Major Causes of a Homes Energy Waste & Comfort Issues
Sealing and insulating the "envelope" or "shell" of a home—its outer walls, ceiling, windows, doors, and floors—is often the most cost effective way to improve energy efficiency and comfort. ENERGY STAR estimates that a skilled contractor can save homeowners up to 20% on their heating and cooling costs (or up to 10% on their total annual energy bill) by sealing and insulating.
Air Leakage
Having holes throughout your house allows air to escape and infiltrate, making it difficult to maintain a constant air temperature. Many common areas for air leaks include; attic hatch, wiring holes, recessed lights, and seals around exterior windows and doors. These leaks are a major source of wasted energy in your home. Envelope leakage can affect other building systems, impact indoor air quality and the effect the comfort of your home. As part of the audit, we depressurize your house to measure how leaky it is. We can estimate the number of times per hour all of the air in your house is exchanged with the outside air. A higher number means that your house is draftier and uses more energy when heating and cooling demand is present.
Duct Leakage
In a typical house about 20 percent of the air that moves through the duct system is lost due to leaks, holes, and poorly connected ducts. The result is higher utility bills and difficulty keeping the house comfortable, no matter how the thermostat is set. Leaky ducts can reduce 20 percent of the heating and cooling system efficiency due to poorly sealed connections in the ducts. The result is higher utility bills and difficulty keeping the house comfortable.
Old Appliances
Aging appliances in your house are far less efficient than energy star models sold today.
Air Quality
Holes in your house and duct system allow air to be pulled in from dusty crawlspaces and attics. Dirty Filters block air flow to your HVAC stressing it and reducing the quality of your air. Chemical fumes, insulation particles and dust entering your ventilation system aggravating asthma and allergy symptoms.
Insulation
Insulation helps keep your home warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Lack of and/or improperly installed insulation in your walls, ceiling and floor make keeping your home warm or cool difficult. When correctly installed and combined with air sealing, insulation can deliver comfort and lower energy bills on the hottest and coldest days of the year.
Heating & Cooling Systems (HVAC)
Improper installation of a HVAC system can reduce system efficiency by up to 30% costing you more on your utility bills and shortens the equipment's life. Upgrading your furnace to an ENERGY STAR qualified model is up to 15% more efficient than a standard model. Sized, sealed and insulated ducts increase HVAC system efficiency by as much as 20%.
Lighting
Replacing the lighting in your house with energy efficient bulbs is a simple way to lower your electric bill.
