Energy Audit Plus Inspections

An Energy Audit Plus inspection warns you about components in your home that:

1. require immediate attention to repair or replace significantly damaged or deteriorated components,
2. present a significant risk of bodily injury during normal daily use,
3. may be approaching the end of their service lives,
4. present a significant opportunity for cost-effective energy conservation improvement.

Most homes contain components that fall into these categories. An Energy Audit Plus Inspection warns you
about deficient components before they fail or cause injury or illness so you can repair or replace the them on
your schedule and at a lower cost.

Most homes waste energy and money, and most homeowners don't know it. High utility bills and
uncomfortable rooms seem normal. An Energy Audit Plus Inspection tells you where you are wasting energy
and money and tells you about cost-effective improvements you can make to save money and improve the
value of your home.

1. An Energy Audit Plus inspection is an energy inspection plus a safety and maintenance inspection. You get
two important inspections for almost the same cost as an energy inspection alone.

2. We work for you. We have no vested interest in selling you more products and services. Some energy
inspection companies, particularly companies providing free or low cost energy inspections, see the energy
inspection as a paid sales call. They count on making their profit from selling you the repairs that they
recommend.

3. We are more than just an energy inspector. We are a licensed contractor, a certified building code inspector,
a certified infrared thermographer, and a certified energy inspector. Why use a one dimensional energy
inspector when you can use a multidimensional energy efficiency inspector and building consultant?

An Energy Audit Plus Inspection has two parts. The first part is a maintenance and safety inspection during
which we visually inspect your home for significant maintenance and safety problems. These problems may
include unsafe electrical components, faulty, unsafe, or improperly installed windows, water damage, gas
leaks, lack of or aged smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, and unsafe stairs, decks, and balconies.

The second part is the energy inspection. During this part we: (1) visually inspect your heating and air
conditioning systems and test them for proper operation, (2) visually inspect your other energy-consuming
appliances such as your water heater and refrigerator, (3) conduct a combustion appliance safety test to
determine if appliances, such as gas furnaces and gas water heaters, and fireplaces may be introducing toxic
carbon monoxide into your home, (4) visually inspect insulation to determine its type and R-value, and (5)
perform a blower door test.

A blower door is a large fan that we usually insert in your home's front door opening. The fan creates negative
pressure in your home that acts like a 20 mph wind blowing against your home from all sides. We connect the
fan to a device that measures very small differences in air pressure. With this equipment we estimate the total
size of openings in your home that let the air you paid to heat or cool leak out and let the outside air leak inside.
Other uses of blower door equipment include locating air leaks, diagnosing pressure difference between rooms
that contribute to comfort and air quality problems, and testing to determine if combustion appliances may be
introducing toxic carbon monoxide gas into your home.

An energy inspection identifies components in your home and lifestyle choices that waste significant energy and
money. It then proposes cost-effective solutions that may save significant energy and money.

When most people think about home energy efficiency they think about insulation. Insulation is important, but it
is not the only energy efficiency solution and it may not be the most important solution. In fact, adding
insulation is often the last energy efficiency improvement after other improvements are made.

In many homes, particularly older homes, sealing air leaks is often a cost-effective energy efficiency solution.
Many homes have openings to the outside that, in total, are the same as leaving a window or even a door open
24/7. Every cubic foot of air that leaves the home through these openings is a cubic foot of air that you must
pay to heat and cool again, and again, and again. In many homes, this adds up to an unnecessarily high heating
and cooling bill every month. An energy inspection uses blower door technology to identify air leak problems
and to determine cost-effective solutions.

The largest energy expense in almost all homes is heating and cooling the home. Most homes with forced-air
heating and cooling system have poorly installed, leaky, and damaged ducts and equipment that cause comfort
problems and high energy costs. An energy inspection identifies problems with your heating and cooling
system and can identify cost-effective solutions. Correcting heating and cooling problems is often the most
cost-effective energy efficiency solution, and, as a bonus, can correct room comfort problems.

The next largest energy expense in almost all homes is water heating. Low cost solutions, like low-flow shower
heads, and no cost lifestyle choices can reduce energy consumption and cost. An energy inspection often
teaches you about low cost and no cost energy efficiency solutions.

Free and low cost energy efficiency programs exist on the internet. These programs can provide useful
information, but the results are only as good as the information that you enter. While the results take your
information into account, the results are usually generic and may not fully apply to you and your home.

Improperly installed energy efficiency improvements can be ineffective and cost inefficient. They can also do
great harm to you and your home. Improper air leak sealing in homes with combustion appliances, like gas
furnaces and water heaters, or with a fireplace can make you sick or kill you because of carbon monoxide
poisoning. Improper air leak sealing and improper insulation installation can cause moisture and air quality
problems that can contribute to mold growth and to moisture damage of the wood structure of your home.

Building science teaches us that home are far more complex systems than most people realize. Change one
part of the system without understanding its impact on the other parts and you risk doing more harm than
good. Understanding the complex relationships in a home's systems requires training and experience that few
people have. So yes, you can do it yourself; but only if you know what you are doing.