Energy Audits
From Mr. Green Jeans - Serving All of the Baton Rouge and New Orleans Metropolitan Areas
Mr. Green Jeans offers energy audits for homes in metro Baton Rouge and New Orleans. If you’d like to find out where your home is losing energy, please call us to find out more.
Infrared picture showing heat loss in a home in New Orleans, LA
You get a manual when you buy a car, a television, an appliance, even a toaster, but do you receive one for your largest investment, your home? The equivalent of this manual for your home is an Energy Audit.
An energy assessment is the first step in understanding your home as a system. By understanding your home as a system through our industry standard whole home approach, we develop a clear understanding of your home’s current condition and make recommendations for energy efficiency retrofits. Our experienced BPI (Building Performance Institute) assessors will develop a clear, concise report for your home's current condition as far as its energy consumption and offer solutions and estimated annual savings that go along with each proposed retrofit.
What's included with an energy audit?
1. Visual inspection of the home
2. Visual inspection of the HVAC ductwork
3. Measure level of existing insulation
4. Infrared camera inspection to determine if there is insulation in the exterior walls
5. Perform a blower door test of the home to determine how drafty the house is & to determine if air sealing is needed in the home.
6. Infrared camera inspection during the blower door test to visually see where are the air is coming from & where is the home losing its conditioned air?
7. Provide a list of improvements and an estimate associated with the list of improvements.
8. The energy audit will be performed by a BPI certified technician.
Identifying Health & Safety Issues
Although energy savings is a very important part of the energy assessment, our number one concern is the identification of any health and safety issues that you may not have known existed. Carbon Monoxide is a huge health hazard and can potentially be lethal. In addition, if your home is sealed too tight, moisture issues can become a problem that negatively affects your health. Among other things, these are the major areas we look to identify when it comes to you and your family's health.
Air leakage is one of the most common energy loss in existing homes. Our energy assessment includes a Blower Door test (see picture below), which will depressurize your home to gain a further understanding of how leaky your home is. From this test, we can determine if your home needs air sealing.
What Does a Professional Energy Audit Include?
There are several things that we consider when checking a home for energy efficiency.
Air Leaks: The very first thing that we’ll inspect your home for is air leaks. Anywhere two materials meet, there could be an air leak. The most common air leaks are found in the attic where electrical and plumbing penetrations run down exterior and interior walls. Other common areas are around doors or windows. Air leaks may also be found under the home if you have a pier and beam house. Homes that are around 75-100 years old may even what is known as balloon framing. Which is framing that is designed to allow outside air enter the inside of the home. Which was a good idea when central air conditioning was not available or common. Now that we have central air conditioning, those areas need to be seal to hold the conditioned air in the home as long as possible.
Insulation: A professional energy audit should always include a close inspection of insulation. We look for heat loss, gaps and other factors to determine if your home’s insulation is adequate. Older homes particularly need a close inspection, because insulation methods and requirements have changed dramatically over the years.
Heating and Cooling Equipment: The bulk of your energy costs will be in the operation of your heating and cooling system. Therefore, it’s vital that any energy audit includes a thorough inspection of this system. We look for filters that need to be replaced, duct work that needs repair, older model equipment that could be more efficient, and other factors.
How to Prepare for an Energy Audit
In order to get the most value out of a professional energy audit, there are a few things to do first. Have a clear idea of how much you spend on energy per month, going back at least a year, or as long as you have been in the house if shorter than a year. Be sure that this information covers all seasons, to clearly show how your costs change in all weather.
Next, list any issues you’ve noticed related to discomfort in the home. Do you notice any rooms less comfortable than others? Do you notice any areas the home that tend to be more drafty than others? Do you have any problems with condensation on the walls, ceiling, windows or air conditioning vents?
Jot all these things down for the energy auditor to inspect.
Also, you may want to note some general facts about the house:
-how big it is
-how many windows there are
-how many entrances there are
-how many people live in the home
-have you changed anything in the home such as a remodel or major repairs
This can help the auditor estimate what your general energy usage should look like.
Contact Mr. Green Jeans to Start Saving
Through the energy audit, we help you identify where you can save money on your energy bill. Many homeowners find that an investment in efficient appliances will result in energy savings in a very short time. Contact us today to get started with your energy audit.
