Episode 1 Summary

WHY DID THIS HOMEOWNER GET THE ENERGY AUDIT? Homeowner's exact reason: Very cold and drafty house. Has a lot of high ceilings.

WHERE WAS THIS HOME ENERGY AUDIT? This audit was done at a townhome located in Annapolis, Maryland 21401 through the BGE Home Performance with ENERGY STAR® program.

WHAT MADE THIS ENERGY AUDIT INTERESTING It is not so much that this home had high ceilings that made it cold and drafty, it was more so the fact that it had several "gateways" up to the attic and improperly installed insulation.

WHAT YOU MAY LEARN FROM THIS ENERGY AUDIT How the stack effect plays a role in losing energy and experiencing a cold and drafty house - if you allow it!

KEY TAKEAWAY FROM THIS HOME ENERGY AUDIT If you have bulkheads in your bathroom with recessed lights then it is possible that this is leading to your cold and drafty house!

:06 Reason for Getting the Audit
:44 Diagnosing the Problems
:54 Infrared Scan
1:10 Attic Visit
1:33 Exposing Wrongly Installed Insulation
2:05 Mini Stack Effect Problem
2:41 Recessed Light IR Scan
3:01 Final Summary

There are so many houses that I have been to for an energy audit where during the beginning walk through the owner is super focused on windows and doors. I know the reason for this. It is because it is the only possible place you can really see any cracks and crevices that lead to the outside.

But, there are far worse offenders than those two areas and they are usually hiding in plain sight.

Hello and welcome to my world which basically revolves around teaching some of the basics of building science so that more people can literally get into the driver’s seat when it comes to their energy usage and overall comfort around the house.

Weekly episodes should yield a variety of housing types that will provide both common and unique scenarios. 

As always, finding the correct diagnosis will require good investigative work, experience and the use of diagnostic equipment.

Hopefully these daily encounters will help open people's minds to the subtle, yet important ways in which a home can lose, literally "tons" of energy.

Do you have some other issue not covered here?

Can an energy audit help you?

Send us an email and we will respond.

If you have an issue that you are not sure about fitting in the parameters of what an energy audit can help diagnose, please inquire.

info@hometrustremodeling.com