The U.S. Department of Energy and the Electric Power Research Institute determined ...
25% to 40% of the heating and cooling energy put out by heating, ventilating and air conditioning systems ... is lost through the duct system.

"Our country's leaders have three main choices:  Taking over someone else's oil fields; carrying on until the lights go out and Americans are freezing in the dark; or changing our life style by deep conservation while heavily investing in alternative energy sources at higher costs."
      — Charles T. Maxwell

(The testimonial accessed above shows a clients gas bill. Compare gas usage last March, before our audit with this March, after retrofitting)

Regional Natural Gas Prices

Ohio Renewable Energy Cost Calculator

Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency

EIA Brochure - Residential Natural Gas Prices

NIST report- Improving building envelopes can save energy costs

Ohio Energy Rebates

Ohio Energy Loan Fund Information

use id "closerlook" to get a 10% discount!!

Move Over, SpongeBob!

Teach little squirts how to save water with the new WaterSense Web site just for kids.

What's Happening This Year?

Average winter-season (October 1 to March 31) prices and expenditures for all space-heating fuels are projected to be higher than winter 2006-2007 (Winter Fuels Expenditures Table).  Residential natural gas prices are expected to average $13.14 per thousand cubic feet (mcf) this winter compared with $12.36 per mcf last winter, heating oil prices are expected to average $2.88 per gallon compared with $2.48 per gallon last winter, and propane prices are expected to average $2.28 per gallon compared with $2.02 per gallon last winter. Residential electricity prices are expected to average 10.3 cents per kilowatthour (kwh) compared with 10.1 cents per kwh last winter. 

Resource: (DOE) -Energy Information Administration

Wasted energy not only costs money, it can damage your building, create an unsafe and uncomfortable environment and lead to the premature wear of building components. In a 1997 study, the Energy Information Administration reported that the average annual energy cost for the Northeast was over  $1700 per year!! When building shells leak, have poor insulation and have inefficient heating systems you are losing or gaining heat (depending on the season), wasting energy and spending more than you should to heat or cool your home.

A home with a leaky shell, poor insulation and an inefficient heating system space heating accounts for roughly 58% of energy consumption in the home (annual energy costs $2000). While in a home with updated insulation, reduced leakage and an efficient heating system that 58% drops to 36% (annual energy costs $1000). So as you can see, retrofitting your home to be more energy efficient saves money on overall energy costs and reduces the percentage of energy used by space heating (a smaller piece of a smaller energy pie). These problems are also typical in commercial buildings.

How Your Building Loses Energy:

There are many ways in which a building loses energy. Some are easier to find and correct than others. Most people, when asked how their homes lose heat, automatically respond "doors and windows". While doors and windows do contribute to heat losses in the home, they are minimal compared to the heat loss which you do not see. By finding the sources of building leakage and correcting them, you could save a considerable amount of energy. The two charts above represent a loose, leaky home with an inefficient heating system and a well insulated, properly sealed home with an efficient heating system.

One of the major contributors to heat loss in the home is created by what is known as "stack effect", shown in the drawing. Because warmer air is more buoyant than colder air the heat rises through the house and exits through hidden leaks. At the same time that the warm air is exiting the leaks in the upper level, the lower level of the home becomes negatively pressurized and pulls colder outdoor air into the home. This is unconditioned, cold air which now must be conditioned. The opposite occurs in the hot, humid summer weather and the cooling system must operate more to cool and de-humidify the warm, humid air being pulled into the home. 

Understanding Differences in Energy Audits

Before hiring a company to perform an energy audit of your building you should understand that there are some important differences in the services available. The services range from home inspection companies that offer home energy tune-up services as part of their inspection to full time performance contractors that can completely diagnose the building and it's integrated components. If you are purchasing a home, the former may best fit your needs. If you own the home and want to find the most cost effective retrofits in your home, the later is likely to be your best choice. The important thing to remember is that not all energy assessments or audits are created equal.

C.L.I. Group, LLC is a full service building science, energy and indoor air quality company. Our technicians and associates include HERS raters, certified TAB (Test & Balance) technicians, Licensed HVAC Technicians, Board Certified IAQ Professionals, L.E.E.D. Accredited Professionals and Engineering/Architectural support (for new construction/major renovation). We can provide documentation of the existing conditions within your building by performance testing the systems in your building. These same evaluations can show the results of our services. This is a key difference when evaluating a building.

