my kids, petted the dog, and just seemed to genuinely care about us as people.. In every step of the process there was the potential for dust, debris, or some kind of mess in the home, and in every step the team had a way to prevent potential damage, minimize the mess, and quickly clean up as needed. Every day the team picked up their equipment, swept/​vacuumed/​washed up their working areas, and the house was like they weren’t even there. This impressed my wife especially compared to some other work we recently had done with a contractor who was not nearly as conscientious.
The science factor can’t be overlooked here either. HVAC systems have been implemented for many years based on learning passed from generation to generation, gut feel, and the thinking that these systems operate OK as is. More recently we have gained the ability to measure things that weren’t being measured before and design systems based on science/​mathematics rather than intuition. This was what originally made me think that Balance Point would be good to work with, and what has proven true. Additionally, Dan and Gavin were always ultra-​fast to respond when I had a question or concern, even offering to come out to our house on the weekend to get something right and to ensure our comfort. These are good people who are at the top of their game, and really focus on the success of the project and satisfaction of the customer. I do not normally take the time to write up a review this thorough, however I feel like it is warranted based on how happy we are with the results of the work.
Bottom Line: Balance Point is the best construction company I have ever worked with.