Rehoboth Beach, DE's Devoted Home Energy & Radon Mitigation Experts

A homeowner in Rehoboth Beach, DE, reached out to us to make their upstairs and sunroom more comfortable throughout the year and address mold and odors in their crawl space.

Challenges:

• The upstairs and sunroom were uncomfortable, with inconsistent temperatures year-round.
• High moisture and mold in the crawl space were causing odors and potentially impacting indoor air quality.

Our Solutions:

Duct Sealing and Airflow Improvement:

• We performed our Platinum Air Duct Cleaning Service and sealed the ductboard ductwork with Aeroseal to ensure a more efficient and consistent airflow.
• We encapsulated the ducts with Tight 'N' True™ foam, including foam register boots, to prevent air leaks and enhance comfort in the upstairs and sunroom areas.
• We also installed TiteShell™ recessed light fixture covers and air-sealed can lights to prevent air leaks and maintain consistent temperatures.

Attic Insulation and Air Sealing:

• We removed the old batt insulation, constructed insulation retention dams, and installed a SuperPlatform™ scuttle landing with insulation dams for better attic insulation.
• To enhance comfort and energy efficiency, we installed R60 (17 inches) of TruSoft™ cellulose insulation, SilverGlo™ foam insulation board, and SilverGlo™ on walls and between floor joists where needed.
• We replaced the bath fan with a Broan Quiet Fan Assembly and ducted it through the roof for improved ventilation. The scuttle cover was air-sealed and insulated with SilverGlo™.

Crawl Space Encapsulation and Mold Remediation:

• In the crawl space, we removed moldy, damaged insulation from the ceiling and applied MoldX2 Cleaner and MoldX2 Botanical to treat the mold.
• We installed a SmartSump™ pump and UltraSump® battery back-up system with a HydroLink XG™ drainage system to manage water and prevent future mold growth.
• For a complete solution, we installed the CleanSpace™ encapsulation system, including drainage matting, TerraBlock™ insulation, and FOAMAX™ wall insulation to keep moisture out and improve air quality.
• The SaniDry™ Sedona dehumidifier, along with its condensate pump and exhaust duct kit, was installed to control humidity levels. We also installed an EverLast™ crawl space door for a secure and airtight seal.

Result: The combination of improved attic insulation, duct sealing, and crawl space encapsulation created a more comfortable and healthier environment in the home, making the upstairs and sunroom comfortable year-round while eliminating mold and odors in the crawl space.

1. Why they needed a radon mitigation system:

A Rehoboth Beach homeowner, prioritizing a healthy living environment, conducted a radon test that revealed a level of 8 pCi/L. Since the EPA recommends action for levels exceeding 4 pCi/L, this result prompted the homeowner to seek a professional solution to address the potential health risks associated with radon gas.

2. Why the customer chose Lawson Home Services:

Lawson's reputation for expertise and efficiency in radon mitigation resonated with the homeowner. Faced with a potential health concern, partnering with a trusted and qualified professional for a comprehensive solution was paramount.

3. What's causing the problem:

Radon gas, a naturally occurring radioactive element, can seep into homes through various openings in the foundation, around sump pump pits (if present), or other basement cracks. The silent and odorless nature of radon gas makes testing crucial, even in newer homes.

4. How we fixed the problem:

Lawson's team swiftly implemented a proven solution called sub-slab depressurization. This method strategically creates a negative pressure zone beneath the foundation. By doing so, sub-slab depressurization effectively draws radon gas out of the soil and safely vents it outside the home, preventing its accumulation and potential health risks.

Lawson's Multi-Step Approach for Long-Term Results:

• Strategic Pipe Placement: A network of pipes is meticulously planned beneath the basement slab to efficiently capture radon gas with no escape route.
• Powerful Yet Efficient Radon Fan: A high-performance fan is installed to effectively remove radon gas while minimizing energy consumption.
• Manometer Monitoring: For long-term peace of mind, a manometer continuously monitors the system's effectiveness, ensuring optimal performance.

