ABOUT THE PODCAST
The Wise Home Energy Show airs regularly on WYSL Radio, where Jeff Flaherty cuts through the noise on home performance, energy costs, and what actually works in Upstate New York homes.
Jeff's been in the building science trenches for over 20 years, and this show is where that experience gets put to work. No sales pitch, just straight answers on insulation, air sealing, heat pumps, rebates, and the mistakes that cost homeowners money. If you own a home in Rochester, this is worth your time.
WYSL 1040 AM
WYSL 1040 AM is Rochester's Voice of Liberty, broadcasting local talk and community programming across the region. The Wise Home Energy Show airs as part of that lineup, bringing practical home performance advice to homeowners across the greater Rochester area every week.
LATEST EPISODES
Each week, Jeff Flaherty and the Wise Home Energy team tackle the questions Rochester homeowners are actually asking, from ice dams and energy bills to heat pumps and rebates that won't last forever.
When the Magic Paint Isn’t Enough
Jeff Flaherty shares a fresh perspective on mold: he just completed his certification in mold assessment and remediation, and the big takeaway isn’t what most contractors focus on. Spraying mold with antimicrobial paint doesn’t fix anything if the moisture source stays untouched. Jeff breaks down why attic mold keeps coming back, what the certification taught him about bulk moisture vs. airborne moisture, and why the blower door test is still the key to getting to the root cause. He also flags an urgent concern: the NYSERDA no-cost energy audit program may not continue past the new year, and he explains why losing that testing component would be a real problem for homeowners and the industry alike.
Ice Dams, Bad Installs, and Why the Blower Door Is Non-Negotiable
Jeff Flaherty opens with a Cape Cod ice dam call where the roofer and mason both pointed at insulation before anyone even looked at the attic, then turns to a homeowner who had a major franchise inject foam into his walls, got 60% coverage, no blower door, and neighbors asking why his bills didn't go down. The company's answer: there's no way to fix it. Jeff also walks through a contemporary home with skylights and a valley roof where a new roof isn't going to solve the ice dam, a heat pump quote that went sideways when the homeowner wanted to match his old AC size without a load calculation, and why the industry habit of sizing equipment off the existing unit is just throwing a die and calling it engineering. Plus why utility costs are heading in one direction regardless of politics, and why a balanced approach to fuel types still makes more sense than going all-in on either one.