Jan. 9--As he works from room to room, Gene Burch looks for the usual suspects, the small, and sometimes not-so-small, cracks and crevices that allow cold air to sneak into, or, hot air to rush out of, the Stamford home of Michael and Regina Kirshbaum.

Aided by a fan sucking air out of the three-bedroom home, Burch uses a thermal imaging device to track the cold spots and a tool to blow a ribbon of smoke near windows and doors to reveal leaks.

However, the senior project manager for Stamford-based RTK Environmental Group is looking to identify more than energy savings. Burch also is trying to point out areas requiring work -- the dormers that need new outdoor trim, the toilet that needs a new wax sealant at its base, the small holes

in the foundation walls that should be filled -- to prevent bigger, and likely costlier, repairs down the road.

"I usually come up with a laundry list," Burch says, adding that he ranks each item, from those that are less important to those that require immediate attention. "You don't have to do everything today."

For the past 14 years, RTK Environmental Group has been providing environmental testing to customers in Connecticut and New York. During the past year, the firm also began offering residential and commercial energy and maintenance audits.

A renewed attention to energy conservation, a slowing economy and rising energy prices are some of the reasons people are seeking advice on how to make their homes more energy

efficient.

"We'd like to use less if we can," Regina Kirshbaum says as earlier this week Burch tests a wall of windows in a back room that turn out to be doing their job. "While it would be nice to save money, it would be nice if it were a 'feel-good' as well."

Regina Kirshbaum, who has lived in her Shippan home for nearly 20 years says she is pleased that the country seems to have experienced a reawakening about its natural resources, making efforts to use less, conserve more and become more disciplined in how energy use is approached.

Michael says he and his wife already made some changes, installing new windows several years ago. But he suspects when they get the final audit report, they will find more places to save, considering the home is more than 60 years old.

While Burch and Robert Weitz, the firm's chief operating officer, say total energy savings can depend on the age of the house and square footage, some customers can see costs reduced by as much as 25 percent, and in some cases, even higher. The audits cost $300 to $700 depending on the scope of the audit and size of the home, Weitz says, and typically take a day or two to finish. RTK Environmental provides a final report with

This thermal imaging device shows where cold air is coming into a house. (Dru Nadler/Staff photo)

recommendations, but the company doesn't make the fixes. It is up to the clients to contact other professionals or undertake the work themselves.

The firm is just one of many that provide energy assessments throughout the state.

Help from

the state

The state's energy conservation programs for residents and businesses include energy audits and incentive and rebate programs that encourage the replacement of older heating systems and appliances with energy-saving models. The programs are administered by the state's electric and gas utility companies.