5. What's unique with this situation:

While this situation highlights the importance of radon testing in any home, it also emphasizes the potential for elevated levels even in newer construction. Proactive testing and mitigation ensure a healthy environment from the very beginning.

These Rehoboth Beach, DE homeowners wanted to reduce dust and allergens in their home. After conducting an energy audit it was determined the ducts needed to be cleaned out, and it is always recommended that the ductwork be sealed. Before the sealing is done Lawson Home Services performs the Platinum Duct Cleaning which removes existing debris, dust, dirt, and other pollutants, and leaves the ductwork looking as clean as it was the day it was installed.
Lawson Home Services seals ductwork using the amazing AeroSeal process which seals the ductwork from the inside, ensuring all leaks are addressed since it is the leaks themselves that pull the sealing material directly into the cracks and holes.
The AeroSeal process looks a bit strange. Temporary air ducts are attached to the HVAC ductwork to remove any excess material from the home. The process is guided by a computer system which constantly measures the leakage as it continues the sealing process. Once the leaking stabilizes the system shuts down.

The duct leakage was improved by 65.5%. That will certainly save a lot on the energy bill and will ensure the air from the HVAC equipment reaches the rooms where it is intended to go. The return ducts, being sealed, do not suck polluted, dust laden air in, which helps to keep the allergens down. 
A Breathe EZ UV light was also installed in the HVAC plenum. It uses ultraviolet light to kill bacteria and viruses.

That's a device called a blower door you see in the picture. It measures the airflow required to pull a slight vacuum (50 pascals) on the home. This number directly relates to the air "leakiness of the home. In this case the air leaks add up to the equivalence of leaving a 28" wide window open 6.5" year round. Imaging how much warm air is being replaces by cold outdoor air in the winter, or cool air that is being replaced by hot humid outdoor air in the summer. It's like when you were a kid and your mom or dad kept telling you, "Don't leave the door hanging open, we don't want to be heating the whole neighborhood"!
The energy audit will not only tell you how much your home is leaking, but generally the auditor will find out where the leaks are. And from the science we know, most of the time, the worst leaks are in the attic floor, followed by leaks around the rim band, the part of the house that sits directly on top of the foundation wall. 
Home energy audits help homeowners plan the best improvement strategy, showing which measures affect home comfort and energy use the most, and which will, over the shortest period of time, pay for themselves and begin putting spendable dollars in the homeowner's bank account.  
The best part for Delaware residents is that Energize Delaware still subsidizes home audits. The cost to the home owner, just $50 ($25 for first responders and military personnel). So it's a no-brainer. Call Lawson Home Services today to schedule an Energize Delaware audit to find out where you money has been going, and what you can do to funnel it back into your bank account instead. 
  

An energy audit is like a financial report, showing you how long it will take investments in home comfort, healthy indoor air quality, and energy efficiency, to pay off. After that break even point the added savings go to directly into the homeowners bank account. 
Like this energy audit in Rehoboth Beach, DE, which shows how investing $1819 in basement insulation and new hot water heaters (after Energize Delaware rebate incentives), will pay for itself in just 4 years, and $1200 invested in an attic insulation upgrade in just 8 years. The annual savings for these three measures is $731 each year (that's $61 a month). This is money you'd have been paying your electric and gas utility companies that you would be investing in the value and comfort of your home while creating a more healthy environment for you and your family. If you live in Rehoboth Beach surely can you spare $61 a month for this value.
Since most of the expense is subsidized by Energize Delaware the audit will only cost you $50 ($25 if you're military or a first responder). That's a big payoff in itself. 
So why not pick up the phone and call Lawson Home Services to schedule your Energize Delaware Energy Audit.

Delaware is famous for its beaches. But it's also famous for its allergens. And it seems to be the worst in the fall. It's no wonder this time of year Lawson Home Services gets so many calls asking us if there is anything we can do to reduce the amount of dust and allergens inside the home. Fortunately there is, our Platinum Duct Cleaning Service. 

