Home Energy Audit

Priority Energy’s energy audits evaluate much more than energy use. Our audits help to create a healthy, comfortable, and more durable home by identifying and preventing serious problems. We measure a home’s air tightness, ventilation, humidity, and moisture levels, in addition to identifying ways your home can be made more energy efficient. Our energy auditors will look at your home with your goals in mind, while also checking common indoor air quality, comfort, and structural trouble spots.

Why Should You Have a Home Energy Audit?
An energy audit can be performed at any time of year and at any point during home ownership.

• You want a healthier home, right? The repairs you make to improve energy efficiency also make your indoor air quality better; for example sealing air leaks also reduces the infiltration of allergy triggers.
• If you are experiencing uncomfortable humidity, high utility bills, or uneven room temperatures our energy auditor can find the root cause and outline a solution.
• Remodeling? Have an energy audit performed so you can utilize your renovation dollars wisely and make comfort and efficiency improvements at the same time.
• Need to replace your furnace or central air conditioner? An energy auditor can recommend the best high efficiency HVAC system for your unique home. Manual J/D/S calculations also available.
• Want to lower your impact on the environment? Start with an energy audit to see your current energy use, set improvement goals and see your projected energy savings.
• Considering solar? We can calculate the energy savings and ROI of adding solar panels.

Purchasing a New Home?
Ideally, our Energy Auditors recommend an energy audit before you purchase a new home. This is based, unfortunately, upon the troubling situations they see at homes on a daily basis. While a home inspector confirms the appliances and the HVAC systems are in working order, an energy auditor will ensure the components are set up PROPERLY, are operating CORRECTLY for your specific mechanicals, and set them for optimum EFFICIENCY.  Improvement recommendations, especially if they are health-related, such as an over or under-sized HVAC system or a lack of ventilation, can then be addressed and negotiated. Avoid making a long-term mistake and get educated before you buy.

Selling a Home?
Let potential buyers know you've had a home energy audit. Show them your professional audit report and the subsequent upgrades you've made. You'll have the competitve advantage over other similar homes on the market and could sell at a higher price. An energy efficient home is a healthier, more comfortable home and a money-wise investment.

Why Choose Priority Energy?

Our specialists have solved problems other contractors have been unable to resolve. At Priority Energy, we utilize our years of building science knowledge to evaluate your home. We are dedicated to improving the health, performance and environmental impact of structures while also educating our clients.  All of our energy auditors are BPI and RESNET certified and have had years of training and field experience.  Your home's performance is dependent on the proper functioning of all of it's unique systems; from the building shell, to the heating and cooling system, to the ductwork. If there is a flaw in one component it will upset the health, comfort and durability of the entire structure.  We have helped thousands of home and building owners in the Chicago area optimize their home's performance for today's needs and beyond. Give us a call today!

Commercial energy audits also available. Click here.

What Does a Home Energy Audit Include?

The Comprehensive Energy Audit 

Priority Energy's energy auditor will begin by understanding your goals for the audit; ie. reduce utility costs and energy consumption, improve energy efficiency, increase year-round comfort, improve indoor air quality and home health, diagnose high humidity issues, solve recurring ice dam problems, reduce your carbon footprint, etc. 

We begin with a short interview so we can get to know you and your household (because no two homes are occupied and used in the exact same way.) A history of the home, such as renovations, HVAC equipment, roof, siding or insulation is very helpful to know as changes in these components can have a big impact on performance.  

