Energy Audit Inspections

[ekartal6]

Yes,

Like those Home Energy Tune Up certified people.

[William J. Decker]

Originally Posted by ldapkus

Do you mean an energy audit like in www.natresnet.org . Blower doors, duct decompression equipment, certification??? Nah, you don't wanna mess with the formalities and get to where you do audits for builders so they can get Government grants blah, blah, blah...

Good points, Linus
My point is this:

If one wants a quantitative inspection, with precise numbers and calculations and all that other stuff, like banks and the government require, don't hire me. I get down and dirty (checking out crawlspaces and attic, actually crawling them) and can get a pretty good estimate of the effecive wall and ceiling R values (just because they put R 20 insulation into a 3.5 inch wall stud bay, doesn't mean that they are getting R 20. Usually its less. And with R 13 fiberglass batt in a 3.5" wall stud bay, with brick veneer, with wooden siding (house wrap or not?) or "insulated" (yeah, sure) vinyl siding. WHat is the actual (when you take all these factors into effect) R value.

Did you know that brick veneer houses, with weep holes average about 3 R less than ones with weep sicks, for insulation from the cold, where as weep holes provide about 3 R better insulation from heat than weep wicks? Do you know why this is?

Really, guys, it pays to study up on this stuff.

"If it's stupid, but it works, it ain't stupid."

Daddy Decker (My Dad) when he showed me how to use gum to seal an HVAC duct. Told me they did it all the time when he was working on the Stagg Field pile.

[ldapkus]

The Home Energy Tune Up cert is 2 days and about $300. Resnet is about $1500 for 5 days plus maybe $3000 for equip. and there's testing among some of that formal stuff.

[Larry D. Kage]

Do-it-yourself Home Energy Audits

Web-based do-it-yourself energy audit tool

[ldapkus]

Originally Posted by wdecker

Good points, Linus
My point is this:

If one wants a quantitative inspection, with precise numbers and calculations and all that other stuff, like banks and the government require, don't hire me. I get down and dirty (checking out crawlspaces and attic, actually crawling them) and can get a pretty good estimate of the effecive wall and ceiling R values (just because they put R 20 insulation into a 3.5 inch wall stud bay, doesn't mean that they are getting R 20. Usually its less. And with R 13 fiberglass batt in a 3.5" wall stud bay, with brick veneer, with wooden siding (house wrap or not?) or "insulated" (yeah, sure) vinyl siding. WHat is the actual (when you take all these factors into effect) R value.

Did you know that brick veneer houses, with weep holes average about 3 R less than ones with weep sicks, for insulation from the cold, where as weep holes provide about 3 R better insulation from heat than weep wicks? Do you know why this is?

Really, guys, it pays to study up on this stuff.

"If it's stupid, but it works, it ain't stupid."

Daddy Decker (My Dad) when he showed me how to use gum to seal an HVAC duct. Told me they did it all the time when he was working on the Stagg Field pile.

The NACHI Green Building Course covers a lot of the building science stuff. I have done some energy inspections for clients that don't want the complete audit with blower doors, just an idea of where insulation is lacking, poor HVAC design, some just want to see how an IR cam works. All find me on the internet. I use Homeguage to do the report. I got one lined up for a moisture intrusion inspection once we get some liquid rain. The builder is pres. of the HOA and he can't figure out where the water is getting in.

[David P. Valley]

Will,

I'm going to start marketing IR energy audits as much as I can.

Check out this one uninsulated area of my house. The builder slacked here, big-time...



I've got many more, but this was one of the worst case scenarios.

[Marcel R. Cyr]

David, I can see some white stripes on the ceiling that would indicate to me that this might possibly be the stapping above the sheetrock at 2' 0" O.C..

If they are, why would they be on the 86 degree scale on the photo?

Curious.

Marcel

[David P. Valley]

Originally Posted by mcyr

David, I can see some white stripes on the ceiling that would indicate to me that this might possibly be the stapping above the sheetrock at 2' 0" O.C..

