Oak Parker John Porterfield and his wife, Cheryl Pomeroy, provide professional energy guidance for residential and small commercial building owners through eZing Inc., recently transferred to employee ownership. Services include building energy performance testing, energy analysis and audit, quality assurance of energy retrofit work, and training, testing and certification for numerous energy programs and certifications.
Porterfield is the fifth local climate hero to be recognized by the Democratic Party of Oak Park Climate Action Committee, which educates consumers on climate change and advocates with legislators on sustainable energy goals.
Why should one want to improve a building’s energy performance?
By tackling gas, electric, and water use problems revealed by our testing, recommended corrections can result in a 50% smaller “footprint.” Efficiency is key to home value, and noticeable monthly savings, comfort, and confidence with managing improvements are all benefits eZing customers experience.Â
How did you become an energy auditor?
I was lucky to land a job at the Energy Resources Center, UIC in 1976. The country was in the midst of an energy crisis, and work at ERC let us apply defect detection and correction testing that was perfected at that time. I helped design software for the energy audit of multi-unit residences, which led to the first computerized audit to use measured air “leakiness” as a data input. In 1979, I founded Potential Energy Inc. and pioneered infrared scan and air leakage diagnostics, plus whole-house air seal in the Chicago area where I was known as “The House Doctor.”
What’s your involvement with the
Citizens Climate Lobby?
I co-chair the Chicago West CCL Chapter. We’re a national lobby, advocating for a revenue-neutral carbon tax. CCL proposes legislation that taxes fossil fuels at their source, distributing funds equally to U.S. households. CCL’s REMI study shows a 52% drop in carbon and 2.8 million net gain of jobs as the tax gradually increases over 20 years. A family of four “dividend” will be about $400/month after 10 years.
Porterfield Profile
Founder and partner, Informed Energy Decisions. “EnergyDetectives.com” (2003-2008), residential and commercial energy audits through U. of Illinois Smart Energy Design Assistance Center (SEDAC), U. of Illinois.
 Director of Energy Services for Trade-in Programs at Community Energy Co-op, an initiative of Center for Neighborhood Technology (2000-03).
Director of Energy Initiatives, Renacer Westside Community Network (1996-2000). Helped energy technicians trained through CHA to set up an energy retrofit business and perform lighting audits for CTA Red, Orange and Green lines.
Founder, Potential Energy Inc. (1979-1990), pioneered infrared scan, air leakage diagnostics and whole-house air seal in Chicagoland.
Energy Resources Center, UIC (1976-1985), assisted with development of audit software, first to use measured house leakage as a data input, for Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
Author, How to House Doctor, a 321-page manual providing first systematic instruction in use of infrared scan and blower door to detect residential energy defects.
Education: B.A. Architecture, U.I.C. (1976); B.A. Economics, U. of Missouri at Columbia (1968).
David Martin is a member of the Democratic Party of Oak Park Climate Action Committee.