Energy Services Specialist Jonathan Sergeant reviews energy-saving recommendations with a customer after completing her home’s energy audit (pictured above).
Energy Services Specialist Seth Shoneman passed away August 11th, before the publication of this piece. He will be greatly missed. In May of this year, we were fortunate to speak to Seth about his work at Greenville Utilities as a featured part of this story. As we grieve the loss of Seth, let us remember his commitment and passion for his work and his kindness as he worked to help customers and contractors understand and implement energy conservation standards that benefit the entire community. In lieu of flowers, gifts in Seth’s memory may be shared here. His celebration of life will be held on Saturday, August 23rd from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the State Theatre on 5th Street in Greenville. A memorial piece to honor Seth’s memory will be published in the coming weeks.
Energy Services Specialist Jonathan Sergeant stands at the top floor of a health care provider’s office and looks up at an air duct jutting out midway on the ceiling.
“That concerns me,” he said with a sigh and points upward. “I don’t like this. It is never going to satisfy.”
He is working on an energy audit. The commercial customer has a concerning utility bill – amounting to $1,500 in electric use alone (mostly a comfort complaint). Jonathan said there are three HVAC systems servicing the facility, and that is a lot for the size and type of building.
As he discusses the day-to-day issues at the health care facility, the office manager tells Jonathan they don’t know how to fix the condensation issues that arise over an exam room on particularly sweltering days.
Intuitively, Jonathan hears the condensation complaint and asks what the thermostat is set on. It’s set to 62 degrees.
After having this conversation and further examining the upstairs storage area, he quickly identifies the problem. The cold air is meeting the hot air in the drop ceiling above the exam room, and the insulation that was installed five years ago is ineffective because it was never installed on the side walls, only on the ceiling of the top floor.
“This is an air barrier misalignment issue,” he said and then points to the misplaced duct work. “What we are looking at is trying to fix the building envelope by throwing (HVAC) A/C at it, and it just doesn’t work. This could be a challenge for the customer on this one. This isn’t a simple solution.”
Jonathan offered the office manager one option he called a “bandaid,” which would be to install a ducted dehumidifier. The other more expensive, but better option, would be to complete the insulation and air barrier on the top floor correctly and have a hard ceiling put in over the exam room.
He counseled the customer on those options, outlining the most realistic outcome for each one, and offered follow-up assistance should they need it later.
Usually, audits happen as a suggestion from Customer Service Representatives, other departments, or direct calls from customers. This particular audit came to Energy Services by referral from an HVAC company.
“We do have HVAC companies call us to help assess issues, but it’s not common,” Jonathan said.
When the temperature feels like its 110 degrees outside or as low as 8 degrees, it’s Energy Service Specialists who become reinforcements for our customers when their energy and water usage is off the charts.
Energy audits for residential and commercial structures are when an Energy Services Specialist completing a comprehensive evaluation process by checking insulation, air sealing, heating and cooling systems, moisture-related issues, air quality, and air ducts. GUC offers this service at no cost to our customers.
Energy Services has been providing reliable energy information to customers since its creation in 1977. Energy Services Specialists offer the audits, but they are also available for customer consultations that run the gamut from giving advice on proper sizing for an HVAC system to remodeling a home or business with energy-efficiency in mind.
“For us, Energy Services is a tool in our toolbox,” Assistant Director of Customer Relations Colleen Sicley said.
Energy Services Specialists also work with Customer Relations Representatives and train them in basic troubleshooting for high usage customer issues. If the customer is not able to resolve the issue over the phone with a representative, then it is kicked over to Energy Services for a more involved look.
Energy Service Specialists are licensed contractors and have a deep well of experience in construction work in Pitt County.
“Customers who have high bill complaints feel more confident taking the advice of licensed contractors, which is a service we offer for free,” Colleen said.
Energy Services can complete between 20-25 audits in a month and upwards of 120 a month during extreme temperature events. In 2024, Energy Services completed 360 energy audits.
“We are building scientists,” Jonathan said. “We can see what is behind a home’s walls, and what type of home that has been built. We don’t get surprised a lot.”
When customers request an audit, Seth and Jonathan approached it as team effort.
“When we arrive, they tell us to do our thing,” Seth said on May 22.
“But this is an interactive project, so we tell them to tell us what they need and what issues they are experiencing, and we go through the audit with them.”
The initial audit, whether it be in person or over the phone, identifies critical issues in the home, but Energy Services doesn’t end there.
“We go above and beyond that initial visit,” Seth said. “Sometimes we track usage, and it becomes an extended project. Customer high usage and high bill concerns usually end with us.”
Colleen can not only speak to the value of Energy Services from the GUC perspective, but also the customer perspective. She asked Energy Services to come in and offer advice as she was remodeling her home.
Colleen said as she was working with a contractor on renovations, Seth came in to offer guidance to make her home more energy efficient.
“Seth was talking with the contractor about insulation,” Colleen said smiling. “They were debating about what was the best insulation for my home. Seth turned around and gave me a wink.”
Colleen gives a laugh and explains that once the Pitt County inspector came in, he said “he had never seen such good insulation.”
“I believe Seth really encouraged this contractor into providing the best insulation possible for my home. For my size home, I have a very reasonable bill, and I credit Energy Services for that.”
Energy Services is unique in that they cross the threshold into people’s homes, and they admit that they have seen a lot of strange things and dealt with different personality types and customer attitudes.
“We do have to put our therapist hat on,” Jonathan said. “It is sometimes the high usage, and then there is something else going on in their lives. Nine out of ten times, we are able to flip the problem into an opportunity.”
One audit, in particular, that was a lasting success story is not rooted in solving energy usage issues for a customer but helping the customer achieve a better quality of life.
This customer had a ranch-style home, and it had come time for her to replace her HVAC system. Energy Services did the load calculation, and while they were doing the audit and consultation, they found the original duct work was showing a 50% leakage rate (5% is code).
They worked with the contractor to get the duct work replaced, and the leakage was cut down by 75% or 3.5% total leakage - a significant decrease. However, what was most notable for Seth and Jonathan -- before this work was completed -- the customer was on five different respiratory medications. Afterwards, she reduced her medications down to only one.
Another success story hinged on helping an elderly customer on a fixed income. She was reporting an excessively high rate of water use. They did discover that she had a water leak, so our Water Resources staff came out and saw that the issue was easily addressed, and the problem was remedied.
“It is our customers who bring me the most enjoyment. These acts of service are important to us,” Jonathon said, as Seth agreed.
Looking Toward the Future
As our service area continues to grow, Energy Services plays an integral part in the community and GUC. Energy Services has made an indelible mark on residential construction with its E-300 program. Created in 1978, E-300 was a pioneer in building energy-efficient structures in this region. Since its inception, more than 12,000 homes and commercial structures have passed the rigorous energy efficiency standards outlined by the program.
In 1978, state construction regulations were not geared to energy conservation or efficiency, but as state standards began to catch up in 2012 to what GUC was already encouraging, the E-300 program has morphed into helping people build their dream homes and continue to exceed state energy efficiency standards.
To meet the E-300 standards, builders and homeowners submit their construction plans for evaluation by an Energy Services Specialist. The Specialist will then make recommendations for insulation and other energy-saving features based on computerized load calculations.
In 2024, Energy Services certified 506 structures under the E-300 program.
Energy Services also works to build a basic understanding of what energy conservation is and how to utilize practices to lower energy usage in customers’ day-to-day lives. Specialists spend a lot of time in the community talking about energy conservation, donating fans to the elderly, and visiting schools.
