New Information For My Clients

Dear cutomers:  It has been a while since my last post.  I wanted to let you see a picture of me.  I am holding a Honeywell Prestige Thermostat.  I use this on alot of my HVAC installs.  It has an HD Color Display, a Remote Control and outdoor Humidity and Temperature Sensor.  Really nice.

I wanted share some photos & information about some new products we are installing.  The pictures above are of can light covers.  These go over Non Insulation Contact Rated Can Light Fixtures in the attic.  They are sealed to the sheetrock and then you can blow insulation on top.  They are fireproof and you can cut them in order to accomodate wires.

The next thing is a link to a website  http://www.energyefficiencydr.com/ This is a product that we will probably be installing soon.  It is the perfect solution to retrofitting windows.  It brings the heat loads down and does not cost as much as new windows.  They install from theinside.  Check it out.

I will be appeaaring at some home improvement/energy efficient shows soon.  The first one is the Home Improvement Show at The Dallas Convention Center  Sat & Sun March 27 & 28, 2010.  The next thing will be the Live Green Expo in Plano Sat April 17, 2010.  Here is a link to the Expo   http://www.livegreenexpo.net/
I will be doing two shows on April 22, 2010.  One at Mountainview College and one at Raytheon.

I wanted to share some photos of some really bad stuff that I can fix:

This is a return air platform that is open to the crawl space below.  The crawl space is wet and the home has a severe rat infestation.      

 













Here is a solution:

Here is one of the craziest things I have ever seen.  It is a supply on the outside of the house, and yes it is ducted and blowing conditioned air.

Here are some photos of some encapsulating I did recently.  These are attic walls.  Beautiful.

Animals and Moisture can cause major problems.  I will leave you with some gross  pictures of stuff I see every day:

Yes, this is a toy snake I found in an attic, but it scared me just the same.

Yes, we get hurt sometimes.  Usually roof deck nails. 

Comfort Consulting and Air Balancing

As an home energy consultant, one of my jobs is to figure out why you may be having comfort issues.  I can help you figure out if you have the right size equipment, right size ducts, grills, returns, etc.  I can solve these problems as well.  I utilize itmens such as a flow hood, duct blaster, blower door an infrared camera and ACCA Manual J Load Software software.

Here are pictures of a flow hood that measures airflow.  Reports generated from ACCA Manual J Load Software.  Infrared image of a supply Grill.  A blower door, utilized to pressurize and depressurize your home.  A duct Blaster, used to pressurize the duct system in search of leaks.    

Paybacks

When modeling improvements, we put the turn key price to do the improvements in REM/Rate. The software gives us numbers that we utilize to determine simple payback, return on investment, present value and net savings. We are the only company that I know of that does this for their customers. Simple payback is what most people look at. I am very conservative when I do one of these because I do not want to over-promise.


When labor and indirect costs are entered, it gives paybacks, that to some may appear long. It is my belief that the entire cost of the improvement be entered, even if this lengthens payback. When a home has gone for a long period of time without improvements to the energy systems and there are multiple things to be addressed, the costs increase the simple payback. I want the homeowner to know everything going into a retrofit.

Now, what is really important to understand is that comfort and happiness is something that is not measured in a comprehensive home energy audit. If you want to be happy and comfortable in your home while cutting your CO2 emissions, then the economic portions of the report do not carry as much weight. Every home and homeowner is unique. A homeowner with low bills/consumption compared to someone else with a different lifestyle but a similar size/age home has an effect on numbers as well.

Please keep in mind that this report is intended to be a living, breathing book. I want to be your energy and comfort consultant for life. At any time, I will produce the additional reports needed if the scope of the job changes or if you want to see different scenarios. I will also produce test out pages for you to add if you proceed with a retrofit.

In closing, if we do a retrofit at your home, we will test out at the end of the project and during the project if needed. We report our findings to you and our Quality Assurance is performed by a third party. Our goal is 100% satisfaction. You can rest assured that we will perform to the highest level of integrity and you will be amazed. Thank you very much!

What I do

I spend about 4 hours going over your home with "a fine tooth comb".  I utilize various tools like a compass, duct blaster, blower door, thermal camera and smoke pencil.  These are just a few of the tools I utilize.

I use building science, to evaluate the "systems" of your home.  Insulation and sealing is a system,  Ductwork is a system, Mechanical equipment is a system.


HVAC is a huge part of the equation.  It represents between 50-60% of your utility bills.
Each additional SEER improvement on your HVAC has a significant saving on your cooling costs, For example, if you upgrade to a new 16 SEER unit, it will be 60% more efficient than your old 10 SEER unit.  Now, a 10 % leak in your return duct, drawing in hot attic air, will reduce the unit’s efficiency by 30 %.  So, that new 16 SEER unit becomes only as efficient as an 11 SEER unit.

The D.O.E. estimates that the average home’s Duct system leaks up to 40% of conditioned air in to unconditioned spaces like the attic.

A typical home has a "3ft x 3ft hole" hidden in exterior wall penetrations, building cavities, wire penetrations, plumbing penetrations and open wall cavities that are open to the attic or outside. Most people are running the A/C with "a window wide open".

Air sealing is also a consideration when calculating the size of your new A/C unit. By addressing the duct and air leakage problems, that old 5 ton unit may need to be replaced with only a 4 ton.  A common mistake is to install an oversized unit. This can result in the unit short cycling.  Short cycling is the A/C equivalent of stop and start driving. The unit runs inefficiently because it cools the room without removing any of the humidity, it makes us feel clammy and uncomfortable.

Air Sealing also helps new insulation perform to its rated R value. In the right circumstance Foam is a great way to go; it brings the attic into conditioned space and seals up air leaks at the same time.

I identify everything that is wrong with your home from an energy point of view.  My audit is great for identifying the most cost effective energy improvements for YOUR home, but it is of little value if you’re not going to act on the recommendations.

I am HERS certified.  I take lots of photos, run measurements, perform diagnostic tests ,develop a HERS Index, develop cost options, run return on investment calculations on the items that make sense and then give you a copy of all the documentation and a proposal so you can decide what order and what choices you wish to pursue.

After all work has been completed, I repeat the blower door and duct blaster test to Quantify the improvements. This means you can qualify for Rebates and Tax Credits.

Magna Tite, great product!

If you want to retrofit your leaky, ineffiicient, single pane, metal frame windows.......here is your product.  It is alot cheaper than replacing windows.  It creates an air barrier.  They really work well.  I have tested with a thermographic camera and temperature sensor.  One of my customers installed them as well.  It will bring your cooling loads down. 


http://www.soundproofing.org/how_to_windows.htm




http://www.soundproofing.org/how_to_windows.htm%20product%20for%20retrofitting%20single%20pane%20metal%20frame%20windows