How Many Errors Can You Find...?

[James H. Bushart]

...in this transcript from a television report on energy audits?

By Keith Boles
JONESBORO, AR (KAIT) - With temperatures dropping and staying low, heating costs are bound to go up.

How efficient is your house as far as heating and cooling is concerned? Sure, you can check for drafts with a candle, a match, or your hand; however, your home can be audited in efficient, hi-tech ways.

One of the first things you must to do when you do an energy audit on a house, is pressurize the house. Not enough to blow your eardrums out but enough to show where the leaks are. I watched as Kevin Holmes who owns Thermal Eyes set up his equipment in the doorway to begin the process. Holmes says you don't want an airtight home.

Holmes, "You don't want to get the house too tight because then you have more problems with humidity in the house. Carbon Monoxide again can be a big issue. Too open and you can get mold or other problems." Holmes says there is no such thing as a perfect house.

Holmes, "Always some houses are better than others. but if you look hard enough you'll find an inefficiency in any house but some of it's not cost effective to try and fix."

With the pressure check underway I asked homeowner Janie Williamson why they decided to have the audit done.

Williamson, "The electric bill through the summer was a little high and then the winter bill was even a little higher. So I discussed that with my husband and I said I would really like to get that electric bill regulated."
Williamson says they had been doing all the right things like keeping the thermostats turned down and closing off unused rooms but couldn't get the bill level down.

Had they noticed any particular part of the house being cool or hot?
"Mostly in the sun room because of the windows. It seems to be kind of the coolest in the winter and warmer in the summer. "

The pressure check completed. Kevin broke out the Thermal Imaging Camera and the chase was on. One sure place to find leaks he said, is around receptacles.

Holmes, "Just because there is no place to put the insulation, no good way to air seal it."

Other cool things, no pun intended, the camera showed us, was air around the attic rafters, corners where the 2x4's meet. Edges of windows that could use a little caulking. Recessed lighting fixtures also let in a lot of cooler air. In a bedroom there was a pretty good cool spot where the wood meets the foundation. On the camera the blue ran right along the floor/wall edge.

Holmes, "The spot right in the center is the temperature so that blue is roughly 50.5 degrees."

All the images are recorded and the homeowner will be given a report showing all the trouble spots and recommendations for fixing them based on software that Holmes uses to analyze the data. Sometimes the repair can be as simple as new weather stripping or a little caulk.

Holmes, "All these little things combined together can make a big difference. But if you don't know where to look or what to do you can throw a lot of money away trying to solve your problems."

Another aspect of the software is a CAD model of the home which can show how changes, such as a bigger furnace could affect your energy expenditures.

Holmes, "Pretty much any home improvement that you want to make to your house this software allows me to tell you roughly how much it will gain you in energy savings."

Williamson says she is looking forward to receiving the report.
Williamson, "Hopefully I'll be able to tell Kevin I took his recommendations and tell him, Hey, I noticed a difference in my electric bill."

Copyright 2011 KAIT. All rights reserved.

[Brian E. Kelly]

mold comments, CO comments, cant insulate receptacles.....too many to list.

[Bob Elliott]

I honestly did not think it was to bad.
Tell us what you found.

[John McKenna]

pressurize the house?

[Bob Elliott]

John, a blower does add pressure to the homes atmosphere to detect leaks does it not?
Explain it to me as I may be wrong.

[John McKenna]

Originally Posted by belliott

John, a blower does add pressure to the homes atmosphere to detect leaks does it not?
Explain it to me as I may be wrong.

When Looking For Air Leaks

A blower door test, which depressurizes a home, can reveal the location of air leaks.

[Bob Elliott]

OK. Got me
It was backwards

[John McKenna]

Originally Posted by belliott

OK. Got me
It was backwards

Your a good man Charlie Brown. I don't care what Lucy says about you...

[Brian A. MacNeish]

Originally Posted by jbushart

...in this transcript from a television report on energy audits?

I see 11 wrong items or misrepresentations.

[KEVIN WOOD]

Well done Brian

I wish you would become a "InterNachi Inspector".
Biggest mistake is pressurize.

[James H. Bushart]

By Keith Boles -
JONESBORO, AR (KAIT) - With temperatures dropping and staying low, heating costs are bound to go up.

