To make their homes more energy efficient, many homeowners are looking for the best options to invest in. What are the most effective changes they can make? Do they need to get new windows for their house? Buy appliances that have the Energy Star label? Upgrade their heating and cooling system?
The location of a home plays a key role in choosing which green upgrades will give the best return on investment. But opinions vary. For instance, according to NAR’s 2023 REALTORS® and Sustainability Report, 36% of REALTORS® think solar panels make a property more valuable, while 30% think they don’t affect the value at all. So, how do homeowners decide what changes to make?
It all Starts with the Inspection
You can learn a lot about the efficiency level of your home from your home inspection. How old and well-maintained the windows and HVAC system are can indicate how efficient the home will be. Replacing the windows and HVAC system with more efficient ones might be some of the first changes a buyer might think about making.
Blower Door Testing
A blower door test measures how much air leaks through a building’s enclosure. During this test, a calibrated fan is fitted in a door or window that is otherwise sealed, while all the other openings to the outside are shut. When the fan is turned on, it creates a pressure difference between the inside and the outside. Usually done under negative pressure, the fan pulls the air out of the home, making it come in through any pathways it can find — many of which are not intentional. Ecohome.net suggests having a ‘find the hole and tape it’ party with your friends:
The person you hire to perform a blower door test won’t want to stick around all day without charging you handsomely for their company; that is why it’s great to have many people looking for and taping-up leaks (Ecohome.net ).
Duct Leakage Testing
The Blower Door Test can give an indirect measure of duct leaks, but there is another test specifically for ducts using a system called a Duct Blaster. The Duct Blaster is attached to the return grill or air handler. All of the registers and/or supply grills are sealed to create a closed loop in the system. The fan is turned on to 25 Pascals to equalize the pressure in the duct system. Once the duct system is pressurized, it shows any air leakage around the plenum area, the joints, and the flexes. Any duct leakage means heating and cooling energy loss.
Testing methods can be designed to measure only duct leaks that are connected to the outside, or to measure total duct leakage (i.e. leaks connected to both the outside and inside of the house). Duct leakage measurements help to identify and show leakage problems, estimate efficiency losses from duct leakage, and certify the quality of duct system installation.
Bottom Line
Homeowners and potential sellers can take several routes to energy savings, depending on how much they want to spend on testing and/or repairs. The best action plan for an individual home or owner will be as unique as they are. Basic home inspections are most often performed while during the option period, after the home has gone under contract, but this is not a requirement! Any homeowner can have an inspection done at any time—and the same goes for blower door or duct blaster tests. Visit our vendor page to find trusted inspectors and engineers for all of your energy saving needs.