Does your home experience seasonal extremes, feeling too cold in the winter or too hot in the summer? Are there chronic “problem areas” where moisture condenses or drafts occur? Or, have you noticed your energy costs rising and aren’t sure where that money is going?
If you answered, “yes” to any of these questions, an energy audit would help you to better understand your house.
Factors Evaluated in an Energy Audit
An energy audit is a comprehensive evaluation of how the different components of your home interact. A thorough energy audit will take a look at your whole home and focus just as much on the systems, like ventilation, that run through your home, as it will on the specific needs of any given room.
An energy audit from Master Plumbing Heating Cooling will consider the following factors:
- Building Envelope: The envelope consists of your home’s exterior walls, as well as your basement and attic. A thorough look at your building envelope will show you where leaks are occurring and where air sealing would be beneficial.
- Heating & Cooling Systems: A furnace, boiler, central air conditioner, or mini-split compose the temperature moderating organs of your home. We analyze these heating and cooling systems to make sure they work safely and efficiently.
- Ductwork: If the heating and cooling systems are the temperature organs of your house, then your ducts are the veins. An assessment will confirm if the conditioned air moving through your ductwork has optimum flow and quality.
- Insulation: Insulation helps to limit heat transfer, so your HVAC systems don’t have to work as hard to keep your home comfortable. Since many homes in the Long Island region aren’t properly insulated, an energy audit can reveal where spray foam, cellulose, or blown-in fiberglass insulation could help to enhance your home’s thermal envelope for greater comfort and increased energy bill savings.
Home Performance Tools Used During an Energy Assessment
An energy audit administered by our team makes use of our building science expertise to professionally assess your home’s energy use. To ensure a comprehensive energy audit for all of our customers, we always complete the following:
- Visual Inspection: A thorough look at the inside and outside of your home for visible problem areas.
- Blower Door Test: We fit a large fan to one of your outside facing doors, using it to catalyze negative air pressure inside your house. This test reveals how much air leakage is occurring in your home.
- Infrared Imaging: A thermal camera highlights temperature differences along your walls and ceiling, showing sources of air leaks and insufficient insulation.
- Combustion Safety Test: We test all your combustion appliances to ensure they aren’t releasing carbon monoxide or otherwise endangering the safety of you and your family.
Insights from an Energy Audit
You can expect the following insights from a professionally performed energy audit:
- Finding problem areas in your home where energy is lost.
- Whether your heating and cooling systems are operating efficiently.
- Cost-effective strategies to save you money on energy bills.
The findings from an energy assessment are used by our expert team to make customized home performance recommendations. These suggested improvements may include solutions like duct sealing or the installation of a tankless water heater. Our list of recommendations will also come with savings estimates to help you contextualize the benefits of upgrades. Acting on the insights provided in your energy audit report will help you lower your energy bills, reduce your carbon footprint, and stay more comfortable, in some cases even extending the lifespan of your HVAC units.
Save on Energy Costs with Green Homes Long Island
At Master Plumbing Heating Cooling, we work to ensure home comfort, safety, and efficiency across Nassau and Suffolk counties. We also offer several attractive financing options to help your family implement the recommendations that result from your energy audit.
