Optimizing your South Texas home for energy efficiency could cut your annual energy bills by 5 to 30 percent. If you’ve got some energy-saving home improvement jobs lined up for this year, starting with a professional energy evaluation will help you get the most for your money and time.
A home can waste energy in a lot of ways, including through inefficient HVAC equipment, leaky doors and windows, and poor insulation. Many of these issues won’t show up during a DIY energy audit. Small yet significant air leaks are often hard to pinpoint, and accurately assessing insulation in your walls and other closed areas requires special equipment.
HVAC professionals have expertise and equipment that allows them to identify all the energy-wasting areas of your home so you’ll know exactly what to focus on for the greatest energy savings.
Tests used in a professional energy evaluation include:
The blower door test – This test measures the amount of air your home leaks and helps locate the leaks so they can be sealed. A blower door consists of a frame and panel, a high-power fan and pressure gauges. The device fits into an exterior doorway and depressurizes the house, intensifying leaks so they’re easier to find.
PFT air infiltration measurement technique – Rather than highlighting air leaks, this testing technique measures changes over time to determine a home’s air-infiltration rate. The technique uses a pair of small devices. One emits harmless, odorless PerFluorocarbon (PFT) gas and the other measures the concentration of this gas, providing an indication of the room’s airtightness.
Thermographic scan – Also known as infrared scanning, in this test a technician uses an infrared camera to find precisely which parts of the building are losing energy. The scan shows how well an area is insulated and whether or not the insulation has settled. Although both exterior and interior scans are possible, interior scanning is favored for accuracy.
To schedule a home energy evaluation or get more pro tips on reducing your heating and cooling costs, contact us at CCAC, Inc. We provide reliable HVAC services in the Corpus Christi area.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Corpus Christi, Texas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about energy evaluations and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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