Fixing our earth ... one house at a time.
We'll pinpoint significant energy loss or air quality issues in your home or your audit is free.
See our Energy Promise here.
Your energy improvement solution or desire to make your home greener starts with a thorough audit of your home.
We use sophisticated testing techniques recognized by all major energy associations to identify air leaks, moisture
condensation problems and air quality issues, along with other factors that have an adverse affect on the efficiency,
health and environmental impact of your home.
Many homeowners may make changes to their homes, such as changing their water heater or air conditioning system,
before getting an audit. However, these changes aren't addressing your whole house as a system, and you could be throwing
money away. We take a whole-home approach to finding the most cost-effective solutions, and determine how your entire home can
run more efficiently. We conduct these tests throughout the year - within hours you'll know exactly what issues need to be corrected.
Blower Door Test
This standard test is very effective in determining the integrity of the building envelope. Most people do not
realize that when a house environment isn't sufficiently balanced, it can lead to:
Higher energy consumption
Moisture condensation problems
Uncomfortable drafts
Air quality issues
How It Works
A Blower Door Test involves fitting a special fan and flexible panel frame into an exterior door. The fan pulls
air out of the house, lowering inside air pressure. The higher outside air pressure will then force air through any
unsealed cracks and openings, such as windows, door jams and even recessed lighting fixtures. Gauges determine how 'tight' the
home is - even the slightest leak can be pinpointed.
The Blower Door Test can be conducted throughout the year, and requires very little of the homeowner.
Thermographic Inspections
Thermography - or infrared scanning - determines variations in surface temperature, and is therefore very effective
in identifying areas needing repair without having to dismantle or uncover walls or other structural elements.
Thermographic inspections detect:
Thermal defects and air leaks in building envelopes.
Electrical system defects.
Excessive friction in mechanical systems.
Inadequate wall or ceiling insulation.
How It Works
Thermography measures surface temperatures using special infrared images. The images show temperature variations
for the area being tested (cold air leaking into a warmer room, electrical and/or mechanical systems generating heat).
For air leaks, this test can be done on a home's interior or exterior.
Interior scans are more common and give a better idea of where the air loss originated. Escaping warm air does not always move through the walls in a straight line. Heat loss detected in one area may actually have started in another.
Exterior scans can identify areas difficult to reach from the inside, such as hard to reach roof areas.
For insulation problems, thermography can help determine where insulation is needed and if insulation is properly installed. When insulation becomes wet it allows heat to escape; so thermographic scans of roofs can often detect roof leaks.
While most homeowners are concerned with energy during the peak seasons (winter in the north, summer in the south),
effective testing is available 12 months a year. Thermographic scans require a temperature difference of only 8 degrees
between the inside and outside air temperatures to be reliable.
Air Quality Tests
Most people don't think of air quality as being a key issue. However, your home is a very dynamic system and
sealing off ventilation to save energy can lead to unhealthy indoor air quality. Through our air quality tests we can assess
the levels of contaminants and circulation issues that pose indoor air quality problems. Common contaminants include:
Carbon monoxide.
Volatile organic compounds (VOC's).
Formaldehyde.
Fungal spores.
Particulates.
Chances are your home energy improvements qualify for tax credits and/or rebates. Find out more.
Contact us about our Building Science presentation.
Our service offering covers energy audit to improvements for a more efficient, all-in-one resource.
We treat your home as if it were our own with on-time scheduling, 'white glove' job cleanliness and a courteous crew.
We take our responsibilities seriously. Our audit team is BPI certified; our professional construction team is top-notch.
