“The blower door was the most exciting part of our audit. The noise of the fan and the digital read-outs attracted the whole family as we explored the house looking for leaks.”
- Miriam, Yarmouth
Following your request for an energy audit, we will arrange a day and time to visit your home and conduct your audit. Generally the audit takes about 2-3 hours and it is important that the owner be present during the audit process. It may also be advantageous to have your architect, designer and/or general contractor present during the audit. Evenings and weekends are often convenient times for an audit.
The audit is a non-invasive process utilizing the auditor’s observations, a blower door analysis, infrared imagery and owner’s records to conduct the audit. No drilling, scratching, disassembly or removal of building components is employed. Please keep in mind that we consider your privacy to be of utmost importance. Although family habits related to energy use may be quantified — housekeeping habits, home décor, or personal possessions are not measurable considerations.
Measurement: The auditor will need full access to the exterior and interior of the building including the garage, attic and cellar for the purposes of measuring surfaces, quantifying doors and windows and inspecting the condition and make-up of the building shell. Heating/cooling systems and electrical appliances will also be quantified.
Blower Doors are used to pressurize or depressurize a building to determine air infiltration rates and air leakage locations throughout the building. These results are used to determine the number of BTUs lost during the heating season from normal building leakage and the cost of generating those BTUs.
A blower door is comprised of a lightweight, adjustable door frame and fabric panel, a digital pressure and flow measuring gauge, and a calibrated door fan with fan speed controller. All of this is assembled as one unit and installed securely into a door opening — generally your front or central door. The blower door is held in place by friction as applied by several cam lever mechanisms. No screws or mechanical fasteners are used and no holes, scars or dents will occur.
Infrared Imagery: Throughout the energy audit of your building, a thermal imaging infrared camera may be used to observe insulation integrity, locating thermal bridges and finding wet, moist conditions behind wall surfaces. When combined with a blower door, an infrared camera will quickly expose air leakage sites that are buried from sight inside ceiling, wall and floor assemblies.
The camera is a small handheld, battery-powered device utilizing infrared technology — the operation of which poses no health risk to humans or animals. Images from the camera may be downloaded to a computer for storage and printing purposes.
Computer Modeling and Reports: Following the collection of data, the auditor will enter the information into a proprietary software program that will generate reports showing the existing performance of your home and improvement scenarios that you may like to consider. Learn more about our reports.