ENERGY CHECK
A free home energy audit is the first step to assess how much energy your home consumes and to evaluate what measures you can take to make your home more energy-efficient. An audit will show you problems that may, when corrected, save you significant amounts of money over time. During the audit, you can pinpoint where your house is losing energy. An audit may also show you ways to conserve hot water. We use a variety of techniques and equipment to determine the energy efficiency of a structure. We use equipment such as blower doors, which measure the extent of leaks in homes.
LOCATING AIR LEAKS
The potential energy savings from draft reduction may range from 5% to 30% per year, and the home is generally much more comfortable afterwards. Check for indoor air leaks such as gaps along the baseboard or edge of the flooring, and at junctures of the walls and ceiling. Check to see if air can flow through electrical outlets, switch plates, window frames, baseboards, weather-stripping around doors, fireplace dampers, attic Latches, and wall or window-mounted air conditioners. Look for gaps around pipes and wires, electrical outlets, foundation seals, and mail slots.
Check to see if the caulking and weather-stripping are applied properly (no gaps or cracks), and are in good condition. We inspect windows and doors for air leaks. You may also wish to consider replacing your old windows and doors with newer, high-performance ones.
On the outside of your house, we inspect all areas where two different building materials meet. For example: inspect all exterior corners; where siding and chimneys meet; and areas where the foundation and the bottom of exterior brick or siding meet.
INSULATION
Heat loss through the ceiling and walls in your home could be very large if the insulation levels are less than the recommended minimum.
We check to see if the level of the attic and wall insulation of your home is at least at the minimum recommended amount. When your house was built, the insulation recommended at that time was installed.
Given today’s energy prices, and that future prices probably will be higher, the level might be inadequate, especially if you have an older home. In 1997, the U.S. Department of Energy updated its recommended insulation R-38.
If your basement is unheated, we determine whether there is insulation under the living area flooring. In most areas of the country, R-19 is they recommended minimum level of insulation.
