What we look for during an energy audit
Here are some things we often look for and find ways of improving during the course of our assessment:
- Hidden electrical loads
- Unused and/or inefficient power strips
- Transformers (doorbells, chargers, etc)
- Seldom used loads (paper shredders, printers, fax machines, etc)
- Old garage door openers (some consume 40 watts, continually!)
- Inefficient lighting
- Are you using CFLs (Compact Fluorescent Lamps) or LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) lights everywhere throughout your building?
- Can some lights be put on timers, photo-sensors, or motion detecting devices?
- Inefficient heating and/or cooling systems
- Is your old heating/cooling system costing you more than if you were to replace it?
- Can simple retrofit modifications to your existing system make it more efficient?
- Is your ducting system leaky?
- Can renewable energy systems be used for heating?
- Combustion appliance safety (gas boilers/furnaces/HW heaters)
- Can you be assured that under worst-case conditions (heavy winds in combination with other building characteristics) you are safe from Carbon Monoxide poisoning and/or backdraft?
- Can the combustion efficiency be improved to burn hotter and cleaner?
- Insulation levels and condition
- Do you have sufficient levels of insulation to prevent dramatic heating and cooling losses?
- Some homes have NO insulation either in their crawlspace, attic, walls, or other areas of heat transfer
- Air leakage
- We diagnose your air leakage using sophisticated equipment (blower door and manometer) to determine how to best weatherize the building so that air leakage is minimal.
- We also determine the minimum airflow standard (based on ASHRAE) to maintain adequate amounts of air move throughout your building to ensure occupants have sufficient, fresh air for best respiratory health.
- Water waste
- What areas are you wasting water?
- Can you be filtering your water rather than purchasing bottled water?
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Can you capture water from your rooftop to use for watering? or perhaps even drinking?
- Reduction/Reuse/Recycling opportunities
- What do you really need?
- Can composting be used?
- Can all areas of your home be more efficient from simple behavioral changes?
- Air quality
- Are you exposed to Radon?
- Is mold/mildew/fungus an issue for respiratory health?
- Do you have problems with pests?
- Can measures be taken to reduce moisture?
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