Calculating Envelope Energy Loss Course

This online student discussion thread is dedicated exclusively to student who are currently enrolled in InterNACHI’s free, online “Calculating Envelope Energy Loss” course.

Students may pose questions, discuss topics, post images, and write essays. This thread will be monitored by the course instructor.

Need assistance? Ben Gromicko ben@internachi.org

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here is an image of a high efficiency furnace, the story goes that this furnace is suppose to save energy and in turn save the owner money by having a more complete combustion cycle, however when the owners wife likes to bake chicken on the floor of the kitchen then I think the thermostat is set to high to save money. :wink:
furnace..JPG

Wow, just read the article about the energy star program being challenged!
How sad that even they have fallen from grace!
No one is held accountable for their actions any more in this world!
Some one needs to step up and say hey! whoops I’m sorry that got through our system and we will make changes to assure that it NEVER happens again!

Here is a picture of some old plumbing pipes with spray foam insulation injected into the voids. Apparently, the idea was to limit air infiltration into the kitchen area.

As part of the requirements for this course, I read the blower door article at http://www.nachi.org/blower-door-test.htm. I’m looking forward to purchasing my own in the near future.

A programmable thermostat is one of the most important features one could upgrade in their house to save on energy bills.

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Blown in insulation in attic. It appears that The insulation is reduced towards soffits for reduced R value in attic around the edge of home. Recommend having insulation installed to edge of top plate.

Increasing Home Energy Efficiency

I am surprised by a few things first that the average Tv is in standby mode for 17 hours a day. ( I think most are being watched 17 hrs a day. :slight_smile: )
Also that buildings energy use is responsible for 72% of all energy use in the United States.

Building energy conservation should be a continued priority for time to come.

IR picture of insulation void in a new condo unit. Attic inspection revealed what happened. The blown insulation had blown away! The insulation was blown in before the soffits were installed, a strong wind storm blew the insulation to the back of the attic. Every unit had the same issue.

IR520.jpeg

blownaway.jpeg

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Punching my ticket, good course.

Multiple areas in this attic missing insulation, recommended to the buyer that they speak with an insulation specialist that can help then make the home more energy efficent

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Hey Ben,

My version of MS-Word will not open the Calculating Envelope Energy Loss Worksheet or the Units of Energy Sheet on the Course Material page.
Are there other versions of these materials available like PDF files for example?

Thanks.

Here are some holes in the ceiling of the HVAC closet that will allow infiltration of air from the attic space. To help save on energy costs, these holes should be sealed off.
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Note the gap is wider at the bottom of the door than the top. Combined with deteriorating weatherstripping this door leaks a fair amount of air.

As part of a pre-licensing filed inspection, my house was evaluated if full. Problems noted concerning air movement and heat loss were inadequate insulation in area of the attic along with a few soffit vents that were partially blocked.

In the article regarding R-values, it will be an invaluable tool in my mental tool kit to memorize the R-values of the common insulation materials. Even anecdotally, clients can benefit from this information.

As instructed in the course, I have attached an image. The image is of window glass that that has a U value of no less than 1.0

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While inspecting the above home, an unused and uncapped dryer vent hole was noted in an area of the basement no longer containing a dryer. Recommendation for the hole to be plugged was made.

Per the course instructions, I read the 10 ways to save money and energy in your home. While many of these suggestions seem like common sense, this is an excellent article to provide to customers as they will likely overlook at least a few of these.

While inspecting the attic space I discovered HVAC duct work missing a “T” connector and dumping heated air directly into the attic. What a huge energy waster!