1969 Contemporary Rancher - Columbia, MD
Reason for this Customer Getting the BGE AuditThe customer recently moved to the area from Michigan and knew there had to be a way to improve the comfort and lower the energy bill. General Profile - 1969 Columbia Rancher Columbia, MD 1969 Contemporary Rancher Style Year Built: 1969 Common Insulation Challenges: Crawl spaces are sometimes too low for treatment, attic areas are inaccessible or filled with storage or HVAC ducts HVAC Ducts: Ducts are often times outside of the envelope - in attics or crawl spaces - due to retrofitting central HVAC systems years after the home was built Unique Features: Often times these homes have large sloped ceilings with lots of recessed lights creating gateways to the outside. | Homeowner Takeaways from this Columbia BGE Energy AuditThe attic areas were under insulated and in needed of specialized treatment, including access cut in one location in order to properly treat the area. The crawl space had a lot of HVAC ducts that were uninsulated, making encapsulation a smart choice. A disconnected duct in the attic above the family room was the reason for their comfort problems, not the large window with a nice view!
Long-Term Problems if Left UncheckedHVAC will have to run much longer shortening lifespan. Comfort around the home suffers and different areas of the home only get used during certain times of the year. More room for insect intrusion and other unwanted pests when gateways to the outside from the inside exist. Higher energy bills that will not amount to better comfort. Poor decision making on how to fix (buy new HVAC, purchase new windows)
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 Open crawl spaces that are not properly insulated are huge problems in winter with cold air infiltration and summer with high humidity levels.  Accessing the attic areas in this home required a ladder on the outside of the house. |  Uninsulated ducts in an open crawl space is a recipe for high energy bills and low comfort.  Disconnected ducts were a big concern for this home and repairs were sure to make a huge difference. | Check Out Two Videos from this Energy Audit Turned Home Performance Project Video 1 - A disconnected duct in the crawl space was discovered during the project. Video 2 - Before and after the crawl space encapsulation.  Overhangs (cantilevers) and open crawl space was a key contributor to this homeowner's comfort problems. |
How an energy audit typically helps a homeowner with this type of home:-This energy audit was able to guide this homeowner towards encapsulating the crawl space to gain the many benefits that come along with that method of treatment such as bringing the ducts into a more friendly environment.
Video 2 - Before and After Crawl Space EncapsulationVideo 1 - Disconnected HVAC Duct in Crawl Space |
