Home Energy Performance Testing - Energy Audits

Understanding the House or Building as a System.

Your house or building is a complex system consisting of other subsystems. As such, what happens in within one system affects the operation of another system. An example would be that if the building envelope is leaky or has a high level of air infiltration, the HVAC system may have a difficult time maintaining a comfortable indoor environment. It may also allow uncontrolled moisture into the building. If this moisture can condense on cool surfaces, additional issues can arise, such as mold & moisture damage.

Treating one issue without addressing the impact to the building as a system may further complicate the situation. If air leaks are sealed without addressing ventilation, the indoor air quality may be impacted. Testing and analysis acknowledges these interrelationships, and allows for the best solution to be chosen to meet the needs of comfort, indoor air quality, durability, & energy efficiency.

Give us a call to learn more about how to improve your energy efficiency in harmony with your building or home.

Home Energy Performance Testing

In conducting building performance testing, we use the latest technology and equipment to assess the condition of the building's envelope, and to determine the issues affecting its energy efficiency. This includes the use of calibrated blower doors, duct "blasters", digital manometers, flue gas analyzers, electric metering and data logging equipment. Testing services include:

	Air Infiltration/Envelope Leakage Testing - used to determine integrity of building's envelope.

	Duct Leakage Testing - used to determine to what extent the HVAC system is leaking conditioned air.

	Zonal Pressure Testing - used to determine the integrity of separating wall systems and air balancing

	Worst Case Depressurization Testing used to determine the presence of potential back drafting conditions.

	Combustion Efficiency and Safety Testing - used to determine system efficiency, and the presence of potentially harmful combustion byproducts.

	Electrical Usage Metering and Data Logging - monitoring actual power consumption by systems and equipment.

	This is a sample of the testing services we provide. Please give us a call to discuss your specific testing requirements.

The house that I bought was built to code. Isn't that enough?

It is important to note that the Building Code is in place to protect the public. It is the minimum standard for a structure to be approved for occupancy. As such, it meets accepted standards for structural integrity, electrical safety, and adequacy of the HVAC system etc... It does not necessarily mean that the building was designed, or constructed, to be energy efficient.

Why would I want to know my building's efficiency?

Whatever choices were made at the time of construction will affect its performance for as long as the building is used, or until those systems are replaced, or upgraded. Missing insulation will have the same affect on the day the a building is completed, as it will thirty years later, but the bills will be higher. Testing a home or building will reveal exactly what needs to be done to make it perform at its best.

I have been in home 25 years. Do I really want to know how [poorly] it performs?

Knowing will allow you to make the best use of your energy improvement dollars. Unfortunately, the reality is that if you do not choose to make those energy improvements, you will be spending the same money anyway, (and more) on wasting energy! The good news is that making prudent, educated decisions on your first energy improvements will help pay for future improvements through money saved currently.

We have a complete range of services including building performance testing, energy modeling & preconstruction plans review, as well as ENERGY STAR® & Green Building Certification. Click here to learn more about specific service details.