ENERGY AUDITS

A home energy audit, or energy assessment, can help you understand the whole picture of your home's energy use. How much energy does your home use, where it could be more heat efficient, and which areas you should prioritise to improve the comfort of your home to save energy and your hard-earned money?

You will have questions like...How do I reduce energy costs in my home? What are the benefits of an energy assessment? How do you increase my home heating efficiency? What do you guys do when assessing my home for energy-efficient improvements and reducing my heating bills?

WHOLE HOUSE

A home energy assessment takes a 'whole house' approach, considering the fabric of the building first, in any decision to add renewable energy systems.

Every building has its own quirks with older traditional construction techniques requiring a different action plan than a more modern structure. There will be some loss of heat energy through the floors, walls, roof, windows and via drafts and gaps in the envelope. It is the job of the assessor to identify where and by how much each element contributes to any inefficiencies and devise a targeted strategy to address the challenges reduce heat loss and lower your heating bills.

We have many tools at our disposal to analyse the thermal efficiency of a home. We can advise the right combination for you to start the journey.

THERMAL IMAGING

By capturing infrared radiation, thermal cameras produce detailed images that reveal temperature variations within a space.

In homes, this technology enables homeowners to pinpoint areas of heat loss or gain, identify insulation deficiencies, detect water leaks, and assess the performance of heating and ventilation systems.

The technology helps us make informed decisions about energy efficiency upgrades, leading to reduced utility bills and a smaller carbon footprint.

BOROSCOPE INSPECTION

Boroscope technology can allow us to see into hard-to-reach areas such as wall cavities, attics or floors.

We can learn a lot about wall construction, the amount and quality of existing insulation and identify problems that contribute to heat loss or infiltration of cold air.

With real-time imaging capabilities of boroscopes, we can pinpoint specific areas requiring attention and prioritize energy-saving upgrades accordingly. By addressing these issues, households can enhance comfort levels, reduce energy waste, and lower their carbon footprint while potentially qualifying for energy incentives or rebates.

HUMIDITY AND TEMPERATURE TRACKING

I know what you are thinking. We live in this house, and comfort changes depending on who is in, the time of day, whether the heating is on, the weather outside... the list goes on.

As part of an energy assessment, we will leave you with a pack of humidity and temperature meters that we will place around your home (with one outside) to give a picture of the fluctuations over a given period. A week is usually a good sample size, and this is where you have some homework.

Over the course of the week, you will note the meter readings for temperature and humidity across each of the meters and make a note of when the heating is on, who is in and any notes or observations

We can integrate all that information into the other aspects of the report to give a much more tailored and accurate assessment of how the property interacts as a place you live.

BLOWER DOOR TESTING

The blower door uses a powerful fan, mounted to an exterior door frame and creates a pressure difference between the inside and outside of the house. By measuring airflow, pressure differentials, and air leakage rates, we can accurately quantify the extent of infiltration and exfiltration of air through gaps, cracks, and openings in the building envelope.

This process helps identify areas where insulation, sealing, or weatherstripping may be deficient, leading to energy waste and compromised indoor air quality.

Integrating blower door testing into the home assessment provides valuable insights into the building's overall energy performance over time, as the improvements take place. By knowing the initial performance and creating a progress report each time the test is completed we learn how effective each stage is and where further improvements could yield results.

R AND U VALUE CALCULATIONS

In-home assessments, the R-value and U-value can be crucial metrics in evaluating the thermal performance and energy efficiency of building materials, insulation, and windows.

The R-value represents the resistance of a material to heat flow. A higher R-value indicates greater resistance to heat transfer, meaning better insulation properties. It is commonly used to assess the effectiveness of insulation materials. For example, insulation with a higher R-value per inch provides better thermal resistance, reducing heat loss in winter and heat gain in summer.

On the other hand, the U-value (also known as the thermal transmittance) represents the rate of heat transfer through a material or assembly. It is the reciprocal of the R-value and measures how well a material conducts heat. A lower U-value indicates better insulating properties, as it signifies less heat transfer through the material or assembly. U-values are frequently used to evaluate windows, doors, and other building components. High-quality windows and doors typically have lower U-values, minimizing heat loss or gain and improving overall energy efficiency.

In-home assessments, and understanding the R-value and U-value of various building elements help homeowners and inspectors make informed decisions about insulation upgrades, window replacements, and other energy-saving measures to optimize comfort and reduce energy consumption.

A home energy audit with the Sustainable Haus is tailored to your property. We recognise each energy assessment technique has its applications and a comprehensive evaluation of a residence can be achieved with a bespoke mix of the tools we have available.

You will always get a knowledgeable assessor to offer the most cost-effective choices for you.