Home Energy | Albany, Schenectady, & Saratoga Springs, NY

HOME ENERGY

Home Energy

HOME PERFORMANCE

We take a comprehensive whole-house approach to identifying and fixing comfort, heating repair, and energy efficiency problems in a home.

AREAS OF CONCENTRATION

• Attics • Basements • Crawl Spaces • Rooms Over Garages • Conditioned Garages • 4 Season Rooms

NOTE: Blower door tests cannot be performed if there is any asbestos-like material anywhere in the home. Also make sure gas fired appliances are converted to pilot settings and there are no hot embers present in fireplaces before performing any depressurization tests.

OUR TOOL BAG

Blower Door - Used to test total home infiltration- how much air does your house leak?
Smoke/Fogger - Used to visually diagnose drafts in appliances and duct leakage.
Manometer - Used to make sure appliances are drafting properly and to diagnose room pressures.
Duct Blaster - Used to test how much air you are losing from your duct work before it reaches the room.
I.R. Camera - Used to visually inspect rooms for hot and cold spots. Are you missing insulation in your walls?
Gas Leak Detector - Used to check your home for any gas leaks, inside and out.
Radon Gauge- Used to determine safe levels of radon in your home.
Moisture Meter - Used to determine moisture levels in sheet rock and other building materials. Also used to check moisture levels in conditioned spaces.

BASEMENTS AND CRAWL SPACES

Air Seal Sill Plates – I.R. Camera/ blower door/ visual. 2” of two part foam to air seal and place fiber glass batts in the bays for added R value.
Air Seal Outdoor Penetrations – I.R. Camera/ blower door. Two part foam.
Insulate Walls Down To Frost Line – I.R. Camera. Insulation blanket, two part foam or frame walls with fiberglass insulation.
Combustion Test Furnace/Boiler Efficiency - Bacharach analyzer. To make sure your furnace is operating properly with carbon monoxide levels in flue. Also gives you the running efficiency of your unit.
CAZ Depressurization - Check atmospheric appliances’ natural draft under worst case scenario– Manometer. Determines how your appliances are drafting when the home is under the worst case scenario, making sure there is no unsafe gases are entering the living space.
Chimney Liners – CAZ Depressurization, manometer. If your appliances fail to vent properly, a chimney liner may be needed.
Appliances plugged in, in the basement that’s not being used. Unused appliances that are not utilized frequently can be unplugged to reduce electrical usage. These loads are commonly referred to as phantom loads.
Air sealing duct work – Duct blaster. Determine the loss of conditioned air from your duct work to unwanted spaces. It is important to deliver all the air where you need it.
Boiler piping insulation in basement – I.R. Camera. Steam pipes and hot water pipes that are run in unconditioned spaces lose energy from point A to point B. This causes the appliance to run more frequently and use more energy.
Look at windows. Broken or loose? – I.R. Camera. Most basement windows are not tightly fitted and are the source of air leaks into the space.
Dampness in basement? Dehumidifier/sump pump – Hydrometer. Too much moisture in basements can lead to mold growth and air quality issues.
Seal Basement Walls – Hydrometer. Also look to see where the water is originating to see if gutters or the re-pitching of grade is needed.
CFL lights – Cost of operation comparison. Electric usage can be greatly reduced by switching to CFL light bulbs over traditional bulbs.
IAQ Air filters, humidifiers, UV lights, duct cleaning – visual check and relative humidity reading. Air quality is becoming more and more important to people.
Heat recovery ventilator (HRV) – Blower door. Homes can be sealed up to much. A supply of fresh air determined by the building air flow standard is needed in the home for the occupants.
Crawl Spaces – I.R. Camera. Crawl spaces are the biggest problem in homes built above them. We have a special technique to rid moisture and cold air from your crawl space making your home healthier and more comfortable.
Hot Water Boiler Controls- added efficiency to hot water boilers. Modulates the hot water temperature accordingly to outdoor temperature.