The audit inspection will include:

1. A visual inspection of the home’s exterior envelope. We look for points of air leakage, moisture or water damage, drainage or gutter problems, and any signs or symptoms of a compromised "shell".  
2. A blower door test (to simulate worst case air leakage scenario) combined with an infrared analysis will show us air leakage points, insulation deficiencies, hot and cold spots and duct leaks. 
3. A room by room inspection during depressurization with the IR camera.
4. A comprehensive review of your HVAC equipment to include static pressure testing, fan flow rates, and temperature rise. We make sure your is properly set up for safety and efficiency. Ventilation is also evaluated for healthy indoor air quality.
5. A duct leakage test to evaluate the condition of the home's ductwork and to assess if there is heating or cooling loss due to leaks or breaks in the system. 
6. A combustion safety testing to check for health and safety of the indoor air quality.
7. A review of a year's heating and cooling use (see note about utility bill analysis).
8. A detailed final report of the home's energy efficiency performance which will include explanations of each item above.  Priority Energy's audits outline improvement recommendations based on a homeowner's goals; ie reducing energy costs or better comfort. The report will show projected energy savings and costs and explain the benefits associated with each item. Photos and infrared images are included for clarity and reference.

What can you tell from our Utility Bills?

It is surprising how much we can learn simply by applying some math to your utility use statements. By separating your utility bills into two categories and using some simple math, we can learn a lot about you and how your home uses energy.  The base load is your hot water, washer/dryer, refrigerator, etc. and the seasonal load is your heating and cooling.  We can even compare how efficiently your HVAC system is operating by comparing your seasonal usage to the seasonal usage of other homeowners in your area.

What is an Infrared Analysis?

Infrared imaging allows us to see air leaks that can't otherwise be seen. around doors and windows, like the dark spots shown in this IR photo. 
The IR cameras help us identify missing insulation throughout the home, any moisture issues, hot and/or cold spots (like faulty wiring), and overall construction details. 

Considering new windows?  Our energy auditors will also analyze your windows to understand the efficiency of their insulation and UV coatings.  This will help to determine the necessity and potential value associated with any window replacements.

What is a Blower Door Test?

The amount of air leakage in the home's building envelope or outer shell is determined by performing a blower door test.
A blower door is essentially a high powered fan that is put in an outer doorway to pull air OUT of the house.  This creates the “worst case” air infiltration condition which allows us to identify air leaks and measure the amount of air your home is letting in and letting out. From here, we can quantify the savings associated with bringing the home in line with nationally accepted air leakage standards. This is measured at a rate of ACH50, or cfm50 per hundred square feet of building envelope.  

What is a Duct Leakage Test?

Priority Energy also performs a detailed analysis of your home’s ductwork to determine if this important internal component is properly balanced and leak free. Air ducts play an important role in the overall comfort of each room in your home and have a major impact on the efficiency of your HVAC system. In addition, a heating and cooling system that is too large or too small can create indoor air quality problems, humidity issues and structural damage.

Why do you test the Mechanical System? And what is a Combustion Safety Test?

The only products of complete combustion are carbon dioxide and water.  If an appliance such as a furnace or water heater is running inefficiently, it will produce inordinate and sometimes dangerous amounts of carbon monoxide and oxygen.

The temperature of the exhaust gas tells us a lot about the efficiency of the HVAC system. If it is too hot, it is wasting energy; if it is too cold, it is probably producing acidic condensation in your vents and chimney, which can cause big problems.  

Priority Energy Auditors use the latest flue-gas analyzers to test the gas and temperature emissions of your combustion appliances.  In this way, we can determine if an equipment tune-up or complete replacement is needed, as well as the associated savings.

Balanced airflow coming in and out of your furnace is essential to achieving optimum furnace efficiency and durability. During the duct test mentioned above, we will check that your system is set up properly and that increased pressure is not being put on your vents.

The Improvement Analysis and Reporting

Comprehensive Energy Audits include a written, detailed report of test results, IR images and a summary of our findings. The report will identify comfort, health and energy efficiency improvements that will bring you the most benefits and their related costs.  It will also tell you where and how you can save the most money. Our customers tell us they use their audit report for years after their energy audit was performed. 

"You did an energy audit for us 10 years ago; can you help us get started on the next stage of the recommended improvements?" asked V.K., a client from Highland Park. Sure we can! Let's review your audit report!

Schedule your energy audit today! Comfort and health should be a year-round concern! 

Call Today 800-737-2299.