Seeing Green During a Recession

Jim Cocks, an affable, energetic and knowledgeable general contractor, has spent the past 15 years working in Westport, Wilton, Weston and on “just about every street in southern Connecticut.” Recently he’s noticed a change in homeowners’ priorities.

It seems that green is the new black in home renovating, and Fairfield County residents are taking measures to save money while lowering their environmental impact. “In the past clients wanted all the trappings -- granite countertops, four-car garages and top-of-the-line appliances,” he said. But lately he has seen a surge of interest in “green” construction. Whereas clients used to be more concerned with square footage, he’s now seeing more interest in environmentally friendly building materials, such as reclaimed wood and recycled plastic decking materials.

And homeowners’ awareness has moved beyond what they can actually see. “There was a time when people didn’t really care about things like insulation. It was ‘out of sight, out of mind.’ But now people understand the financial benefits of choosing cellulose insulation versus fiberglass, which is largely ineffective.”

Cocks recently completed insulating a house using cellulose -- compressed, recycled newspaper -- that was pumped into the attic of the home. It’s an energy-efficient saving expenditure that his client, Susan Gerstenmaier of Norwalk, will likely recoup in less than two years. She was pleased with the potential savings as well with her contribution to repurposing post-consumed material.  “They pumped 20 years worth of newspaper into my attic!” she said. 

Cocks, a Building Performance Institute certified energy auditor, says customers can benefit from free in-home energy audits from Connecticut Light and Power. In such an audit the energy specialists use blower fans to determine how energy efficient a home is -- or is not.

For information about green renovation and energy-saving tips, go to the US Department of Energy website, or call Jim Cocks at 203 770-0742.    

Click here to follow Daily Voice Norwalk and receive free news updates.