Commercial Services 

It takes a lot of power to run a commercial building, and older buildings tend to be riddled with inefficiencies, leading to significant waste. Taking steps to improve your commercial building’s energy efficiency is one of the most responsible things you can do as a business owner and will lead to benefits like: 

  • Lower energy bills and maintenance costs 
  • Better indoor air quality and comfort for occupants 
  • Reduced environmental impact and a smaller carbon footprint 

Responsible House can help you solve your commercial energy efficiency problems. We use building science to find solutions that improve energy efficiency in existing buildings of all types and sizes throughout Central Virginia, including churches, schools, office buildings, multi-family homes, retail shops, and more. As a Building Performance Institute (BPI) certified contractor, we lead with building science to make real, measurable improvements to your buildings. We test, diagnose problems, and design custom solutions to make your buildings better. 

Commercial Energy Audits & Blower Door Testing 

Thermal imaging camera in commercial space

Commercial building energy audits are a great tool for facility managers and building owners that provide a roadmap for energy efficiency improvements. 

Responsible House is a certified energy auditor with decades of experience testing homes and buildings. We use diagnostic equipment, including commercial blower doors, to find the energy efficiency problems in your building. 

When testing is complete, we’ll generate a comprehensive report. This report identifies problem areas within your building, such as air leakage or poor insulation, and the solutions we recommend based on your test results, budget, and energy efficiency goals. 

Commercial Insulation 

Worker applying spray foam insulation in commercial building

Installing new insulation to retrofit existing buildings can significantly increase energy efficiency and reduce the cost of powering a commercial building. Insulation works year-round to slow the transfer of heat into and out of your building. By keeping heat in during the winter and out during the summer, you can maintain a more comfortable indoor environment with less strain on your HVAC system. This will improve your building’s efficiency and lead to commercial energy savings. 

Responsible House is the place where building science and insulation meet. We will evaluate your building’s insulation and follow the science to determine the best solution for your needs. We are a licensed building science contractor and certified spray foam insulation contractor, and we follow all best practices to ensure a safe and effective installation. We take extra steps to ensure the safety of your building and its occupants and are the only insulation contractor in the area that runs fans during and after insulation installation to keep air quality high, improve re-entry time into the building, and company with manufacturing guidelines.    

Commercial Air Sealing 

Hands using a caulk gun to apply caulk for air sealing

Air sealing is one of the best energy efficiency measures for commercial buildings. Sealing up air leaks will stop the flow of air (and the moisture it carries) into and out of your building, resulting in less energy waste, fewer drafts, lower humidity levels, and better indoor air quality. Air sealing also improves your insulation’s performance, helping you get the most out of your investment in energy efficiency measures for your commercial building. Save on operating costs with responsible energy efficiency upgrades. Call 540-942-2061 or contact us to get a free estimate for your project.

Make the responsible choice for your commercial building. 

Schedule energy efficient improvements with Responsible House. 

Super Typhoon Yolanda

William wouldn’t want to toot his own horn, so I’ll have to do it for him. On November 8, 2013 Typhoon Yolanda hit the Philippines. It is…

The Columns at Six Penny Farm
Able to build a second venue complete with a solar array.
Sherpa Forest
Straw-bale construction, geothermal heating and active solar!
Afton Mountain Bed & Breakfast
Now has a solar installation in large measure due to the expertise of AltEnergy and Responsible Space.

Happy Clients

Responsible House worked tirelessly to bring back to life my family’s 100-year old farmhouse with a major energy retrofit and extensive structural restoration. I cannot say enough good things about this local, family owned business. They meticulously pursued perfection at… Read more “We are immensely grateful”

Joyce C.

William came to study the problem. He was incredibly thorough weighing in all possible causes and solutions to my Attic blues. He then put together a plan and executed it to perfection. If you do not go to Responsible house… Read more “Attic Blues”

Charles C.

They caulked all the places on the interior of my log home where I was losing heat. I am saving 20% on my heating bill now. The team also fixed minor issues with the house which they found during the… Read more “Very Happy With The Work”

Donna S.

The experience I had from Responsible House installing my new insulation it was quick and effortless. Their team came in and within two days I was able to return to a much warmer house. My air-conditioning would run almost constantly… Read more “Quick And Effortless”

Jason W.

The upstairs level of our home used to get extremely hot in the summertime, using a lot of wasted electricity to try to cool things down. Responsible house was able to insulate our home which ended up zeroing out our… Read more “Extremely Hot Upstairs Insulation Google Review”

Rachel B.

The most amazing contractors I have ever worked with – William saved us! You will not find anyone as professional and competent – not only in the valley but honestly anywhere. I have had so many bad experiences – Responsible… Read more “Dahlia N./Houzz.com Review”

Our project consisted of a kitchen/bath/bedroom remodel – a roughly 5 month project. William and his team were the consummate professionals throughout–skilled, knowledgeable, straightforward and direct. They provided advice and recommendations when needed and dealt promptly with any problems that… Read more “Kay B./Houzz.com Review”

Not only do they provide high quality services, they also are extremely easy to work with and they have a strong sense of design. -Michael Brown/Houzz.com… Read more “Michael Brown/Houzz.com Review”

“We highly recommend him and his team, and especially for a custom plan containing elements which are not standard construction.” –Custom Home… Read more “Custom Home Client/Houzz.com”

They have a very thorough attention to detail, and always rendered results that were exactly what the clients and I were after. –Annie M./Houzz.com… Read more “Annie M./Houzz.com Review”

A Net Zero Home
When conditioned air is trying to escape to the coldness outside, it has a hard time. This house only allows it’s volume of air to switch with the outside once every 24 hours. That’s 12 times more efficient than the average home. This is the 2nd tightest house we have built.
Outdoor Kitchen Window
Energy efficiency is not about your windows but this is one of the times we do recommend replacing your windows - when you are reimagining your space. This kitchen renovation on a 200 year old home also highlights Responsible House’s breadth of experience and that we can handle any projects tangential to your insulation needs.
Kitchen Remodel
We had to give you a peek of that window and kitchen from the inside. Truly reimagined!
Nellysford Cottage
This adorable cottage may not look fierce, but it is holding onto it’s air envelope mighty tightly. It takes 12 hours for all of the conditioned air inside of this house to sneak through the tiny holes present and be replaced by unconditioned air from the outside. In contrast, the average home does this every 2 hours. Super leaky homes (and plenty exist) perform far worse than that – every hour or even less!
Bungalow Remodel
These homeowners took it slowly over 5 years - insulated the ceiling of their basement, replaced their roof to prep for solar, had some solar installed, conditioned their attic (and replaced old HVAC equipment), and finally completed their solar array. Their home is cozy and energy efficient now.
Annie Interior
On a cold day, this home exchanges the entire envelope of air inside with the outside air about once every 40 hours. This is stunningly low! This translates to not having to keep your heater running on a cold day because you aren’t constantly heating the outside air that is coming in. The average house exchanges it’s entire volume of air (that you paid so dearly to warm up or cool off) with the outside air every 2 HOURS.