Sensible Energy Solutions

First off let me state that I am a total home energy nerd. It is literally my hobby. I read about this stuff constantly and do my own improvements where time and practicality allow me to. I found Sensible Energy through their website, on a page they wrote about dense packed cellulose, and while reading it I instantly knew they were the company I wanted to work with. They know what they’re talking about, and they pay attention to the details. A lot of contractors seem to be detail-​oriented at first, but they wind up communicating poorly and making you feel like your job is unimportant. That wasn’t the case with Sensible.
We had them air seal the attic, and insulate both the attic and walls with cellulose. They tested with a blower door to measure air leakage and the final measurement was pretty darn good for a 1950 house — good enough that we hit the threshold to require mechanical fresh air ventilation (which is a simple thing — just hook an automated timer up to the bathroom fan).
I am not very good at detecting subtle changes and usually don’t trust my own senses as much as measurements, but it was VERY obvious that the house was way more comfortable in cold weather. We used to be pretty uncomfortable in cold weather, but now I can hardly tell what the weather is like outside. There’s also less condensation forming on the bathroom ceiling when we take showers, and less temperature variation from room to room.
They carefully plucked cedar shingles off to install the wall insulation, and replaced them just as they were, without cutting them. The only difference is a few new nails if you look up close. This process unfortunately raised the price, I think, but considering they worked on our house for roughly 3 days with an average of 2 workers, the price was reasonable. And these improvements will last for the life of the house.
Any questions or concerns were handled by Mitt with the utmost reasonableness and intelligence. It was a good experience.
Also, I did this through Clean Energy Works, which was of questionable benefit. In theory they give you another layer of quality assurance and someone to ask questions, but in practice their usefulness was not very obvious. Supposedly they give you a «free» audit and blah blah blah, but given the extra overhead the program causes for contractors, it’s not clear if they really wind up giving you a better deal in the end. They also steer you away from competitive bids which does not strike me as a very healthy thing.

Mitt came to our house and did an energy audit. We ended up putting in more insulation and a ductless heat pump. The prices were reasonable and they made sure that the work was done to our satisfaction. Great people to work with.
Highly recommended.