Thank you!

Thanks,

John

Thank you for your response!

Actually, the guy from Duke energy told me much of what you said here. They do offer more in depth analysis and services if you like.

He actually gave me some really wonderful tips and let me know that the efficiency I would receive would depend upon the amount and quality of work I was interested in.

I love the weatherstripping for so many things (like my son’s dorm room hall door!) but I certainly understand the limitations it offers.

I have never heard of battic door or the chimney balloon but I’m checking into those now, for sure! I am ready to buy another glass chimney screen before winter but I maybe getting the chimney balloon instead!

I would love to have you do a guest post to help people winterize now before the cold hits! Would you be interested?

While I appreciate your enthusiasm for the “energy audit” performed by Duke Energy, I must say that what they are offering is not a true energy audit; it is known as an energy survey or walk through energy analysis. Furthermore, it is not done by an individual certified by either the Building Performance Institute (BPI) or Residential Services Network (RESNET).

What you received from Duke Energy could have been completed in a couple hours online by yourself with a checklist provided on their website. In other words, their approach to saving you money on your energy costs derives from well-known strategies found all over the internet, and in some sense is pretty remedial and cookie-cutter. I am sure that they were able to point out some valuable things to you though that will save you some money….just don’t expect more than 5-10% at the most.

A true energy audit is a diagnostic test on the home to analyze anything from the leakage in your duct system (duct blaster), overall leakage in your home (blower door test), infrared analysis to pinpoint exactly where the leaks are occurring, CAZ testing to determine how efficient your gas appliances are running, and an air balancing test to determine why you might have certain rooms that stay colder or warmer than others. In more accurate terms, this type of analysis takes the guesswork out of everything going on in your home. A survey only tells you what is occurring at the surface, which is sort of like reading the preface of a book…and then closing it. It will not tell you necessarily why it is occurring.

My company, located here in the Greensboro area, performs not only the survey for free but also the diagnostics behind the survey (for charge). My purpose is not to market my business in your blog here, but to create some actual awareness of what services are available out there that the general public is not quite up on as of yet. When dealing with energy issues in the home, it is very important to use a properly certified auditor, if not only for the knowledge base, but also due to a number of safety issues.

Back to my point about the “cookie cutter” approach the Duke performs: Every home is different, and knowing that, lends you to the concept that not every solution (or product) is right for every home. That is where the value of the diagnostic audit comes in….as I said before, it takes the guesswork out of everything. Most importantly, it provides you with a prioritization schedule of projects that need to be completed in the your home….based strictly upon rate of return on your investment. This way you are able to put a game plan together to knock out any issues you might have on your own time and budget. This priority list also is designed to give you the projects that are going to give you the quickest payback…we normally are aiming for those projects that give you a payback inside of 3 years.

Once again, the purpose of my post is not to rain on your parade, because I can tell you are somewhat excited over what you received. But, as a building science professional myself, I find a number of misconceptions in the general public that need to be revealed.

A couple of pointers that might help you:
1. Throw the weatherstripping that the Duke Energy guy gave you; if you want to properly and effectively block air leakage and radiation through your attic hatch, go to http://www.batticdoor.com. Here you will find a product we use religiously. It not only blocks the air leakage around the perimeter of the hatch, but more importantly, blocks all radiant heat transfer through the door itself.
2. Do not waste your money on buying a glass insert for your fireplace!!! Go to http://www.chimneyballoon.com and buy one of those….much cheaper and much, much more effective. What it does is block off the air that escapes through the flue….a glass insert will not accomplish this.

Good luck with the new things you have learned through your survey, and please let me know if I can be of anymore help to you or your readers in the future.

Best Regards,

John

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