Wouldn’t it be great if you could find out exactly where your house is wasting energy and money, along with what you could do to improve home performance? You can with an energy assessment. An energy assessment, also known as an energy audit, gives you an in-depth look at the overall efficiency of your home. It’s a lot like a doctor’s check-up, only it’s for your home.
Most people wouldn’t attempt to diagnose a serious health condition on their own. The same logic should apply for diagnosing your home. Rather than attempting to locate the source of your indoor drafts or guessing that you need a new heating system, it’s important to have a professional help you locate problem areas and recommend effective solutions for improving efficiency.
WHAT’S INCLUDED IN AN ENERGY ASSESSMENT?
An energy assessment includes a number of diagnostic tests involving special equipment to locate inefficiencies in the home. Key components include:
BLOWER DOOR TESTING
This test involves placing a large fan in an exterior doorway. The fan draws air from the house to create negative pressure, allowing a professional to measure the overall amount of air leakage.
INFRARED IMAGING
Infrared cameras are used to detect hot and cold spots in a home. These spots indicate where outdoor air leaks in and conditioned air escapes, as well as areas where walls, floors, and ceilings lack insulation. Infrared imaging can pinpoint air leaks and problem areas that you couldn’t spot with a visual inspection alone.
COMPLETE VISUAL INSPECTION
In addition to testing with diagnostic equipment, a visual inspection by a professional helps locate efficiency issues such as outdated windows, HVAC issues, or problems with the building envelope.
THE IMPORTANCE OF HIRING A PROFESSIONAL
As you can see, a comprehensive home energy assessment is not something you can easily DIY. It involves high-tech equipment which must be operated by a highly trained professional who understands fundamental home performance principles. Even during a visual inspection, it takes a trained eye to locate certain efficiency issues within a home. In order to get the most accurate information possible about your house, you need an experienced professional at your side.
In addition to giving you valuable information about the health of your house, an energy professional can also offer recommendations on which improvements to make for maximum energy savings and return on investment. They might, for example, recommend attic restoration to prevent ice dams on your roof in the winter. A professional can even simplify the process of improving your home by giving your an estimate for recommended upgrades.
HAVE THE GREENLINK EXPERTS DIAGNOSE YOUR HOME
Want to get to the bottom of your indoor comfort and efficiency issues? The certified experts at Greenlink can help. As a complete home performance contractor, we can help you determine exactly what your house in the Rockford, IL area needs, and then design a custom energy saving solution for you.
Ready to start enhancing home comfort and efficiency?
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