What is the REAL value of a comprehensive, professional Energy Analysis?
The old adage “you get what you pay for” is certainly true in the field of home energy analysis. A professional analysis will not only help you save money and energy but possibly help you avoid the mistakes and oversights that can result from a free audit. What is the value added you get from our comprehensive home energy analysis?
Customized and prioritized information you can use
Our professional energy analysis provides you with a custom-tailored, prioritized written report – your roadmap for upgrading your home’s comfort, energy efficiency and air quality. Often “free audits” are cookie cutter or are performed by someone trying to sell you a product – insulation, windows, or a furnace. The temptation for them to only see what they are trying to sell you is great. We provide information and choices not one line of products.
Testing not guesswork
You must test – everything else is just guessing. A professional home energy analysis will test air leakage, duct leakage and gas appliance safety, as needed. Without testing, you simply cannot quantify air leakage or prioritize energy upgrades. Without testing gas appliances, you have no idea whether they are putting your family at risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. As needed we can test air leakage, duct leakage, combustion efficiency, carbon monoxide levels, humidity and duct system air flow.
Integrated approach to all house systems
“Free” audits are usually performed with a simplistic understanding of a home’s features. They look at each one separately and not how a change in one affects the whole. Comfort, energy use and air quality problems are often caused by the interaction of a number of home systems. This requires a “house as a system” approach that looks for the interactions between air leakage, insulation, moisture and mechanical systems to ensure that addressing one issue doesn’t make another one worse. This is the approach of our Comprehensive Energy Analysis.
Thorough attic inspection
No free audit will include an end-to-end inspection of your attic to uncover the hidden air leakage, duct problems, and insulation or ventilation problems. Our comprehensive home energy analysis always includes this.
Follow up testing
A free audit will never provide the follow-up to verify that energy upgrades were done properly and did not lead to unhealthy air quality or unsafe gas appliance conditions. Our home energy analyses conform to Building Performance Institute (BPI) standards, and we will test air leakage, duct leakage and combustion safety after upgrade work is done. We can contract and coordinate any of the upgrades you choose to have done.
Engineering, construction and building science credentials
Finally, a free audit gives you no assurance of the professional qualifications of the inspector. Our owner, Kevin Veach, has a degree in environmental engineering, certification as a BPI Building Analyst and certifications in heating and air conditioning diagnostics, and carbon monoxide and combustion testing from the National Comfort Institute (NCI). Additionally, he has ten years of practical experience in home remodeling. Insist on a comprehensive, test-verified home analysis performed by certified, experienced, professionals.
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