A home energy audit is a great way to figure out where your home is leaking energy and the best options to fix those leaks. However, many homeowners are worried about the associated costs of pursuing the recommended improvements, or don’t think they need an energy audit because they know where their home is losing energy. This makes them hesitant to schedule an energy audit.
Houses are like people. Every house is different and has different problems. If a person is sick and can’t figure out why, he or she would go to the doctor. It would be silly for that person to start randomly taking medications without knowing the diagnosis. The same goes for houses. Let’s say Joe Homeowner has a cold room in his house. He decides that his furnace isn’t big enough to push enough hot air into his cold room, so he spends $4,000 on a new, bigger furnace. Joe now has enough heat in this room but the other rooms in his house are too hot. Did Joe fix his problem? Not really. Joe decides to call a home performance contractor to see if an energy audit on his home can help. After some testing and looking through the attic, the auditor discovers that the cold room doesn’t have any insulation over it. Joe has the room insulated for $200 and solves his problem. Sure he has a nice new furnace, but he probably didn’t need a new one when his problem was a lack of insulation. If he would have had an energy audit first, he could have saved himself $4,000. This is a very common scenario in the home performance world. A small upfront investment in a home energy audit can save a lot of money and heartache.
So what is an energy audit, and how much does it cost? An energy audit is a series of diagnostic tests and visual inspections geared toward locating energy losses in a home. One of most effective tools used is a blower door. A blower door is a fan device that is set up in an exterior door of the house. It blows air out of the house, creating a slight negative pressure inside. A manometer is used to measure the amount of air moving through the fan, which equals the amount of air coming into the house through any air leaks. These leaks are easily detected by walking around and feeling for them, or by using an infrared camera. Although rare, houses can be sealed too tight. Calculations are made to determine how much natural ventilation a home needs for indoor air quality and how much air sealing is needed to make it more efficient but not too tight. If a house is too air tight, mechanical ventilation can be used to bring in fresh air.
Another beneficial test performed during an energy audit is a duct leakage test. Similar to a blower door test, a duct leakage test measures pressure differences in each vent to determine how leaky the system is and where those leaks are coming from. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, in an average home between 20 and 30 percent of the air moving through the duct system is lost to the outdoors through leaks. These leaks can contribute to high heating bills and uncomfortable rooms. Duct leaks on the cold air return side of the system can also cause air quality issues, drawing dusty attic or crawlspace air into the home.
Visual inspections are also performed to check the attic insulation, crawlspace under the house, windows and doors. An Infrared camera can also help locate areas that are under insulated. It’s not uncommon to find rooms that were never insulated or insulated incorrectly because of poor workmanship. Even a small uninsulated spot in a house can cause serious energy leaks since the greatest heat transfer occurs at the path of least resistance.
One of the most important benefits of an energy audit is combustion safety testing. Most houses are heated with gas furnaces and also have gas water heaters along with gas ovens. These all pose carbon monoxide risks if they are not vented properly. Draft tests are performed on these combustion appliances to make sure they are operating safely and not creating any dangerous carbon monoxide issues.
A typical energy audit takes around three hours to complete, depending on the size of the house. After the tests are completed, the energy auditor will use a computer program to create an energy model of the house, which shows the predicted energy savings for any recommendations. This helps the homeowner make decisions on what improvements will give them the best bang for their buck. Through APS’s Home Energy Checkup program, APS customers can have an energy audit performed by a participating contractor for only $99. This is a bargain compared to the normal $300-$400 price in other parts of the country. The contractor will also let the homeowner know what rebates are available through APS and the City of Flagstaff for improvements like duct sealing, air sealing and insulation. The contractor should also be able to make the improvements for the homeowner and help them acquire the rebates. Once the improvements are made, the homeowner can enjoy both energy savings and a more comfortable, healthier home. FBN
By Eli Chamberlain
Eli Chamberlain is the owner of CozyHome, a
Flagstaff-based home performance company
specializing in energy efficiency and home
comfort. He is a certified building analyst and
envelope professional through
the Building Performance
Institute. You can contact
Chamberlain via email eli@
cozyhomeaz.com or phone
928-853-0423.