Meet Cosco Jones of Jones Sustainable Solutions Group in Midtown

Today we’d like to introduce you to Cosco Jones.

Cosco, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
At a very young age, I had an interest in building things and helping people. I started playing with Legos and drawing buildings at age three. The neighborhood I grew up in was undeserved and overlooked but had full of potential. Growing up in that environment inspired me to educate myself to become proficient in a sustainable lifestyle, and residential energy efficiency which has helped to serve my clients from various walks of life. During my senior year at Norfolk State University I had an internship with South Hampton Roads Habitat for Humanity. During this internship I found out about LEED and green building programs, which made me certain that this was the path that I wanted to follow.

At Virginia Tech, I narrowed down my focus to residential energy efficiency and building science while obtaining my Master’s Degree. At the time of my graduation, similar to many graduates during that time the recession thathad an negative effect on the construction industry which had worsened. Thanks to great programs like Americorps and organizations like Atlanta Habitat for Humanity, they gave me an opportunity to serve my country while practicing my craft as an Assistant House Leader. I then became a Technical Adviser, for a Regional Green Building Program called EarthCraft. The training and education I received in that position gave me the tools to start my own company which I operate today. Currently, I hold the certification of HERS Rater which stands for Home Energy Rating System.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
There are plenty of struggles in seeing dreams you have come to fruition. There was and still is the stigma of race. Iovercame that struggle by the education & certifications required, coupled with the almost 11 years experience I have in my field. There is also a knowledge deficit in sustainable building that I overcome by volunteering, remaining visible, and approachable to under-served as well as corporate entities. Diversity is getting better, but I am typically one of few minorities represented in my field. It is my opinion that, getting relevant policies in place to help offset energy burden in low to moderate communities is the challenge. Another struggle is getting a nontechnicalconsumer to understand that investing in energy efficiency can help save them significant money. I understand that my skills set is about five to 10 years ahead of the nontechnical consumer. Pricing for Low to moderate income communities who I want to help versus attracting more high-end clients is a third struggle faced. Dealing with ageism when speaking to certain crowds.

Please tell us about Jones Sustainable Solutions Group.
Jones Sustainable Solutions Group is a sustainable lifestyle consulting and coaching company specializing in residential energy efficiency. I conduct inspections and assessments on homes and light commercial properties from an energy and building performance perspective. The blower door and duct blaster test are actually code for new construction and major renovation. I also create custom energy models for homes that are comprised of various components of the home, i.e. windows, appliances, insulation, and light bulbs. I help to ensure people are lowering their total cost of living through energy efficiency. This is the aspect that my company is most proud. My ability to find problems and break it down into none technical terms for my clients, sets me apart from others. I explain to clients that we can be like the show “Love It or List It”, but your energy bills will be lower as well.

If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
I would have brought a house, then started my company. That house would have been my lab and would give tours as another revenue stream. I would have done more research on Duns and Bradstreet numbers. I would have completed more market research on new sustainability and home performance is an industry. Producing a product that aides in sustainability for sale and for passive income instead of only services is another thing I would do differently.

Pricing:

• Starting at $500 per Home for Informational Energy Model (Homeowners)
• Starting at $365 per Home for New Construction Test Out (Builders)
• Starting at $1150 per Home for Ground up Consultation (Builders or Homeowners)
• Starting at $225 per Home for Quick Assessment (Blower Door and Walkthrough) Homeowners

Contact Info:

• Phone: 5408310703
• Email: jones2sgroup@gmail.com
• Instagram: CoscoJones
• Facebook: Jones Sustainable Solutions Group
• Twitter: @GoGreenGrind
• Other: Cosco Jones on LinkedIn

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