Did you lose track of your home’s energy usage after winter finally departed but before the cooling season started? Don’t fall into the trap of growing comfortable with low spring and fall energy bills and then assuming your summer and winter bills are only high because of the weather. Schedule an energy evaluation to make sure you aren’t actually spending more than you should be?
What Is an Energy Evaluation?
During an evaluation, each area of your home that affects your energy use is inspected. Unlike with HVAC preventive maintenance, this inspection goes far beyond your heating and cooling systems. It also includes insulation, windows and doors, general air sealing, and other home appliances. Savings in these areas will reduce heat gain and loss in your home and reduce the amount of time your air conditioner and furnace have to run.
How Does an Energy Evaluation Work?
There are two key tests performed during a typical energy evaluation. The first is a blower door test. A blower door test assesses the airtightness of our home’s outer envelope, identifying where leaks are occurring. During the test, all windows and doors in the home are closed except for a single door where a powerful blower fan is placed to it’s facing outside. As it sucks air out of the house, sophisticated equipment measures how quickly the house regains its air pressure, as air rushes back inside through various cracks and openings. The test will show how airtight your home is, and thermographic scanning equipment will identify where leaks are located. A similar test can also be done on your duct system to ensure you don’t have leaky ducts.
The second test also uses thermography. This test uses a handheld device that measures the temperature on various surfaces in your home. If certain areas of your wall or ceiling are colder or warmer than the surrounding areas, there is likely an insulation gap that needs to be corrected. This test is best performed during the hottest or coldest months of the year to ensure a good reading.
To schedule an energy evaluation in the Lorain area home, please contact us at Energy 1 Heating & Air Conditioning. We have more than 50 years of combined HVAC experience in Northeast Ohio.
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 evaluations 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