Each week the Free Press profiles a local business who has used the services of The Business Incubator Center, a nonprofit entrepreneurial center serving Mesa County businesses.

While some Grand Valley businesses were downsizing in 2009, Frostbusters and Coolth was doubling its staff to a full-time crew of seven.

Frostbusters helps home and business owners make their buildings more energy-efficient by analyzing the entire building to find where energy is being lost, and how it can be saved.

After performing an energy audit, Frostbusters prepares a report including a proposal on how to improve the building.

“We help homeowners to prioritize the improvements based on what saves the most money, and improves comfort,” Diether said.

“All these (energy) problems are measurable and solvable, or preventable in the first place,” he said.

If an owner decides to act on Frostbuster's recommendations it can act as a general contractor, hiring sub-contractors to make the various home improvements. Improvement costs can range from $2,000 for “do-it-your-selfers” to several thousand if the owner wants Frostbusters to do all the work.

“We inspect homes from the very top to the bottom, and everything in-between,” — including inside the walls by using an infrared camera, Diether said.

The inspection begins with talking to the customer. Customers describe areas of the house that are uncomfortable, or odd smells (that can indicate mold, or pet odors). Diether said he likes the owner to be there while the house is being audited.

“We want them to be an active participant when doing our assessment,” Diether said.

An in-house comprehensive energy audit costs 25 cents per square-foot floor area. A small house will generally run about $250-300, Diether said. Frostbusters also performs energy audits for owners through Xcel Energy and Source Gas.

“The things we do to increase energy efficiency can also produce fringe benefits by reducing moisture problems, radon entry into the home, noise, dust and rodents.”

Diether used to be a builder in Crested Butte. When the building industry slowed down there in 1985, Diether and his partner looked for a niche in the construction industry. They came up with energy audits.

“It was the sensible, practical thing to do,” Diether said. “It made sense back then; now it makes even more sense.”

Diether moved to Grand Junction in 2003, and started the business up again here in 2006, after allowing it to sit idle for three or four years. It's been growing ever since, he said.

In fact when Diether contacted The Business Incubator Center last summer, it was for help in keeping up with growth.

“We were having some growing pains. The business was growing really fast,” said Frostbusters manager Shari Hall.

The Incubator, 2591 B-3/4 Road, helps new and expanding businesses in Mesa County by offering low-cost business classes, free consulting, and business loans to qualified businesses.

“When nobody else would make us a loan, they did,” Diether said.

With the loan money Frostbusters was able to purchase two infrared cameras, a couple of blower doors (a device used to measure and locate and reduce air leaks in the building), a duct blaster (used for sealing and measuring tightness of duct work) plus computers — tools they said they needed for expansion.

Frostbusters opened a satellite office in Silt spring 2009.

Reach Sharon Sullivan at ssullivan@gjfreepress.com.