Most homeowners would be horrified if they could see inside their ductwork. We never know what we are going to find when we open it up and look inside. We take lots of pictures before we start the cleaning. We also take pictures when we are done. The difference is dramatic. The ductworks look as clean as the day they were installed. Bet you can tell which pictures were taken before cleaning pictures and which taken after.

Not only do we clean the ducts as part of the Platinum Duct Cleaning service, we also clean off the HVAC coils of both the inside and outside units. This allows the HVAC equipment to operate at the highest efficiency, lowers the operating costs, makes the home more comfortable during the hottest and coldest weather, and extends the life of expensive HVAC equipment.  

Lawson Home Services inspects the crawlspaces of these condo units in Reboboth Beach, DE every year. It is evident from the numerous photos in these units the crawlspace encapsulation was done by another contractor. The dead giveaway is the simple fact that the crawlspace is not insulated, which is standard practice for Dr. Energy Saver installations. As you can see in the report, it is recommended the nasty/smelly insulation should be removed from the floor deck, and the insulation barrier moved to the foundation walls where it does the most good. Lawson Home Services always installs SilverGlo™ rigid foam board on the crawlspace walls. This not only provides superior insulation that will not sag or fall away and become useless like the fiberglass batts that have been installed against the floor deck in these units. In every single one of these units we find the same problem over and over. Insulation gets heavy and soggy and eventually simply falls away to the floor where it provides a nice home for whatever bugs and critters are running around in there. When Lawson encapsulates a crawlspace it stays dry and clean for years. And since there is no water or food source in there, the critters take one look and head elsewhere. 

So why not call Lawson Home Services today and schedule an energy audit for your home. The best part about it, if you happen to live in Delaware, these audits are subsidized by the "Energize Delaware" program. Call now while the program is still in effect and save hundreds of dollars. In fact your out of pocket will be just $50 (in 2023)  and if you are a first responder or military it is just $25. You need to jump on that opportunity right away. 

There are a lot of things that can be done to stop uncontrolled energy loss within a typical home. But no two homes, even two build with identical plans and by the same builders vary in their individual flaws. An energy auditor is trained and had the proper equipment to find those flaws. And Dr. Energy Saver has a solution all the energy loss problems typically found in homes. Our first priority is always the attic, which typically has many gaps and holes that allow energy, in the form of conditioned air the homeowner pays to heat and cool, to escape from the living spaces. One of the next priorities is the HVAC ductwork. Leaky duct work can waste as much as 40% or more of the air your air conditioner or furnace just conditioned. Air in the HVAC ducts is pressurized so even tiny holes become major sources of energy loss. Our crew used the amazing patented AeroSeal process to seal this HVAC system resulting in an 80% reduction in air loss - that's a whole lot! 

Living areas are sometimes located right next to parts of the home that are not heated or cooled, such as attics, garages, or other spaces. In this case a skylight was framed in but there was no insulation installed around the framing, as shown in the picture below. As a result there was a significant amount of dry wall surface area that was directly exposed to the hostile temperatures inside the attic. Lawson's crew installed SilverGlo™, a radiant rigid foam board insulation around the framing to stop the energy loss. 

An energy audit will provide you with the information you need to make the best home comfort and energy efficiency improvement decisions, the ones that will do the most good and save the most money in the shortest period of time. If you live in Delaware, like this Rehoboth Beach homeowner, you'll be happy to learn that energy audits at the present time are subsidized by Energize Delaware Program. This brings the out-of-pocket expense to just $50 for the homeowner. In addition, many of the measures best for your home may quality for energize Delaware Delaware Program rebates, bringing the cost of improvement to just a fraction of what they'd cost if you had to pay the full amount out-of-pocket. So it makes sense to call Lawson Home Services right away to schedule an energy audit for your home. 

