Home energy audit
From GNC
An home energy audit generally includes two technical tests that are not done by the free consultations done by NSTAR, etc. They are a blower door test and a thermal scan. A blower door test creates a pressure differential between the inside and outside by putting a variable speed fan in the front door (where the screen door fits). If you have air leaks, you will feel them very easily. A thermal scan can show both interior cold spots as well as exterior hot spots. Both tests need to have cool/cold external temperatures (below 40 degrees F).
There are several providers including:
Conservation Services Group: [[1]]
Building Diagnostics Help: [[2]]
Both of these charge about $400 for an audit. Both responded to my email or web request with a day or two.
To address the problems found in the audit, you can do it yourself, or you should find a contractor who knows how to do air sealing as well as install insulation. One provider is the group that gave me the first two leads for the audits.
Gregory L. Caplan Living Structures Inc. 93 Sedgwick St Jamaica Plain MA 02130 cell: 617-721-7770 fax: 617-524-5954 caplan@livingstructures.net www.livingstructures.net
Examples of the types of things found by an audit that were completely missed by an earlier NSTAR visit.
1. Hot air escaping into the attic and out the attic vents. The air was coming up the narrow gap between the fireplace chimney and the floor. It was also coming up in the holes around pipes for bathroom and plumbing ventilation.
2. Recessed lights that had a cold attic space above them. When the blower test was performed, a cold air shower poured out of the lights. When the space was built, sealed lights didn't exist and there was concern about a fire hazard from the lights.
3. Several other air leaks at the interface between the original part of the house and an addition we did 10 years ago. We thought a room was chilly because the of the large windows and thought about different curtains. In fact, cold air was leaking into the walls and parts of the ceiling, even though there was 10"" of fiberglass insulation over the entire ceiling.
