| We are rapidly approaching the summer | | | | and utilize a blower door and an IR camera. If |
| season where air conditioners and electric meters are | | | | necessary for your home the professional auditor will |
| running constantly! You realize that we are in a difficult | | | | also be trained in and use a duct blaster. These tools |
| economic time yet you are pouring money out the | | | | are essential if you really want an accurate appraisal |
| window and into the pockets of the electric company. | | | | of how your house is working. Go to the |
| The real blame for your high energy costs should be | | | | government’s DOE website and see what the |
| placed on the standard and energy inefficient building | | | | government’s energy arm says. |
| practices that have been utilized in south Texas for | | | | What is a blower door? A blower door is a |
| many years. | | | | piece of equipment that measures how much your |
| Examples of where we went wrong: Until | | | | house leaks and what the air exchange rate is. The air |
| recently we under insulated because “it does not | | | | exchange rate is very important for a healthy and |
| get cold here” so we do not need to keep the cold | | | | energy efficient house. A good/typical air exchange |
| air out of our house. We did and still do put in air | | | | rate is approximately .35 which computes to a whole |
| conditioning units that are oversized thus reducing the | | | | house air exchange rate of every three hours. Every |
| ability of the unit to take the moisture out of our house. | | | | three hours your house will have “fresh” air. This |
| Oversized A/C units also require more electricity to | | | | is for the most part done through leakage. If your |
| start up and they are constantly starting and stopping. | | | | house exchanges air every hour it is leaking and your |
| We put in inexpensive aluminum frame windows which | | | | energy dollars are leaking with it. If you “tighten |
| form a direct conductor of air from outside to inside. | | | | up” a house to an exchange rate of once every |
| We put our air handlers/cooling coils and the ducts in | | | | eight hours you now run the risk of mold and bad air |
| the attic – the hottest part of the house. | | | | unless other steps are taken. Over tightening a house |
| So along comes a “certified energy | | | | without properly sizing the air conditioning unit and |
| auditor” to solve your problems and “drastically | | | | without properly exchanging air through mechanical |
| reduce” your energy bills. Many of these | | | | means is a health hazard. If you do not know the |
| “auditors” work for companies that will also be | | | | base line air exchange rate it is difficult to measure the |
| glad to fix the problem and/or sell you some products. | | | | improvement (except waiting for the next electric bill). |
| While many of these companies may be honest I can | | | | A blower door with the use of a pressure pan can |
| assure you that many are not. While some of these | | | | also document leaks in your home’s duct system. |
| “auditors” may be well trained I bet most are | | | | What is a duct blaster? A duct blaster |
| not. The audit given by one of these marginally trained | | | | measures the leaks within your home’s duct |
| auditors can be accomplished by the homeowner just | | | | system. Did you know that even with properly sealed |
| by using checklists provided on numerous web sites to | | | | ducts (because most are located in our hot attics) they |
| include the Department of Energy ( An auditor that | | | | can lose 30 – 40% of their efficiency? A duct |
| arrives without any high tech equipment will do nothing | | | | blaster would only be used if after a comprehensive |
| more than you can do! | | | | audit it cannot be ascertained why your bills are so |
| What constitutes a well trained energy | | | | high. You may have a large leak in a duct. |
| auditor? There are two organizations that provide | | | | What is an IR camera? It is a thermal imaging |
| excellent training and produce highly trained and | | | | device that works off of temperature differences. It |
| knowledgeable professionals. They are RESNET (a | | | | CANNOT look through walls! It is not XRAY! |
| non-profit organization) and BPI (Building Performance | | | | Let’s assume that it is 95 degrees outside and 75 |
| Institute –they both train and certify energy raters . | | | | degrees in your house. If I point my IR camera at your |
| A well trained auditor should understand the science of | | | | ceiling and it shows high temperature with a nice |
| how your house works – how air flows – how | | | | picture there is a distinct possibility that your insulation is |
| moisture works – the science of air pressure, etc. | | | | either missing or misplaced. Pointed at a wall it can find |
| The auditor should understand home construction | | | | spots where insulation is either missing or misaligned. I |
| techniques and products. The auditor should | | | | have seen entire walls where the insulation was |
| understand air conditioning and heating systems. Just | | | | omitted during original construction! |
| for fun ask your auditor to explain to you the | | | | If a home energy audit is done correctly by a |
| relationship between how your home functions and the | | | | trained professional auditor who utilizes the proper |
| second law of thermodynamics! If he/she cannot do it | | | | tools/diagnostics and the recommendations are |
| your chosen auditor does not understand the science | | | | complied with you will save money on energy bills! Hire |
| of your home. The professional auditor will be trained in | | | | a trained and certified professional! |