The homeowner of this home, built just ten years ago in in 2013 in Rehoboth Beach, DE had three issues she wanted us to address: Poor bathroom ventilation , cold bathroom floors; and dust throughout the house. In addition to the issues the homeowner specifically wanted to address, Lawson Home Service's auditor discovered many other deficiencies during the audit process and prescribed numerous items that could be addressed to bring the home to optimal condition for occupant comfort and reduced energy consumption. These were:

• HVAC duct cleaning (which includes cleaning of the condenser and compressor coils)
• Replace damaged exhaust vents for dryer on lower level of house and
• Clean the ductwork for the dryer on the upper level.
• Dense pack the garage ceiling (which is directly below the bathroom with the cold floors) with TruSoft™ Cellulose insulation
• Replace the bath fan in the bathroom with poor ventilation with a new Broan Quiet Fan
• Install Aspen High Performance Air Purification system to reduce dust
• Air Seal the HVAC ductwork from the inside using Aeroseal™ duct sealant

Lawson Home Services conducts special HVAC duct leakage testing, required to meet building codes in the State of Delaware.

Here we see a duct which is sealed off and connected by a flexible hose to a special depressurization equipment. This equipment measures the suction it creates inside the ductwork and indicated the amount of air leakage caused by small holes left behind during the initial installation of the heating and air conditioning ducts.  If the leakage is too great then contractors must return to properly seal the ductwork.

Lawson Home Services can provide this same service to any homeowner who is looking to save money on energy costs of heating or cooling their home.  Contact us right away to schedule an energy audit that can show you ways to improve the efficiency and comfort of your home. 

As a homeowner, the last thing you want to worry about is the status of your crawl space, yet the crawl space is one of the most important pieces of your home.  When Rehoboth Beach owner James M. found that his floors were cold, he knew this problem was due to poor insulation within his crawl space.  Desperate for answers, James began searching for solutions online.  After searching for a few days, James contacted Dr. Energy Saver Delmarva after seeing their extensive repertoire of products.

The following week Delmarva sent out Raymond Bremmerman to James’ home to evaluate his crawl space.  After introducing themselves, James showed Raymond where the crawl space was.  After a quick analysis, Raymond noticed that in addition to James’ crawl space being poorly insulated, it also had signs of moisture, which could lead to musty smells in the short run and foundation problems in the long run.  After explaining the situation of his crawl space to James, Raymond proposed a few ideas: To fix the cold floors, Raymond suggested the installation of 2” and 4” SilverGlo insulation boards.  These boards are perfect and versatile for any situation.  To prevent future complications due to moisture, Raymond suggested a SaniDry dehumidification system.  This system is ideal for crawl spaces and can pump 109 pints a day, as well as work in temperatures as low as 40 degrees Fahrenheit!  After explaining the process to James, he agreed on the products and had Raymond call in Delmarva’s Production Team One to install the necessary products.

After a quick one day installation process, James’s home has never been better insulated and protected against future moisture threats and its all thanks to the professionals at Dr. Energy Saver Delmarva.

When Rehoboth Beach homeowner Steven M. found that moisture was building up in his crawl space and creating a musty smell, he knew he was in trouble.  Desperate for answers, Steven started his search for companies online.  After some time of searching, Steven came across Dr. Energy Delmarva, who he contacted for more information.

The following week, Steven was met by Delmarva representative Michael Tucker.  Steven explained his situation to Michael, who, immediately after took a look at the crawl space.  

Michael found slight condensation on the walls and floor of the crawl space which could lead to a musty smell over time.  Michael proposed to Steven that he have a SaniDry CX dehumidification system  installed within the confines of his crawl space.  The SaniDry is capable of removing 109 pints of water a day and can operate in temperatures as low as 40 degrees Fahrenheit.  It is an ideal system for crawl spaces.  In conjunction with this a condensation pump was installed as well as an EverLast crawl space access door.  This combination of products will drain current moisture and prevent future moisture and water from seeping through the crawl space door and flooding the crawl space.

With the recommendations agreed upon, Michael called in primary foreman David Lawson and his crew came in and installed the necessary products.  Thanks to the professionals at Dr. Energy Saver Delmarva, Steven’s crawl space will no longer be a burden on him or his home.