Siti Crook

Communicator, Analyst, President
Cell-610-405-3161

By most accounts, Siti had no experience or credentials to make a contribution to the family construction business, E=MC2. When she married Dennis in 1980, she got the job in the deal. Raised during the 1950's, when women still wore hats and gloves and spent their days cooking, cleaning and baking, she was among the few women entrepreneurs of her generation.

“When I grew up, many homes were heated with coal and no one I knew had air conditioning,” Siti recalls. “Then I married Dennis and went to work with him in his construction company. My friends never imagined I would grow up to be a builder. That job just didn't fit with the stereotypical role of a woman at that time.”

But that didn't deter Siti. While Dennis built homes, she built the business. Under her guidance, E=MC 2 expanded its market in the Philadelphia area. She provided the business and financial expertise necessary to make each new project successful. Dennis had a profound commitment to energy efficiency, which Siti soon shared.

In the late 1970's, the U.S. experienced its first energy crisis. Researchers went wild looking for ways to save energy. Dennis poured over tons of research on energy efficiency. He applied these methods to his design and called it Ecobuilt Home Design.

Ecobuilt Homes were comfortable... and different in one big way. The owners enjoyed much lower utility costs than their neighbors, without sacrificing comfort. Leaders in Philadelphia's government and the Owens-Corning company praised their success at building "truly energy efficient homes".

By the time their Ecobuilt energy efficient home development was done in the early 1990's, the energy emergency had passed. Once again, homeowners were more excited about kitchen cabinets and carpeting than insulation and utility bills. Siti knew that they had done something special, but she also sensed they needed to do more.

Then it came to her. They worked hard at building or retrofitting homes energy efficiently. But they overlooked the importance of teaching people how energy efficient living could change their lives. It was only a matter of time before energy supplies and costs would become a problem again. Even though the crisis was temporarily over, and people's priorities had shifted, Siti and Dennis were not deterred.

Then, in 1991, Siti's mother-in-law Elaine lost everything in a fire that destroyed her home. She needed help. And Siti and Dennis needed time to regroup. So the family moved to Iowa. Dennis built his mom a new home – one that was energy efficient, of course. Elaine is pleased with her Ecobuilt home and she tells people:

“The temperature in my new home is constant. There aren't any drafts or cold rooms. I feel comfortable in every room and I wear short-sleeved blouses even when the temperature outside is -2 degrees with blowing winds. (Wearing short-sleeved blouses during winter in the farmhouse would have been a really bad idea!)”

The change gave the couple time to make new plans for their business. They both went back to school at Iowa State University. A year later, they moved to Swansea, Wales, so Dennis could study UK (United Kingdom) green building practices at the University of Wales, European Business Management School and Siti could study business.

Upon their return to the United States in 1996, while Dennis was researching and experimenting with new energy efficiency techniques and technology, Siti laid the foundation to expand their business beyond building. She looked to the Internet and the opportunities it gave them to educate people across the nation and around the world.

"It was apparent we could help more people through training and education than through home construction," she said. “The Internet gave us the means to do that.”

Siti developed the Energy Efficient Homes Team to make valuable information available to homeowners and builders worldwide. Through her efforts, people implement basic improvements to measurably reduce their energy consumption. The websites she administers are a major clearinghouse of information on energy and environmental issues.

She and Dennis also speak to civic and business organizations about their Ecobuilt home design and the positive effect energy efficient homes can have on the environment.

“We want to teach homeowners how to reduce energy consumption,” Siti explains. “It is more than just an environmental issue. A home that is energy efficient is more comfortable, and more affordable.”

For her part in these seminars, Siti speaks about the financial impact of energy costs on a family's financial security. She explains how energy efficiency can factor into your mortgage formula and how rising utility costs have contributed to the current housing crisis.

In the course of nearly thirty years, and under Siti's guidance, the family business has grown from a local construction contractor who happened to build the most energy efficient homes available to a home energy investigation and consulting service organization with a national presence.

The practices and techniques they have implemented successfully in their own homes are the basis for their book, “Stop Heating The Neighborhood, Save Money, Save Energy, Protect the Environment”.

For speaking engagements, home energy investigations, and consultations please contact us at: assist@eehteam.com
or
Call: 610-384-7866, Cell 610-405-3161

The Energy Efficient Homes Team looks forward to sharing our decades of proven energy efficient home design and construction experience with you.