How Professional Energy Audits Position You For Real Savings

One of the best investments you can make in your home before winter descends is a professional energy audit. Licensed energy and HVAC professionals use specialized equipment that shows you exactly where your home is losing energy through air infiltration or inadequate insulation. Having the audit performed and sealing the leaks it uncovers is likely to lower your cooling bills by a measurable amount.

What takes place during a professional energy audit

The auditors use a large piece of equipment called a blower door in conjunction with a thermal scanner or infrared camera. They place the blower door inside an exterior door frame, close all the windows and open the interior doors. When they turn the powerful fan on inside the blower door, the air from your home goes outside. The negative pressure created brings in outdoor air through cracks, crevices and holes inside your home.

The auditors then go through your home with a thermal scanner that identifies the places where the temperatures are different. The best time to conduct the scan is when outdoor temperatures are at least 20 degrees warmer or colder than temperatures inside your home. Cold air shows up as blue or green, and warmer temperatures are yellow, orange and red. When the technicians go through your home, they’ll point the scanner around all the exterior walls and ceilings, and note where the colors vary.

Plugging leaks uncovered by a professional energy audit

The professional energy audit shows you where you need to plug the leaks, apply fresh weatherstripping or add more insulation. Likely places include window and door frames, places where pipes, wires or cables enter your home, and the basement sill plate. Your attic can have air leaks from chimneys, vents and flues exiting your home. Recessed lighting is another a place where air leaks occur or there’s a lack of insulation.

If you’d like to learn more about a professional energy audit and how it can save your energy dollars, contact C.R. Wolfe Heating & Air Conditioning. We provide HVAC and energy audits in the Middletown area.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Middletown, New York about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about professional energy audits and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

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