August 15, 2019
The summer weather is heating up here in Marin, Contra Costa, and Alameda Counties — which means the marathon of summer weather is just beginning. Sticking with the marathon metaphor, you wouldn’t just get off the couch after an entire winter of catching up on Game of Thrones and go straight to the starting line of the Oakland Running Festival marathon, would you? You’d probably want to take inventory of the shape you are in, and maybe even talk to you doctor to ensure you are healthy enough to go the distance!
Scheduling a home energy assessment in the first half of the summer with the East Bay home performance pros at Hassler is like a checkup for your cooling system before the marathon of summer. Not only will you gain essential knowledge about the current state of your home performance with home energy assessment, but your Hassler technician will provide target recommendations to improve your overall home comfort and energy efficiency!
What Is A Home Energy Assessment?
This home performance test has also been called an “energy audit,” but the concept is the same: to scan your home from top to bottom using diagnostic equipment to locate any areas a home is losing energy. When these diagnostic tools and tests are used by a building science professional using the whole home approach, you can rest easy knowing you are getting the maximum results out of your Home energy assessment.
So you may be wondering, “what goes into a home energy assessment?” The whole home experts at Hassler stand by our tried and true process, which includes:
Blower door test to determine your homes air leakage areas
Infrared thermal imaging to locate air leaks & poorly insulated areas (attic, wall & floor)
Inspection of current insulation levels in your attic, walls, & floor
HVAC equipment efficiency & sizing test (most homes HVAC systems are oversized)
Combustion safety test gas leaks, carbon monoxide, & venting (water heater, furnace etc)
Through a home energy assessment, your Hassler technician will find even the smallest inefficiencies that you may not have noticed from day to day. But when you combine these small issues, they can add up! So not only will fixing these issues decrease your heating, cooling, and overall energy bills, but it gives you a chance to catch any failing parts in your air conditioner before the marathon of summer. Who wants to sweat it out in an AC emergency when the sun is at its peak? When you make the recommended energy upgrades from a home energy assessment, there are many benefits:
Increased overall home comfort
Lower energy bills
Healthier indoor air quality
More reliable heating & cooling equipment
After your 40-point inspection is finished, your Hassleer energy assessment technician will provide you with a home energy score, to help you better understand your home performance.
Common Issues We Find
There are some home performance upgrades you may not think would have an impact on your overall home comfort. But these common issues often provide the best return on investment when it comes to keeping your home at the perfect temperature all year long:
Outdated/Insufficient Insulation
Did you know that over 90% of homes in the U.S. are under-insulated? This is the most common problem our home energy assessments uncover in California homes. And yes, even here in the Golden State insulation is integral to keeping your conditioned air inside your home. The job of insulation is to prevent heat from transferring through the materials that make up your home. In the summer insulation keeps the heat outside, and in the winter it keeps the heat inside. As a full-service insulation contractor, Hassler offers:
Air Leaks
Upgrading your insulation should not be done without first sealing up any air leaks that exist throughout your home, Insulation prevents heat from transferring through the materials that make up your home’s construction, but air sealing prevents air from freely floating in and out of your living space through tiny cracks and gaps. Hassler uses a blower door test to determine how much air leakage exists in your home, then we locate those holes using infrared thermal imaging and non-toxic theatrical smoke.
Equipment Sizing
One of the most common issues with heating and cooling equipment is improper sizing. The term “bigger is better” may apply to ice cream sundaes, but it does not apply to your air conditioner or furnace! This is especially common for homeowners that have made recent additions or renovations to their homes. In the summer, an air conditioner that is to large turns on and off too quickly, wasting energy as it starts up each time. An air conditioner that is too small will have to run constantly to keep up with the summer heat, which also wastes energy and causing excess wear and tear on your equipment and ductwork.
Save Big with Available Rebates!
After your home energy assessment is complete and we have provided you with a list of recommended upgrades, you will qualify for up to $5,000 in rebates when you decide to move ahead with your energy saving home performance upgrades. This is so you can save on the cost of reducing your year round energy usage, and making your home more comfortable!
