Sunday, March 10, 2013

More on Energy Use at Home

I have previously written about blower doors, air sealing and home maintenance. These are tools and practices that will make your home more energy efficient and comfortable.When added to a full home energy assessment you can really make smart, informed choices about protecting your family and your real estate investment.

The image below is of a combustion analyzer testing for carbon monoxide before dilution air in an atmospherically vented domestic water heater. In other words, it answers the question: is this typical gas water heater burning gas in a clean, safe, and efficient manner? This is part of a series of tests which take place during a typical home energy assessment geared towards insuring the safety of your home as it stands.


There are also a variety of software programs used to model conditions and create reports and recommendations based on the assessor's inputs, the characteristics of the home and the results of various tests. Here is a screen shot from one such program.


Google' home energy assessment' or 'home energy audit' and 'St. Louis' to get in touch with some locals in the business.