If they are, why would they be on the 86 degree scale on the photo?

Curious.

Marcel

Marcel,

My house is only 8 years old. Those nailers are roughly 20" O.C.

The 86 degrees (you are referring to) is bouncing off the curtain in the lower right corner (from the register below). The straps are more in the high 70's low 80's due to no insulation because there's a living area above this area (my daughter's bedroom).

[William J. Decker]

Originally Posted by lkage

Do-it-yourself Home Energy Audits

Web-based do-it-yourself energy audit tool

I use these, but I check them out.

Word to the wise.

[William J. Decker]

Originally Posted by ldapkus

The NACHI Green Building Course covers a lot of the building science stuff. I have done some energy inspections for clients that don't want the complete audit with blower doors, just an idea of where insulation is lacking, poor HVAC design, some just want to see how an IR cam works. All find me on the internet. I use Homeguage to do the report. I got one lined up for a moisture intrusion inspection once we get some liquid rain. The builder is pres. of the HOA and he can't figure out where the water is getting in.

To your point, Linus.

How much do these "certified professionals" charge vs. what I charge.

What does the average residential homeowner gain from paying their prices.

You do not need to hire a licensed, professional, insured electrician to change out a recepticle. Heck, and halfway decent HI or handyman can do it, and do it right.

Why pay the premium?

[William J. Decker]

Originally Posted by dvalley

Will,

I'm going to start marketing IR energy audits as much as I can.

Check out this one uninsulated area of my house. The builder slacked here, big-time...



I've got many more, but this was one of the worst case scenarios.

My point exactly, Dave.

Permission to use (with attribution, of course)?

[Marcel R. Cyr]

Originally Posted by dvalley

Marcel,

My house is only 8 years old. Those nailers are roughly 20" O.C.

The 86 degrees (you are referring to) is bouncing off the curtain in the lower right corner (from the register below). The straps are more in the high 70's low 80's due to no insulation because there's a living area above this area (my daughter's bedroom).

Dave, isn't the white correspond to your color thermometer at the right?

Marcel

[Roy D. Cooke, Sr]

Originally Posted by wdecker

To your point, Linus.

How much do these "certified professionals" charge vs. what I charge.

What does the average residential homeowner gain from paying their prices.

You do not need to hire a licensed, professional, insured electrician to change out a recepticle. Heck, and halfway decent HI or handyman can do it, and do it right.

Why pay the premium?

Many people feel that way about home inspectors ,
so some get the $200;00 inspector . Why pay the premium!

...Cookie

[William J. Decker]

Originally Posted by rcooke

Many people feel that way about home inspectors ,
so some get the $200;00 inspector . Why pay the premium!

...Cookie

Point taken, Roy.

Thanks for keeping me real

[Brian A. MacNeish]

Originally Posted by wdecker

Blower doors are primarily used for large, commercial inspections.

Blower doors are mainly used in residential work. They are used in smaller commercial work also but as you move up in size you may need 2-3 fans to really depressurize a building. Some HERS programs, R2000 and better (Class A) energy audits all use a single fan blower door for accurate numbers of airtightness.

With high rises and other big buildings with commercial HVAC systems, the large air handlers are dampered /controlled to provide the needed exhaust volumes.

See:

CGSB. (1996).

CAN/CGSB-149.15-96, Determination of The Overall Envelope
Airtightness of Buildings by the Fan Pressurization Method Using the Building’s Air-Handling Systems. Canadian General Standards Board. (Note: I sat on the committee for this standard for 4 years.)


See: http://irc.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/pubs/bsi/86-3_e.html
In this, there's a bit of history on how far back we knew about the need for air leakage control but the building industry ignored it. A lot of rotten roofs/walls and failed brick veneer walls (corroded brick ties due to exfiltrating moisture) may have been prevented had Neil Hutcheon's words been heeded or understood.