Audits help Columbus, Georgia, homeowners to reduce energy losses. Energy audits can also prevent energy waste in the future by helping you create a green home now. Here’s what happens during a typical energy audit:
1. Homeowner Interview
You’ll be asked for information about your home like measurements and a sketch of your property. The auditor will ask about hot and cold spots, excessive dryness, drafts, condensation and high indoor humidity. A year’s worth of utility bills will help the auditor establish an energy-use baseline.
2. Home Inspection
Your auditor will then conduct a visual inspection of your home’s exterior, interior, attic, crawl spaces and basement. A thorough assessment should also identify the home’s building materials and construction methods. That helps the auditor assess insulation levels and detect potential weatherization issues.
3. Combustion Appliance Inspection
Combustion appliances will be inspected for safety and efficiency and tested for proper venting. Your auditor will make sure that those appliances will not be spewing combustion gases into your home in a worst-case scenario.
4. Blower Door Test
The blower door test is performed in conjunction with an infrared thermal camera. It identifies holes that need to be sealed. Your auditor will also check your HVAC equipment for efficiency and your ductwork for leaks.
5. Energy Analysis and Findings
The results of your energy audit will be analyzed by a computer software program. The program will determine the cost-effectiveness of a weatherization plan in your soon-to-be-green home.
6. Determine Where Energy Is Wasted
Energy losses can occur through holes around pipes, cracks around baseboards, leaks around windows and doors and insufficient attic insulation. Up to 30 percent of treated air exits the typical HVAC system through leaky ductwork. Air duct cleaning and sealing can prevent those energy losses.
At Climate Control Heating & Air Conditioning, we want to help you eliminate HVAC-related energy losses. Call us to learn more about energy audits and to start enjoying the energy savings associated with a green home.