A home energy audit is extremely useful for figuring out how to make your home more efficient in order to save money on energy bills and make things more comfortable. One of the prime inefficiencies an audit will look for is air leakage. To determine how much air is leaking from your home and where the leaks are located, your contractor likely will use a blower door test and thermal scanning equipment. Improving the air sealing of your home helps energy efficiency by limiting the amount of air that escapes or infiltrates the building envelope.
Blower door tests are performed by setting up a large fan in an exterior doorway. The fan is sealed tightly in the door frame. The fan blows air out of the house to depressurize it, which results in outside air rushing back inside through any leaks in the home’s envelope. How quickly air pressure returns to normal will show how airtight the home is. Your contractor will then be able to locate any leaks by using a smoke pencil or thermographic scan.
As part of a full home energy audit, your contractor probably will use thermal scanning to assess the condition of your insulation, pinpointing areas where it’s lacking. He should examine your ductwork to make sure conditioned air is being properly delivered to its intended destination. The technician will also look at your past year’s energy bills and perform a detailed, room-by-room examination for inefficiencies.
If you’re having a home energy audit performed, there are a few things you might want to do to get ready:
- Be prepared to open up all areas of your home for examination.
- Put any fires out and remove all ashes from fireplaces and wood stoves.
- Make sure all windows and flues can be closed and that all interior doors can be opened.
- Gather your energy bills from the past year.
- Prepare for it to take an hour or more.
If you want more information on home energy audits or are looking for a quality contractor who can perform one on your home, please contact us at Energy 1 Heating & Air Conditioning. We’ve provided residents and businesses in the Lorain area with exceptional service for more than 34 years.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Lorain, Ohio about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about energy audits and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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Energy 1 Heating & Air Conditioning
1 (440) 246-5440
Serving the Lorain, OH Area