The entire team here at Building Science Academy are very busy preparing the workforce in Michigan to meet the charge to reduce energy and create jobs. There is substantial progress here in Michigan to assist the contracting industry to make the transition from building new homes to retrofitting our existing housing stock. There is a substantial difference in the process of making an existing home more energy efficient vs building a new home to be energy efficient. The first step in determining what needs to be done with a home is to perform an energy audit on the home. Many things can be learned from a audit, how much air infiltration does the home have, does it meet the BAS(building air flow standards) for the size of the home, what are the insulation levels of that home, what is the current condition of the mechanical systems of that home and is it cost effective to replace them, what are the health and safety issues with the home, when the home is put under worst case depressurization(exhaust fans running, cloths dryer on, furnace running) do these things cause a negative pressure in the home to be enough to back draft the combustion appliances(ie water heater) and pull carbon monoxide into the living space causing a dangerous condition. We must look at the entire home as a system and learn how that system works together to make the home energy efficient, comfortable and safe.
An energy audit is like a physical for the home to determine what surgery needs to be done.
Stay tuned for updates on HPwES program coming to Michigan.
Labels: Air Flow, Air Pressure, Energy Audit