ATTICS

Identify any moisture in attic. Roof leaks? – Hydrometer. Moisture needs to be identified early to prevent serious structural damage.
Check attic venting. Proper vents in place? – Visual/I.R. Camera. Attics need to be vented properly to prevent moisture issues. Most attics are not vented properly.
Insulation in attic, blown in/hot roof – I.R. Camera. Better insulates your attic where most heat loss occurs. Reduces icicles that form on roof.
Air seal wiring and plumbing penetrations – I.R. Camera. Air leaks are almost more important than insulation. It is important to stop the air movement before the insulation.
Lights “Cans” in ceiling air seal and insulate – I.R. Camera. Most lights mounted in the ceiling have little to no insulation or air sealing above them.
Attic hatches air seal and insulate – I.R. Camera. Attic hatches are almost always the largest “hole” in your ceiling, and it is very important to have them air sealed and insulated properly.
Air seal and insulate other attic accesses – Blower door/ I.R Camera. Any access into an unconditioned space to a condition space should be properly air sealed and insulated.
Duct work in attic? Air seal and insulate – Duct blaster / I.R. Camera. Duct work in attic should be properly sealed and tested by the duct blaster. Proper insulation must also be used. Most of the time duct work in the attic is in an unconditioned space and is basically considered “outside”; you need to keep the conditioned air in the duct work.
Add runways in attic for contractor work that will not compromise insulation. Visual. Most damage that occurs to attic insulation or duct work in attic is caused by contractors performing work. Runways ensure that there is adequate access to all mechanical equipment.
Whole house fans for attic spaces controlled by temperature. Visual. Attic fans reduce the summer temperature of attics reducing heat transfer from the conditioned space. Also is a good tool for humidity control.

OTHER SERVICES

Freeze protected outdoor faucets - hot and cold. Prevents split pipes during cold weather on outdoor faucets.
Gutters, grading away from house, standing water issues/water in basement. Prevents standing water around foundation of home or water leaking in basements.
Zoning uncomfortable rooms and house levels. Zoning gives you the ability to split up different parts of your home that are conditioned by a central furnace or boiler. This gives you more control over your heating and cooling system, allowing you to choose the spaces you want to be warmer or colder.
Chimney balloons and dampers. Fireplaces are one of the most energy stealing features of a home if they are not controlled properly with some sort of a damper system.
Insulate and air seal knee walls – Blower door I.R Camera. Knee walls need to be seriously looked at when determining your home energy improvements. They need to be air sealed and insulated properly.
Air seal and insulate around existing windows – Blower door and I.R. Camera. Most problems with windows aren’t actually the windows! How they were installed needs to be closely examined, and is mostly to blame for inefficiency.
Check bathroom exhaust fan performance – Manometer and pressure plate. Mold and moisture issues in bath rooms are most commonly caused by inoperative bathroom vent fans.
CFL light bulbs. CFLs use a quarter of the energy of a comparable incandescent bulb.
Outlet cover insulation. Simple effective way to better air seal and insulate your outlets on outside walls.

HOME ENERGY AUDITS

A home energy checkup helps owners determine where their house is losing energy and money - and how such problems can be corrected to make the home more energy efficient. One of our professional technicians, or energy auditors, will give your home a checkup. When we arrive on the scene, we look for leaks, examine your insulation, inspect all furnaces and ductwork, perform a blower door test and use an infrared camera.

A home energy audit, also known as a home energy assessment, is the first step to assess how much energy your home consumes and to evaluate what measures can be taken to make your home more energy efficient. All you have to do is contact one of our friendly representatives today. This assessment will show you problems that may, when corrected, save you significant amounts of money over time!

SCHEDULE YOUR AUDIT TODAY!

If you’d like to schedule your next appointment, don’t waste another moment. All you have to do is call (518) 356-4730 . We’re standing by to serve your needs throughout Latham, Clifton Park, Albany , Saratoga Springs and Schenectady, NY .