SAFETY DEPARTMENT
How Energy-Efficient Is Your Home? Find Out Before Launching a Renovation Project
Energy audits force you to look at key conditions that could affect renovations or additions to your home.
T
here are many steps involved in conducting a successful environmentally friendly remodel- ing project and there is one in particular the
homeowner should commit to and negotiate with the contractor if “going green” is a priority .Tat step is a home energy audit. Don’t be put off by the name (It sounds like a meeting with the IRS or with a personal trainer, right?). It’s simply a thorough assessment of your home’s energy usage and the verification that your appliances are operating safely.
Why are energy audits important? Tey force you to look at some key physical features and conditions and may lead to changes that could affect renovations or additions to your home:
Heating and cooling systems checkup: It’s impor- tant to verify that your current furnace and air con- ditioner are not extremely inefficient, on the verge of rusting through or—worse yet—dangerously pump- ing carbon monoxide into your house. It is best to know where you stand before determining how to efficiently heat and cool your new addition and ex- isting spaces. In most cases, the existing systems are in great shape and installing materials to close gaps where air can enter and insulation is all that’s needed to make the home more energy efficient. Te existing
18 create | A REMODELING RESOURCE FROM NARI METRO DC
equipment may also have the extra capacity neces- sary to heat and cool the addition, which could save you thousands of dollars you might otherwise spend to put a second heating or cooling unit in to accom- modate the new space. If new equipment is needed, the renovation professional can shop for the right so- lution and pricing, without the pressure of having to quickly find an emergency replacement.
Blower door test for air leakage: In this high-tech pro- cedure, a calibrated fan in a special door-sized frame is used to blow air out of a doorway. Air rushes in through the various cracks, holes and large openings that typically exist in most houses. Te results indicate how much leakage is occurring and specifically where.
Many people don’t realize that air leaks are the main cause of uncomfortable temperature ranges,
high
energy bills, excessively dry air in winter and other problems; they’re responsible for up to 30% of heat and cooling loss. But it’s easy and inexpensive to seal most of these types of leaks. On a cold day, for ex- ample, your home is like a hot-air balloon in a cold sea of winter air. Typical houses have numerous small cracks and leaks at the atic ceiling level; the warm air rises up through these openings and leaves the house. Every cubic foot of warm air that leaves the top of the
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