An Energy Audit Shows Where Your Home Wastes Energy

A home energy audit can help you to solve the mystery of high monthly energy bills in your Naples, Texas home. A home energy audit pinpoints problems in and around your home that increase your energy consumption. It also provides information so you can correct these problems.

Why Invest in a Home Energy Audit?

In addition to reducing energy costs, other benefits of hiring a qualified contractor to conduct a home energy audit include:

• Improved comfort – Improvements like reducing air leaks and upgrading insulation make indoor temperatures more consistent and provide comfort enhancement you can actually feel.
• Healthier air quality – An energy audit may uncover conditions that could impact the health and safety of your household, including inadequate venting of combustion appliances and excessive humidity and moisture that can lead to mildew and mold growth.
• Marketability – If you are putting your home on the market, showing potential buyers a copy of a professional energy audit, as well as improvements you’ve made based on the results, is an important tool to demonstrate that efficiency issues have been identified and resolved, or even better, that your home is well-sealed and not likely to present any problems.
• Return on investment (ROI) – The returns you realize from a thorough audit makes it worthwhile as you reap the benefits of greater efficiency.

What’s involved in a home energy audit? There are a few phases to the process, each of which is outlined below.

Interview

An auditor will look at recent utility bills, looking for telltale trends in energy usage that point out particular problems. In addition, your auditor will discuss your goals for the audit, as well as ask about issues you may have noticed like drafts, stagnant air or rooms that are hard to heat or cool.

Survey

A visual inspection of the premises follows. Along with basics like square footage and the amount of daily sunlight the home receives, more specific elements targeted in this phase include the following:

• Outside, the auditor will look for structural gaps and openings that cause air leakage. He will also assess the windows and exterior doors and note their condition, to determine if weatherstripping and caulking are needed. Any evidence of moisture infiltration is also noted.
• Indoors, a room-by-room survey evaluates airtightness and inspects major heat-generating appliances, light fixtures, and type of bulbs.
• In the attic, insulation is measured and identified by type. Exposed spans of ductwork in the house are also inspected for signs of leakage.

Home Performance Testing

Your auditor will be well-equipped with technology that will effectively measure certain areas of performance.

• Blower door test – To precisely establish the extent of air leakage, a fan is temporarily installed in an exterior door frame. The blower door test depressurizes the home, and tracks air that enters.
• Duct blaster – Ductwork is always a prime suspect in energy inefficiency. A duct blaster test pressurizes the system and calculates the rate and amount of air leakage from your ducts. This figure can be compared to local code requirements, and duct sealing recommendations made where necessary.
• Infrared imaging – Heat energy in motion is invisible to the naked eye but not to an auditor’s thermographic camera. Infrared imaging shows heat conduction and helps evaluate the amount and quality of insulation inside the home. Hidden locations of air leaks are also revealed by infrared images.
• Safety tests – Using a carbon monoxide detector, levels of dangerous CO gas are measured around appliances and in HVAC airflow.

After the home energy audit, you’ll receive a detailed written report of the results, prioritizing needed improvements and estimating potential savings. The homeowner is under no obligation to make any recommended repairs or upgrades.

Learn more about how a home energy audit works, as well as Wood Air Conditioning & Plumbing’s energy efficiency solutions, or call us at 903-285-6550 to schedule an appointment.

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