7 Steps of Building a Synergy Home(click on the screen to watch our video)

The Importance of Energy Audits Powerpoint Presentation

There are essentially 7 Steps to Achieving a “Synergy Home”

• Airtight Construction• Fresh Air Ventilation• Improved Thermal Systems• Properly Sized, Designed, Installed, and

Commissioned HVAC System• Pressure Balanced• Moisture Managed• Combustion Safety

An energy audit is a comprehensive examination of

your home and its systems using diagnostic tools and equipment.

Why an energy audit?• High utility bills.• Identifying and correcting unresolved issues.• It helps to determine if energy efficient upgrades are

needed and the return on investment of those upgrades.

• Comfort issues such as rooms that are too hot, too cold, or too drafty.

• Indoor air quality issues.• Moisture issues in your home or crawlspace.• Durability issues.• General knowledge of your home and its systems.• Commissioning / Synergizing a new home and its

systems.

Don’t assume your brand new home is performing properly just

because it is new and built to code. Building codes require bare

minimums and do not address the system as a whole.

We oftentimes test new homes and find fatal flaws that can easily be

corrected that would have otherwise go undetected.

Home inspections• Are a prerequisite for buying a home.• Are not energy audits• Are rarely performed using complex diagnostic tools.• Typically involve only visual inspections and visual inspections rarely

confirm that the HVAC system is operating properly.• Many times issues in hard to inspect areas such as the crawlspace are

simply ignored.• Are performed by inspectors that are recommended by the real estate

agent. Conflict of interests can happen.• Home inspectors generate much of their work from referrals and referrals

are generated by making sales easier to close.• Deserve a 2nd opinion.• Buyers expect the costs to repair items that are found to be deducted

from the sales price.• Home inspection companies are not liable for anything in excess of their

home-inspection fee.

Why you should use Synergy Home Performance LLC as your auditor

• We have 4 Building Performance Institute Certified (BPI) Auditors on staff and we have performed over 2000 energy audits.

• We have a HERS rater on staff.• Our energy audits are very detailed and generally take 3 to 6

hours.• We have a State of Alabama HVAC license. • We have a State of Alabama Homebuilders license.• We offer energy audits, spray foam installation, air sealing

packages, traditional insulation, closed crawlspace construction installation, HVAC Design Services, and energy efficient building consulting.

We prefer that you follow us around during your audit and ask plenty of questions. We want you to have a good understanding of

your home and its systems because more than likely, its the biggest investment you will ever

make.

Within a few days, we provide you with a detailed Energy

Performance Score (EPS) report prioritizing the issues we find in

your home. Pictures are included.

The tools of an energy auditor• Extensive knowledge, training, and experience.• Building Performance Institute Certified.• Blower door.• Infrared camera.• Manometer.• Flow hood or hot wire anemometer.• Thermometer.• Moisture meter.• Duct blaster.• Carbon monoxide detectors.• Graph paper and tape measure.• Digital camera.

We start the audit by interviewing you and addressing any questions

or concerns.

Next, we perform a blower door test. A blower door pulls air out of your

home and helps us identify the specific leakage areas.

We measure and draw out your home on graph paper. We then

calculate the volume of your home and by using the cubic feet per

minute of air leakage we are able to calculate the air changes per

hour.

Many auditors, in an effort to save time, and due to their inability to locate the thermal barrier, only

report the air leakage in cubic feet per minute. Leakage of 1000 cfm in a 2000 sf home with 8ft ceilings is much different than a 10,000 sf home with 10 ft ceilings and the

same amount of leakage in cfm’s.

Notice the sheetrock dust pulled in under the sill plates on this spray foamed, slab home when blower

door testing was performed.

Without testing and with only a visual inspection, how do you locate air leakage sites? Our energy auditing helps us to

eliminate air leakage sites in new construction.

Common air leakage sites• Attic pull-down stairs and attic access doors

located inside of the conditioned space.• Recessed cans and exhaust fans.• Framing shafts.• Fireplaces.• HVAC systems.• Sill plates.• Windows and doors.• Interior door latches.

The infrared camera is used in conjunction with the blower door to

help locate air leaks, un-insulated areas, and moisture issues hidden in

the walls, attic, crawlspace, basement, and slab foundations.

We also use the manometer in conjunction with the blower door

to determine the connectivity between the house and the attic

and the house and the crawlspace.

We visually inspect your crawlspace and attic. How many other energy auditing companies

provide this service?

We use a manometer to confirm that there is a 3 Pascal or less pressure differential

between a bedroom and the main body of the home when bedroom doors are closed.

Providing proper return airflow is one of the best and least expensive ways to improve a home’s comfort and

performance. Returns should never be located in closets even with a louvered door. Use the most

inexpensive, non-restrictive filters possible!

Installing returns, jumper ducts, or transfer grilles in all bedrooms so that the air has a

return path if the doors are closed is mandatory. See Step 5 – Pressure Balancing for more info!

