What Happens During a Home Energy Audit?

Home energy savings for residents of Charleston, Greenville, and Columbia, South Carolina!

So you've decided to have a home energy audit. You want to know if the attic insulation needs upgrading, is the overall home insulation sufficient, should you switch to a tankless water heater, how effective are your heating and cooling systems. All of these concerns and more will be addressed at a comprehensive home energy audit. But what exactly happens during one of these check-ups? What can you expect?

First, the home energy contractor may ask you to describe your concerns whether it's an especially drafty room or questions of construction quality. The crux of a professional home energy audit, however, consists of three main phases: inspection, diagnosis, and prescription. Let's take each separately.

The inspection phase begins with the auditor taking the precise measurements of the house and notes of the house's construction. It continues with the contractor visually inspecting all areas of your home: the attic and its insulation and ductwork; the basement (and/or crawl space) and the heating, cooling, and water heating systems there, as well as basement insulation and air leakage. In the living spaces, the auditor will check all windows and doors, appliances, insulation and lighting. Careful notes are taken during this inventory stage to assure no details are omitted from the final report.

Now it's time to diagnose problems with testing. Don't be surprised by the equipment you may see including a blower door, an infrared camera, duct blaster, and gas safety monitors. The blower door measures air infiltration into the home. This is a powerful fan that mounts, temporarily, into the frame of an exterior door. The fan pulls air out of the house, lowering the air pressure inside. The higher outside air pressure then flows in through all unsealed cracks and openings. The auditor then uses an infrared thermal imaging camera to measure and detect air leaks in the building envelope.

The duct blaster measures the amount of air leakage through the HVAC ductwork. Essentially a smaller version of the blower door, the duct blaster utilizes a fan connected directly to the duct system, while all other registers are sealed off, to measure the leakage of the system via pressurization of the ducts.

Final but extremely important testing involves the safe operation of gas appliances. Referred to as Combustion Appliance Zone (CAZ) testing, it is comprised of measurements in and around gas furnaces, water heaters, ovens, and other gas-burning appliances. It also includes checking all gas supply lines for leaks.

In the prescription phase, the energy professionals provides the homeowner with a detailed and comprehensive report with defects identified and quantitive information supporting their recommendations. And those suggestions should be prioritized so that implementation in the correct order benefits the homeowner by compounding savings and investment.

A clearer understanding of the home energy audit process helps homeowners see not only the benefits of saving energy but also the path to accomplishing that goal. Contact the Dr. Energy Saver representative in your area to begin the process in Greenville, Columbia, Chapin, North Charleston, Spartanburg, West Columbia, and other neighboring towns.