During a typical Energy Audit the auditor will look at the house as one piece, or whole house approach.
Inspection of heating and cooling units are done to check for efficiency. Energy Advisors also test draft of the chimneys to make sure they are working properly and no harmful gases are entering the living space. In addition, the efficiency of the hot water heaters are checked to make sure they are drafting properly. Then the auditor will go outside and do similar structural checks that a home inspector would do. They look at the downspouts, porches, shrubs, and trees keeping in mind how they affect the house from an energy standpoint. We also want to make sure all exhaust vents are making their way through the roof.
Next, an inspection of the attic. What is looked at? chimneys, plumbing stack pipes, leakage in or around ducts, mold, and decay. Also, there will be an assessment of current insulation values.
Following the attic inspection is a blower door test. The Blower Door Test is probably the most effective way to determine what is happening with a house. Energy Advisors can pinpoint major leakage areas and make recommendations on how to correct it. As part of this test Energy Advisors will determine the air volume of your house and determine what is an acceptable amount of air flow for the home's size. Then the manometer (air flow/pressure tool) will give a reading. This number compared with the BAS (Standard Air Flow) will in turn provide Energy Advisors with the details to how leaky or drafty the home truly is. This tool also checks the efficiency of a duct system, then Energy Advisors can diagnose why on room is always colder or hotter than the rest of the rooms.
This tool will outperform a thermal imaging camera 6 days a week (We don't work Sundays).