How efficient is your house as far as heating and cooling is concerned? Sure, you can check for drafts with a candle, a match, or your hand; however, your home can be audited in efficient, hi-tech ways.

One of the first things you must to do when you do an energy audit on a house, is pressurize the house. Not enough to blow your eardrums out but enough to show where the leaks are. I watched as Kevin Holmes who owns Thermal Eyes set up his equipment in the doorway to begin the process. Holmes says you don't want an airtight home.

Holmes, "You don't want to get the house too tight because then you have more problems with humidity in the house. Carbon Monoxide again can be a big issue. Too open and you can get mold or other problems." Holmes says there is no such thing as a perfect house.

Holmes, "Always some houses are better than others. but if you look hard enough you'll find an inefficiency in any house but some of it's not cost effective to try and fix."

With the pressure check underway I asked homeowner Janie Williamson why they decided to have the audit done.

Williamson, "The electric bill through the summer was a little high and then the winter bill was even a little higher. So I discussed that with my husband and I said I would really like to get that electric bill regulated."
Williamson says they had been doing all the right things like keeping the thermostats turned down and closing off unused rooms but couldn't get the bill level down.

Had they noticed any particular part of the house being cool or hot?
"Mostly in the sun room because of the windows. It seems to be kind of the coolest in the winter and warmer in the summer. "

The pressure check completed. Kevin broke out the Thermal Imaging Camera and the chase was on. One sure place to find leaks he said, is around receptacles.

Holmes, "Just because there is no place to put the insulation, no good way to air seal it."

Other cool things, no pun intended, the camera showed us, was air around the attic rafters, corners where the 2x4's meet. Edges of windows that could use a little caulking. Recessed lighting fixtures also let in a lot of cooler air. In a bedroom there was a pretty good cool spot where the wood meets the foundation. On the camera the blue ran right along the floor/wall edge.

Holmes, "The spot right in the center is the temperature so that blue is roughly 50.5 degrees."

All the images are recorded and the homeowner will be given a report showing all the trouble spots and recommendations for fixing them based on software that Holmes uses to analyze the data. Sometimes the repair can be as simple as new weather stripping or a little caulk.

Holmes, "All these little things combined together can make a big difference. But if you don't know where to look or what to do you can throw a lot of money away trying to solve your problems."

Another aspect of the software is a CAD model of the home which can show how changes, such as a bigger furnace could affect your energy expenditures.

Holmes, "Pretty much any home improvement that you want to make to your house this software allows me to tell you roughly how much it will gain you in energy savings."

Williamson says she is looking forward to receiving the report.
Williamson, "Hopefully I'll be able to tell Kevin I took his recommendations and tell him, Hey, I noticed a difference in my electric bill."

Copyright 2011 KAIT. All rights reserved.




I counted 12 (including each errant reference to pressurization). When we get into the life threatening omissions from this audit and the other items that were apparently not accomplished, the errors increase exponentially.

[Gary Farnsworth]

I just love so-called experts. I built my home in 2004, my highest gas bill since has been $68. Today, it is 11 degrees outside, sun shining, 10 inches of snow on the ground, and my furnace has run a total of 11 minutes. Any home with standard materials can be built efficiently, if you press the builder and use good windows and doors, and proper attic insulation AND ventilation.

[KEVIN WOOD]

My house is filtered at 99.9995 of particles .02 microns and a gas adsorption material used in clean room design.
My bill is 100.00 per month on oil.
My furnace is old and leaky, funny thing is the installer was so proud of his install he put his sticker on the plenum
Energy audits are rip offs if not fallowed up with good air quality.
The true test is if Carbon Dioxide levels are low enough to provide 20 cubic feet per minute of air to all rooms. Moisture, mold, voc, co and allergen test to prove no changes are made to air infiltration is essential. Most of the time this cannot be achieved along with good filtration and air exchange.
This is when a specialist should be called in.

[Brian A. MacNeish]

Originally Posted by kwood

Well done Brian

I wish you would become a "InterNachi Inspector".
Biggest mistake is pressurize.

Nick's tried!!

[gmartin2]

Right-on right-on right-on Gary!