Energy Audits

Did you know that heating and cooling consumes nearly half of the energy you use in your home? Where does it all go, you ask? Well, your home may not be running as efficiently as you think.

Have you noticed that your energy bills are on the rise while some of the rooms in your home feel less than comfortable? How old is your heating and air conditioning equipment? Do you know what's going on in your ductwork? If some of these questions have you scratching your head, we have good news. All of these areas of potential energy waste leave plenty of room for improvement - in even the newest homes.

Done Right uses a whole-house approach to analyze how energy-efficient your home is today, recommends steps to improve your home's efficiency and, if you like, even helps you make those improvements. Our primary goal is to collect detailed information on the current conditions in your home and provide you with the information you'll need to make smart, cost-effective decisions.

A Home Energy Audit can help you make your home feel more comfortable year-round, reduce your energy costs and lessen your impact on the environment. Now that's what it means to go green! It is money well spent in that it will guide you towards your goals of reducing energy costs. It will also help you document your house’s heating costs for a new owner if you decide to sell.

What is a Home Energy Audit?

A Home Energy Audit is a thorough assessment of your home's energy efficiency performed by one of our Building Performance Institute (BPI) auditors. It allows us to identify sources of energy waste in your home, make recommendations for correcting existing problems, set priorities for those corrections and do the weatherization and insulation work if you like.

What happens during a Home Energy Audit?

Once you've called us to schedule a Home Energy Audit, and have answered a few simple questions over the phone, a certified auditor will visit your home to give it a complete inspection. He or she will look carefully at every inch of your home paying special attention to moisture levels, insulation, heating and cooling equipment, ductwork, air infiltration and more.

Step One

The first step consists of the auditor taking inventory of, and reporting on, the current conditions in your home, including the following:

Health and safety check (carbon monoxide levels, moisture and indoor air quality problems) Overall comfort level (cold/hot spots and indoor air quality - stuffiness/stale odors) Air sealing opportunities Insulation levels Heating system efficiency Cooling system/central air conditioning efficiency, if applicable Domestic hot water system efficiency Major appliances Lighting Internal Gas Line Pipe Hot air furnace filter

A home energy audit is a complete, in-depth analysis of a home's energy efficiency. During this procedure, a certified professional home energy auditor will use state-of-the-art equipment to analyze how energy is being used and where energy loss is occurring. By conducting an energy audit, the auditor is able to identify ways to either stop or reduce energy loss. Minimizing or eliminating energy loss altogether could result in dramatic savings to your energy bills. Once the audit is completed, you will receive a detailed report of the results. The report will highlight any problems and include the auditor's recommendations on what action needs to be taken to improve energy efficiency. An average home energy audit takes about 3 hours to complete.

There are 5 stages to a home energy audit:

Step 1 - Initial Interview

During this interview, the auditor collects as much background information as possible about the house. Any existing energy or ventilation problems should be discussed at this stage, as well as your concerns, goals or any plans that you may have for your home (e.g. building an extension).

Step 2 - Outdoor Inspection

The outdoor inspection examines all the exterior aspects of the house. A thorough assessment is made of the doors, windows, overhangs and skylights - if any. The outside perimeter of the home will also be taken into account. This includes looking at the building orientation and any vegetation that affects shade and windbreak.

Step 3 - Indoor Inspection

The indoor inspection is divided into the following sections:

Main Level & Basement

The examination of this area includes: thermostat, furnace, water heater, basement wall and band joist insulation, utility perforations on outside walls, pipes and ducts for sealing and insulation, window and door condition, weather stripping for doors and windows, flooring, washer hoses and overall character and age of all appliances.

Upper Floors

The examination of this area includes: attic hatch seals, can lighting, attic insulation/ventilation and sealing of perforations in the ceiling below the attic.

Step 4 - Blower Door and Infrared Tests

At this stage test really gets down to business! The technician gets out his diagnostic tools and starts performing tests that will help to determine the overall air tightness of the home and where the leaks are.

Blower Door Test

The blower door test entails the use of specialized diagnostic equipment to measure the air tightness of the house. It will determine where any air leaks are occurring and what the total amount of that air leakage is. This test is also used to check if there are any moisture condensation problems and to test the indoor air quality. The blower door test uses a powerful fan to depressurize the entire house and then check the rate at which air reenters the building through unsealed cracks and other openings in the building envelope.

Infrared Thermal Image Scan

In conducting this test, the auditor uses an infrared thermograph and a special infrared camera called a Forward Looking Infrared or FLIR camera. By using wavelengths, which are invisible to the naked eye, the FLIR camera will measure temperature variations along the building's surfaces. In this way, "hot" and "cold" spots in the building envelope can be identified, allowing the auditor to form a picture of what's going on behind the walls. The scan enables the auditor to accurately pinpoint those areas where insulation and / or air sealing needs to be improved.

Step 5 - Review Results

The auditor will review the preliminary findings with you, giving you a general idea as to what improvements you can make to your home. Within one week, you'll receive a more detailed report by email. This written report will outline specific steps you can take to make your home more energy efficient. It will also give you the scientific measurements for which you can compare your home against others. This data is important in three ways.

Like "before and after” pictures, it is the "before” for which the blower door readings can be compared against after the work is performed. It gives you a breakdown of your energy costs, telling you how much is spent on electricity, heating and cooling. It recommends the actions that should be taken. These may include additional insulation, the replacement of the heating or cooling system, the replacement of the hot water heater and all other actions identified. It will give you a cost analysis telling you the costs and payback of the improvements. We will also provide information on simple measures the homeowner can do themselves.

What’s the cost? $425 for a full report on a house up to 2000 square feet. $75 additional for next 1000 s.f. or portion thereof.

Walk-through inspection only. The audit consists of using the infrared camera with the blower door running to find leaks and cold spots, but no report will be given. The fee is $225.

We do multi-units! Many auditors won’t do them but we will.