We use the flow hood to measure bathroom fan exhausts. We often get readings of “0” although the

fan appears to be working correctly. Improper exhaust fan operation allows high interior moisture levels and

indoor air quality issues.

We are yet to test a home without at least one bathroom exhaust fan

improperly installed.

This exhaust duct was completely disconnected. Without testing, how

would you know?

We visually inspect to make sure clothes dryer and kitchen exhausts

are working and exhausting properly.

For every cubic foot of air that exits a home through exhaust fans,

chimneys, and air leaks, a cubic foot of air must be pulled in to replace

it. Typically, it enters from the nearest, biggest hole and it brings contaminants with it. We are able to locate the holes and seal them.

We are then able to provide you with cost-effective fresh air

ventilation strategies.

We also use the manometer to static pressure test HVAC systems

on all of our energy audits. The static pressure of your HVAC

system is the equivalent to your blood pressure.

High static pressure is the equivalent of high blood pressure

and it indicates low airflow.

71.8 + 234 = 305.8 / 250 = 1.22 IWC.

1.22 IWC should be 0.5 IWC This unit is having a stroke!

Smart systems display the static pressure on the thermostat as well

as the cubic feet per minute of airflow.

We double check the return side airflow with a flowhood or hotwire

anemometer.

We compare the actual airflow to the rated airflow of the HVAC

system.

A typical HVAC system requires approximately 400 cubic feet per

minute of airflow per 1 ton of heating and cooling. For example,

5 tons of heating and cooling requires approximately 5 tons x

400 cfm = 2000 cfm.

In units with high static pressure, the rated 2000 cfm of airflow is

often found to be 1000 - 1200 cfm.Where is the other air?

We actually started out offering airflow diagnostics and air balancing but most

times the total system airflow was in need of correction. Keep in mind that proper airflow is required before refrigerant can

be added.

In the earlier picture of the “smart” thermostat, notice that the delivered cfm was 1957cfm.

Smart systems attempt to overcome high static pressure but

the watt draw is excessive and eventually the motor will burn out.

Note that when the work of the HVAC fan motor is decreased, the amp draw is reduced by a factor of

3. Similarly, when the work is increased, the watt draw is increased by a factor of 3.

We open up your HVAC unit and inspect it thoroughly.

We check your speed taps or dip switches to make sure they are

properly set.

Energy efficiency programs are paying for duct blaster testing and duct sealing while failing to require static pressure testing and airflow

confirmation.

Many high static systems with extremely low airflow pass duct blaster tests with flying colors.

Duct sealing properly sized and designed HVAC systems provide

energy savings.

Duct sealing improperly sized, designed, and installed HVAC

systems cause increased static pressure which leads to low airflow, comfort issues, and

premature compressor and fan motor failure.

We offer duct-blaster testing but we do not believe it provides much useful information. However, it is required

by the 2009 IRC unless ducts are installed in the conditioned space.

We use Right-Suite Universal to size and design Heating, Ventilation, and

Air Conditioning systems.

See “The HVAC Design Customer

Questionnaire” and our full size HVAC Design example.

Temperature Diagnostics

We measure temperature drops across the “system” along with airflow to determine “system

efficiency”.

Measuring temperature drops across the equipment doesn’t tell

us much, especially if the airflow is low and the ducts are located in

unconditioned spaces.

It is all about “system efficiency” and delivered Btu’s. “Equipment

efficiency” measured in a laboratory under ideal conditions is unrealistic to field conditions.

So why is low airflow bad?

• Comfort requires proper airflow in order to supply and return the right amount of air at the right temperature to the right room.

• Premature compressor failure – frozen coils often result from low airflow.

• Premature motor failure.• Cracked heat exchangers – Carbon Monoxide

poisoning.

Don’t waste your time on an energy audit that doesn’t measure

airflow and static pressure.

The problem with “free energy audits” offered by local utilities

• A clipboard and a checklist are not diagnostic tools –keep in mind “We Test, Others Guess”.

• How can you recommend air sealing when you don’t know exactly where the leaks are?

• Attic insulation is oftentimes recommended without first air-sealing.

• Traditional floor insulation is often recommended though it has been proven that it rarely works.

• Changing out light bulbs is obvious.• You are actually paying for other’s “free” audits on your

utility bill.

Notice the worthless electrical outlet covers that TVA sends out to

people.

Local utility companies don’t have incentives to reduce your energy

usage despite what their marketing department tells you!

Motorized attic fans are one of the biggest problems in homes. Unless

the home is perfectly sealed, motorized attic fans pull

conditioned air out of your home while consuming energy.

Beware of “free energy audit offers” by unscrupulous companies

attempting to sell you products such as radiant barriers or HVAC

systems.

We offer combustion testing and carbon monoxide testing and we sell

high grade carbon monoxide monitors. Notice the CO detector purchased at a “Big box” retailer is showing “0” while

ours is showing “17”.

We offer moisture meter measurements and we sell hygrothermometers with remote sensors that display both the

humidity and temperature in the crawlspace as well as the home.

Call us at (256) 616-2264 for more info on energy audits. TVA rebates

are available.