You know this much is true about your home: it’s drafty, the energy bills are higher than you would like, and you have no clue how much insulation is in your attic…and so begins the case study of an energy audit.
There are many variations of an energy audit depending on the needs of your particular home. This blog entry deals with one specific case of a home that is over 100 years old. The new homeowners felt the energy bills were to high and hoped there could be room for improvement.
We started the
energy audit
with a
blower door test
. This test is used to force air out of the home and lets us know where the problem areas are. Once the blower door, (pictured above), is set up, several readings are taken that indicate how “leaky” the home is. While the blower door test is being conducted, a walk-thru is done by our energy auditor and the areas that leak air are found. After finding the leaks, we then determine how much insulation is in your attic and walls.The homeowner may or may not be present at this time.
After the
energy audit
has been conducted, our trained auditor will provide information and options as to how to fix, or “tighten” your home. This may be as simple as adding attic insulation to what you already have and foaming a few leaky areas that have been allowing conditioned air to escape, which was exactly the case with our 100 year old home.
Making an investment into the energy efficiency of your home can be quick, easy, and benefits you and the environment. You will see the return on investment in each energy bill.
Please feel free to ask questions on this post.