"If You Haven't Measured The Performance of Your Building, You Are Simply Guessing"

It is this guesswork or "rule of thumb" mentality among builders, specialty contractors, home inspectors and real estate agents that has led to the surplus of homes with poor energy efficiencies, indoor air quality problems, building degradation issues, mold problems, water problems and more. There are organizations which offer certifications in anything that their members can sell. However, most are certifications that are based on very limited or no training at all. Carefully investigate the credentials and certifications of the companies you hire to perform work on or in your home. It has been our experience that many general contractors sub-contract work based solely on low-bid. This often leads to poor work being performed by unqualified technicians. The same warning is true for real estate transactions. You should ALWAYS choose an independent inspector to perform your pre-purchase home inspection!! It is not wise to follow the advice of your real estate agent. There is a financial interest on the real estate agents part and often a inspection company that bases their business on real estate referrals. If the inspector finds too many problems, they get no referrals, it's that simple. This may not be true in all cases, but why take the chance. Many of the homes and buildings we evaluate with significant problems had been previously inspected. 

Energy Efficient Mortgages

This mortgage, offered through Fannie Mae, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) and Veterans Administration (VA), promotes the design, construction, and operation of efficient new homes, as well as the renovation of existing homes to be more energy efficient.

Your home is a long term investment. For that reason alone, it should be the most comfortable, affordable house you can buy. If you were to use the Energy Efficient Mortgage for the purchase or refinance of an existing home, you could reduce your utility bills by 30% to 50% each year. When you compare that to a home financed strictly with a conventional mortgage that does not address energy upgrades, your overall housing expense with an Energy Efficient Mortgage is still much lower than it's counterpart.

Learn More About Energy Efficient Mortgages

For More Information on EEM's or to apply, visit Indigo Financial Group
 

Buy Energy Efficient Products & SAVE!!

Simply click on the link above and visit the Energy Federation web site. When checking out and asked for promotional code, enter: closerlook and save!!

Other Product on Our Energy Shop Page

Finding The Leakage:

C.L.I. Group, LLC performs energy assessments using state of the art equipment including blower door, FLIR thermal imaging equipment, electronic manometers, combustion analyzer and indoor air quality monitors to pressurize or de-pressurize your home, evaluate combustion safety & draft, quantify and spot leaks in the building envelope and evaluate indoor air & ventilation. When retrofitting an existing home by tightening construction, adding new windows and doors, adding insulation, etc. conditions within the home should be monitored by a professional. Building pressures, combustion air, ventilation and other parameters can change and create conditions which could cause interstitial space moisture, combustion air deficiencies, back-drafting and other building problems. When a building is being retrofitted by closing off leakage points, changing windows and door, etc. a professional should monitor combustion appliances to assure that needed combustion air is not being depleted by the renovations. It is also important to maintain the 0.35 ACH (air changes/hr.) within the structure. In residential buildings the indoor-outdoor air exchange rate is mainly attributable to air leakage through cracks, joints and other leakage areas and are affected by pressure differentials caused by temperature differences, wind, local exhaust fans, combustion equipment (heating systems, water heaters) and fireplaces. The 0.35 ACH would be considered to be a tight home, anything less is too tight. On the other hand air exchange rates of between 0.35 and 1 would be considered to be moderate and above 1 ACH is considered to be leaky.

Sometimes, what many consider a normal upgrade in the home can create problems if not installed by a knowledgeable contractor. We have found that contractors have unknowingly installed a new, high efficiency heating system that uses pvc venting instead of the traditional chimney. When this retrofit is performed the contractor removes the existing furnace vent from the chimney, leaving only the water heater connected. This allows for a cooler chimney which can lead to reduced draft and condensation problems which can eat away at the chimney liner. 

Hidden Areas of Leakage:

Leakage and Moisture:

Many people believe that it takes a large hole to create a problem. That, of course, is not true. A 1/2 inch hole can leak as much as 50 pints of moisture during a heating season. If this leaking hits surfaces which are colder than the dew point, condensation occurs. This can lead to damage of structural components, mold, reduced R-values and other problems. The average homes has many holes of this size which are unknown to the building owner. We like to call this uncontrolled ventilation. We also prefer to stop this uncontrolled ventilation and replace it with controlled ventilation. When using controlled ventilation, air can be preconditioned using ERV's (Energy Recovery Ventilators) reducing the load on the heating system by capturing heat from exhausted air.

A proper building leakage survey will be performed by a company having access to blower door, thermal imaging equipment, electronic moisture detection equipment, combustion analyzer, manometers and indoor air quality monitors. By using the proper equipment such as I have just noted, a great deal of information about the science and operation of the building can be gathered and deciphered by a building science professional. After carefully evaluating all conditions, a plan can be devised which addresses the building as a whole and allows for the best economical, safety, energy and comfort decisions to be made.

If you are having a new home built or adding to an existing building, a building science or building energy professional can address these questions during construction which is the most economical time to address these issues. A little forethought, a knowledge of Ohio's energy codes and a conscientious builder can go a long way in building a home which is safe, economical, comfortable and environmentally friendly for years to come. 

Go To Our Energy Audit Page

Resources: