Home Energy Audits

Duke and Dan preformed a whole house energy audit on a home built in the early 1900's. The photo shows Dan running a manometer (pressure and flow gage) just inside of our blower door. The blower door and manometer measure the amount of air infiltration. This test will provide the cumulative size of all the holes, cracks and crevices that leak air. All of the windows and doors are closed before the test. The blower door is installed in the front door of the home. This test takes about an hour. Duke walked through the home to search for specific areas that were leaking. He found some unlikely culprits of energy leaking, such as can lights and soffits that were not properly sealed. Our infrared camera was also used to find areas that are leaking or not properly insulated.
Duke also set up a calibration to monitor the "ghost" energy used in the home. This test will find out just how much energy those computers, security systems, clocks and audio video equipment use while they are sitting unused.
Dan and Duke checked the hot water tank, insulation conditions, duct work conditions, caulking around the windows and doors, furnace filter and other random items that may affect the efficiency of the home.
After all of the data is compiled, Duke will provide the homeowner a detailed report including the amount of leaking air and suggestions on how increase the home's energy efficiency.
Preforming an Energy Audit on your home is a smart way to plan what maintenance projects and products will provide the most energy savings for your home. Right now there are many energy tax benefits on home repair to take advantage of, including 30% of the cost of windows, doors and water heater. There may be local rebates available too.