A home energy audit is the first step on the path toward a more comfortable, more affordable, healthier home. Using a variety of high-tech, state-of-the-art tools, we’re able to identify the key areas where your home is wasting energy, and recommend the most cost-effective improvements for maximum comfort, minimum energy bills, optimal indoor air quality and building health and safety.
Our approach in conducting home energy audits is to perform a comprehensive, whole-house assessment of the home. This “whole-house ” approach is what distingushes our energy audits from the “clipboard audits” offered by many utilities, box stores, and companies that offer a discounted audit as a means to sell products or services.
Our whole-house energy audit looks at the building envelope (which includes all the components that make up your home’s outer shell, including windows, doors, insulation levels, and the level of air leakage in-between building materials), all combustion equipment including gas ranges, furnaces and water heaters, and the movement of air within the home to ensure that the air you and your family are breathing is fresh, healthy and safe. During the audit, we use:
- An infrared camera to identify air leakage and deficient insulation
- A blower door to measure the rate of air infiltration in the home
- Duct blaster test to determine whether your ducts are well-sealed
- Pressure gauges and watt meters to see how much energy the fans and pumps in your house use
- Air flow meters to determine if the heating/cooling system, and ventilation ducts are getting the right amount of air to the right places
- Combustion analyzers to measure operational efficiency, and low levels of carbon monoxide
- Moisture meters to check ambient relative humidity, or track down hard to diagnose moisture problems
- Glazing tester to check for window efficiency
While all of these tools are important, the greatest tool in our arsenal is our abilty to analyze the complex interactions that each home has and come up with a solution that is based in sound building science principles and can be tested to ensure that it is effective. We like the mantra “Test don’t guess” when it comes to your home. Why would you want to do anything less?
Contact us with any questions or to find out more about our home energy audit process, we’d be happy to chat.
