Episode 6 Summary

WHY DID THIS HOMEOWNER GET THE ENERGY AUDIT? Homeowner's exact reason: We have a heat pump system at our house but we struggle to have a comfortable environment in the winter. Our heating bills rise to $600 per month. We are exploring installing a gas furnace but would like to know if other factors would be more beneficial.

WHERE WAS THIS HOME ENERGY AUDIT? This audit was done at a single family home located in Baltimore, Maryland 21218 through the BGE Home Performance with ENERGY STAR® program.

WHAT MADE THIS ENERGY AUDIT INTERESTING It was exciting to enlighten this smart family about the real reasons their relatively new heat pumps were not meeting their expectations and the information they learned was not exactly what they expected, but it made so much sense to them!

WHAT YOU MAY LEARN FROM THIS ENERGY AUDIT If you basically despise your heat pump and swear that it does not work then you can learn a lot from this episode of the series. If your home is insufficiently insulated then you have a great opportunity to improve your comfort and overall happiness with your living environment because insulation is the most important factor in how your HVAC, windows, doors and walls will perform when the temperature outside is extreme. Ever heard the saying "you're only as strong as the weakest link"?

KEY TAKEAWAY FROM THIS HOME ENERGY AUDIT Before blaming your heat pump for a cold, drafty home - get your insulation assessed by a trained professional.

:06 Reason for Getting the Audit
:43 Summarizing the Real Issues
:58 Old Baltimore Neighborhood
1:17 1979 Built Home
1:47 Checking Out the Attic
2:14 Old Insulation
3:12 Incorrect Basement Insulation
3:40 Unfinished Living Space vs. Unconditioned Space
4:26 Leaky Crawl Space
4:46 Concluding Thoughts

This is going to be a hot topic for years to come as we try to move towards electrification. I would love to year your thoughts in the comments below... Do you love or hate heat pumps? What is your experience with a heat pump? Would you change your gas furnace to a heat pump? Have you heard about the Inflation Reduction Act and the incentives to switch over to a heat pump?

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