Our Tests and Results

Blower Door Test

Envelope leakage is tested using a piece of equipment called the blower door. It is placed in an exterior door opening and uses a large fan that allows it to depressurize (suck air out of) your home to exaggerate and help identify leakage pathways through your home’s walls, ceilings, floors, windows, and doors.  During the test we will walk through the home looking and feeling for areas where air is being drawn in through the envelope.  Once the areas are identified we will recommend which improvements, if any, need to be made for each of the leakage sites. 

Thermal Imaging Scan

Thermal imaging scan is performed in conjunction with the blower door to see the air leakage that can only be felt using blower door alone. Thermal imaging also finds areas of missing, inadequate, or damaged insulation. This is a great tool for visualizing where your home is wasting energy. 

Duct Leakage Test

The average home's duct system leaks 20% of the air flowing through it.  If your heating and cooling ducts are located in unconditioned spaces like the attic, basement, or crawlspace, then 20% of your heating and cooling costs are being lost through air leaks. The blower door used in conjunction with the duct blaster allows us to quantify the leakage of conditioned air to the outside.

Combustion Safety Test

If you have combustion equipment such as natural gas, propane, or fuel oil water heaters or furnaces, we will perform combustion safety tests to verify that there is proper draft and no carbon monoxide spillage into the home.  Combustion safety testing is a very important part of an energy audit since recommended improvements typically include air sealing.  Air sealing can change the amount of air available to combustion equipment and if not done properly can lead to safety issues.  When we perform work on the home, we always test prior to the work and after the work is complete to verify that we have not created a dangerous situation for the occupants.