Before you can get your household energy efficiency where it ought to be, you have to determine where it is now. A home energy audit to document your efficiency baseline will make it easier to make needed repairs and chart improvements. Your HVAC contractor has the specialized equipment and training to look beneath the surface of your home for the hidden causes of inefficiency. Here are some of the ways a professional energy auditor can identify the energy efficiency shortcomings in your house.

Air Leaks

Air leaks in the structure can lose up to 20 percent of your heating and cooling. A blower door test  utilizes a special door installed in an exterior door frame in your home. The door incorporates a powerful fan and several pressure sensors. The fan pulls air out of the house, depressurizing the interior as another sensor measures how much air flow is passing through the fan. Using this data, a computer estimates the amount of total air leakage in the home.

Insulation

Homes built pre-2000 are usually under-insulated by today’s standards. The home energy audit includes a survey of installed insulation to determine the amount and quality.  The technician may utilize a thermographic camera to image the amount of heat conducted through walls and ceiling to locate areas of inadequate insulation.

Duct Leakage

As much as 30 percent of heated and cooled air in your home may be wasted by leaky ductwork. Original ductwork was frequently not built to last the life of the home. Leaks can occur at failing seams, joints that were not properly sealed or that have become disconnected over time and through pinhole leaks from rust and corrosion. The energy auditor will pressurize your ducts with a device called a “duct blaster.” This enables him or her to determine the approximate percentage of total airflow in the ducts that is lost due to leakage.

After the energy audit is completed, you’ll receive a written report documenting all sources of energy loss and suggesting repairs to correct them. The energy auditor may also include an estimate of repair costs and a projection of future energy savings once the repairs are made. The homeowner is under no obligation to make any repairs recommended by the auditor.

Bruni and Campisi  serves Westchester, Greenwich and Stamford. Contact us now to get your home energy audit.