ENERGY AUDITS

Thermographic photography pinpoints areas in the home or building where energy is being lost to the outdoors and wasted.  This is both heated air being lost in the winter and cooled air escaping in the summer.  Red and yellow indicate heat and blue shows cool areas.

Heating costs can account for up to half of a household’s energy bill and cooling accounts for a tenth.

An energy audit consists of walking around the outside of the building reviewing the “envelope” to determine the quality of the construction.  All opportunities for air leakage are reviewed.

Next, an infrared scanner is used within the building to scan the interior walls.  Specifically, the auditor is looking for hot or cold spots which could point to a duct problem or inadequate insulation.

The final step is to set up a blower fan in the front door to lower air pressure and force air throughout leaks in the shell of the house.  These instruments will give a clear story about how much the house needs for energy improvements.

These steps will find mistakes by the builders and especially in old houses, it will find things like holes in foundations, gaps in insulation (especially with old houses),  lack of insulation around inset lighting, and other areas needing improvement.