Frequently Asked Questions
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Home Performance with ENERGY STAR® Home Energy Review
- Certified home Assessment performed by a technician with BPI certifications (Analyst & Envelope)
- Walk through inspection - exterior, interior, attic, crawlspace basement
- Diagnostic testing - combustion safety, gas leaks, toxin levels, duct leakage and blower door
- Assesses energy usage and comfort levels
- Provides detailed written assessment of inspection and test results
- Scope of work needed
- Recommended priority for work
- Retest - verify the work completed by qualified contractors meets the required efficiency levels
- Takes 3-6 hours
- Cost varies
- Inspected by Energy Advisor
- Visual Inspection - look in attic and crawlspace
- Walk through observation - no testing
- Provides clipboard notes on ways to improve efficiencies
- Takes approximately 1 hour
- Free
Learn more, watch the video.
Professional energy auditors use blower door tests to help determine a home's air tightness.
These are some reasons for establishing the proper building tightness:
* Reducing energy consumption due to air leakage
* Avoiding moisture condensation problems
* Avoiding uncomfortable drafts caused by cold air leaking in from the outdoors
* Making sure that the home's air quality is not too contaminated by indoor air pollution.
How They Work
A blower door is a powerful fan that mounts into the frame of an exterior door. The fan pulls air out of the house, lowering the air pressure inside. The higher outside air pressure then flows in through all unsealed cracks and openings. The auditors may use a smoke pencil to detect air leaks. These tests determine the air infiltration rate of a building.
Blower doors consist of a frame and flexible panel that fit in a doorway, a variable-speed fan, a pressure gauge to measure the pressure differences inside and outside the home, and an airflow manometer and hoses for measuring airflow.
There are two types of blower doors: calibrated and un calibrated. It is important that auditors use a calibrated door. This type of blower door has several gauges that measure the amount of air pulled out of the house by the fan. Un calibrated blower doors can only locate leaks in homes. They provide no method for determining the overall tightness of a building. The calibrated blower door's data allow the auditor to quantify the amount of air leakage and the effectiveness of any air-sealing job.
Learn more, watch the video.
A duct blaster combines a small fan and a pressure gauge to pressurize a house's duct system and accurately measure air leakage of the ductwork. This test is similar to the way a plumber pressure test a plumbing system to find leaks. Duct leakage can contribute to health and safety problems as well as increase the costs of heating and cooling significantly.
Learn more, watch the video.
Air sealing is one of the most significant energy efficiency improvements you can make to your home. Air sealing will not just reduce energy costs; it will also improve your home's comfort and durability.
Before air sealing, you should first do the following:
* Detect air leaks
* Assess your ventilation needs for indoor air quality.You can then apply air sealing techniques and materials as needed, including caulk and weather stripping.
Symptoms:
occupants complain of symptoms such as:
* Headache
* Eye, nose, or throat irritation
* Dry cough; dry or itchy skin
* Dizziness and nausea
* Difficulty in concentrating
* Fatigue
* Sensitivity to odors
* Increased incidence of asthma attacks/appearance of asthma in non-asthmatics
* Personality changes such as rage/weeping/paranoia/depression
* Putative cases of bronchitis or pneumonia which do not respond to antibiotic treatment
* Symptoms resembling Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)This is a shortened list, as over 50 possible symptoms are known. It is possible for a dozen sick occupants to report a surprising array of individual symptoms which may be dismissed as unconnected. The key to discovery is the increased incidence of illnesses in general with onset or exacerbation within a fairly close time frame - usually within a period of weeks. Some sources will insist that for SBS to exist, these symptoms must disappear soon after the occupants go outside. However, this view discounts the lingering effects of various neurotoxins, which may not clear up when the occupant leaves the building. In particularly sensitive individuals, the potential for long-term health effects cannot be overlooked.
Causes
The contributing factors often relate to the design of the built environment, and may include combinations of some or all of the following:
* Indoor air pollution
* Toxic mold
* Artificial fragrance, such as dryer sheets
* Poor or inappropriate lighting (including absence of or only limited access to natural sunlight)
* Poor heating or ventilation
* Microbial or mite contamination of HVAC systems.
* Chemical contamination.
* Biological contamination.
Free Estimates
Contact Us to schedule your Home Performance with ENERGY STAR assessment.
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