Upgrade & Confirm

Once you have decided on the measures that you'd like to implement the home energy upgrade can begin. Upgrades can include air sealing, insulation, moisture abatement, lighting upgrades, Heating Ventilation Air Conditioning (HVAC) upgrades, crawlspace sealing, as well as solar tube and window installations.

After any upgrade, follow up tests are always performed to confirm that we have met our goals. The tests vary depending on the work performed. If your house was air sealed, we will perform a blower door test to confirm air tightness in addition to combustion safety tests to make sure that all heaters are operating safely. If the HVAC system has been replaced or upgraded it will be tested for leakage, stratification, temperature maintenance, and combustion safety. If insulation has been upgraded, we will ensure the installation quality with an infrared camera.

Air sealing is usually at the top of the priority list. Reducing infiltration increases air quality by controlling where your home's air comes from. We can ensure that fresh air comes from outside rather than from a damp, moldy crawlspace for example. We use foam guns and caulking to seal attic bypasses and plumbing penetrations. We use the blower door to check our work as we go. Sealing the crawlspace is a recommended part of an infiltration upgrade. After raking the crawlspace clean, plastic is laid over the earth and the vents are closed off. A special fan is installed to provide constant ventilation to the crawlspace. This reduces humidity levels and improves air quality in the house.

Upgrading attic insulation is another easy fix. Insulation reduces temperature extremes, increases comfort levels and dampens noise. Your home will use less energy and cost less to heat and cool with properly installed insulation. Most homes already have some level of insulation. We find, though, that existing insulation is poorly installed and of inadequate quantities. If we are replacing attic ductwork we will add enough insulation to bury the ductwork. This significantly increases the efficiency of the HVAC system. If the existing insulation is infested or otherwise unsalvageable we will completely remove it and replace it. Blown in cellulose is usually recommended for the attic. It has a low embodied energy and offers maximum efficiency with minimum installer error possible. Proper installation of fiberglass batts can be very labor intensive, especially in an attic with electrical conduit that must be worked around. Walls can also be insulated using this type of insulation. This involves drilling holes in the walls and blowing in cellulose. For insulating both attics and walls, a special machine is brought in that chews up compressed bundles of cellulose and sprays out the expanded insulation material.

Sealing or replacing ductwork can often be a priority. The average duct system leaks 30% of its energy to the outside. And it is usually more cost effective to replace ducts than try to repair them. Upgraded ductwork increases energy efficiency, reduces utility bills, provides healthier air, is quieter, lengthens the life of the furnace and provides more even temperatures throughout the house.

If a heater needs to be replaced, a direct vent, condensing unit is a good choice. Open combustion furnaces are more prone to problems and are less efficient. A furnace replacement is a good opportunity to downsize. When a house is properly air sealed and insulated, a large furnace is no longer necessary. Oversized furnaces lead to a host of other problems including short cycling, poor temperature control, and high operating costs. Smaller units are quieter, more economical, and do a better job mixing the air for even, consistent temperatures.

We will usually recommend a continuous ventilation system. After a house is air sealed, having some form of ventilation is important to keep the inside air feeling fresh. Panasonic Whispergreen exhaust fans are quiet, efficient and continuous duty rated. They can be set to continuously pull a background stream of air and then ramp up to a higher rate when required for moisture and odor control. My favorite fan has an occupancy sensor that automatically turns the fan on and off for you.

If an air conditioning unit needs to be replaced it can often be downsized. Once the building shell is sealed with properly installed insulation, all comfort systems can be reduced in size. Downsizing reduces noise, short cycling and operation cost, while increasing comfort and temperature control. Oversized air conditioners cycle frequently, remove less moisture and waste energy.

Lighting upgrades are an easy way to reduce your energy bills. Do you know that CFL's use four time less energy than incandescents? Swapping out bulbs is something you can do immediately to save money. Don't wait until your incandescents die to replace them with CFL's. Go through your entire house and make the change. It will be fun to see the reduction in your energy usage on the following month's bill. Plus, there's no reason not to...CFL's have come a long way and are now available in soft colors that approach the warm lighting quality of incandescents. LED's are still expensive, but are steadily becoming more affordable.

Windows are not often at the top of the list for energy upgrades because their higher cost requires a much longer payback period. Aluminum frame windows are the exception. Aluminum frames conduct 200 times more heat than wood or fiberglass frames so they are stronger candidates for replacement. Energy bill savings are not the only reason to replace a window though. Comfort can also be a consideration. Single pane windows will absorb more heat from your body on a cold winter day than a Low-E double pane, necessitating a higher thermostat setting or a warm sweater. Double pane windows also have the advantage of reducing street noise.

Following an upgrade we will always test all of our work to confirm that it is installed and functioning as intended. The tests vary depending on the work performed. If your house was air sealed, we will perform a blower door test to confirm air tightness in addition to combustion safety tests to make sure that all heaters are operating safely. If the HVAC system has been replaced or upgraded it will be tested for leakage, stratification, temperature maintenance, and combustion safety. If insulation has been upgraded, we will ensure the installation quality with an infrared camera. Our goal is to make a significant, measurable improvement in the comfort, health and energy efficiency of your home.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

energy upgrades that work

 

For a more energy efficient home call 510.936.1212