Below, you can review a copy of an actual Example Report that Energywise completed on a home,  Only the owner's contact information was changed to protect their privacy.

Home

Performance Report

for

The Smith Residence

Table of Contents

General Description..................page 3

Walk-through Observations.................pages 3 - 4.

Blower Door Test Results........page 4

Recommendations........pages 4 - 6

Natural Gas Usage Current vs Retrofitted (Graphic) .page 7

No and Low-cost Energy Saving Measures...........pages 8 - 9

Glossary of Terms...........pages 10 - 13

Scope of Work.............page 14

General Gescription

The Smith home at 123 Juniper Court in Truckee was surveyed on May 21, 2007. It is a vacation rental property and has 1862 Square feet of living space. The original portion of the home is 1472 square feet that has 2 x 4 framed walls and the master bedroom and bath addition of 390 square feet has 2 x 6 framing in the walls.

The ceilings are varied in construction as well. The front (facing north) of the house has cathedral ceilings with 10 insulation cavities. The center of the house has a flat ceiling below an attic space. The master bedroom area is also cathedral ceiling with 10 insulation cavities.

The floors have 2 x 10 floor joists.

The home is sited on a lot that slopes from back to front (north) and sits atop a crawlspace that also slopes.

The gas furnace and hot water heater are located in this unconditioned crawlspace.

All windows are double-paned, aluminum framed units.

During the walk-through inspection the following observations were noted:

Attic / Ceilings The attic hatch was not weather stripped or insulated. The attic insulation was only R-19 fiberglass batt insulation and was installed haphazardly. There were gaps and voids. A 34% void in insulation cavities will effectively cut an insulating value in half! While access was impossible to cathedral areas, it is assumed that the insulation quantity and quality are similar. Although access to the cathedral ceiling would have to be cut, because of the manner of which the attic insulation was installed, and the amount installed, it is assumed that the insulation in the cathedral areas is also sub-par.

Crawlspace - The main floor is uninsulated and the stem wall, as in the attic, was poorly insulated. There are also big gaps and voids. The concrete was entirely uninsulated. This means that the furnace and water heater are exposed to nearly outdoor ambient temperatures as is the main floor of the house. The floor in the crawlspace is bare earth.

Windows Aluminum framed windows have an insulating value of about R-1.23. Windows in this house account for 18% of the natural gas usage. Heat radiated from occupants to cold uninsulated windows causes discomfort and is often mistaken as draftiness. The front of the house (facing north) is predominately glass with 144 square feet of window area. Total window area is 302 square feet, which is 14.5% of the total wall area.

Water Heater The water heater is a conventional, gas-fired, 42-gallon, tank type unit. It does have an insulating blanket on it. As mentioned above it is located in the unconditioned crawlspace. The efficiency of these type heaters is, at best, about 58%. The water is heated, then loses its heat as it is stored in the tank, both through jacket losses and as much as 40%, though the flue, as it is located in the middle of the tank and continues to draft, because it is heated by the water!

Furnace The furnace is a gas-fired, medium efficiency unit and, as the water heater, is located in the unconditioned crawlspace. The useful life of mechanical equipment is considered to be fifteen years. This is the period of time used to calculate its cost benefit analysis.

Heating Ductwork The ductwork is unsealed and its insulation is degrading. The take-off to the master bedroom is likely not engineered to accommodate the required flow. The system is also apparently unbalanced as it has no dampers to make certain that each room is getting the required amount of heated air.

A blower door test was performed to check for air leakage. This house tested at 4180 CFM/50, which is extremely leaky for a house of this size. The most notable leakage areas were the walls at electrical outlets and switch plates and the heating ductwork. This is likely due to electrical and plumbing penetrations in the wall framing to unconditioned areas. Fiberglass insulation is a very poor air barrier and allows cold air from these penetrations to filter into the house and warm air to escape. The walls, being warm, actually function as chimneys to facilitate leakage. Leakage was also found at plumbing penetrations under sinks, around structural beams and at can lights in the ceiling.

Data (taken-off of plans, from pictures and collected on-site) was entered into computer modeling software and the energy performance was calculated. The first run was setup to simulate current as is conditions. The second run reflects the changes recommended in this report. Those results are reflected, graphically, below. The contrast in energy usage is startling when you compare the results. One important aspect to know here, however, is that these are interactive effects. All of these performance numbers are based on having all of the retrofits completed.

The following are recommendations for improving the

energy performance of this home:

Walls Install high density blown-in cellulose insulation. This will effectively stop air leakage through any penetrations into the wall cavity and render a true R-13 insulation value to the wall insulating system. This can be installed even with fiberglass batts in place and will merely compress the batts. It is installed at a density of 3 to 4 pounds per cubic foot and will not settle. Go to http://www.applegateinsulation.com to read about Applegate cellulose insulation.

Attic / Ceilings Insulate the attic hatch with rigid insulation and weather strip. Insulate the attic floor with R-44 (1 foot) of blown-in cellulose insulation. Insulate cathedral ceilings with R-35 (10 inches) blown-in cellulose insulation.

Windows - Install Window Quilt insulating window shades. These add an R-5.5 insulating value to the windows, stop radiant heat loss to bare glass and improve comfort considerably. These shades can be seen at their website at http://www.1windowquilts.com/index.html . While figures in the calculations are gross estimates, during cold winter nights, these shades will save a considerable amount of heat and increase the comfort factor considerably.

Water Heater Install an on-demand hot water heater. With these heaters, the water is heated when you need it, so it wont sit, losing energy when the house is unoccupied. Your water will be hot immediately. The efficiency is about 80%. Go to http://www.noritz.com/products.html to read about Noritz on demand water heaters.

Heating Ductwork The ductwork sizing for optimum performance would be calculated using manual-D duct sizing software. Sizing the ductwork properly and installing dampers would assure proper delivery of heated air to the master bedroom and the remainder of the house as well. Also, stripping the insulation off, air sealing the ducts with high quality mastic, then reinsulating is recommended for optimal performance. This retrofit is obviously the biggest bang for your buck, so-to-speak. You can imagine, however, if you are blowing (this heated air is pressurized, of course, by the furnace blower) heated air into, in affect, an uninsulated, unheated space; you will be wasting a tremendous amount of energy. This furnace is literally trying to heat the outdoors. This unbalanced system is not effectively delivering the conditioned air to where it is most needed. It is the most likely reason there are comfort issues in the master bedroom.

Crawlspace Install R-35 (10 inches) of blown-in cellulose insulation, behind spun polypropylene netting in the main floor. Install R-10 (1 inch) rigid insulation on the concrete portion of the stem walls. Install R-13 (3-1/2 inches) of blown-in cellulose insulation in the framed wall cavities of the stem walls. Install a vapor barrier in the floor of the crawlspace over the bare earth. This retrofit will help to reduce the chances of moisture problems in the crawlspace.

Furnace Installing a new high efficiency, condensing furnace would increase the efficiency of the heating system to 96%. This is likely 20% or more efficient than the furnace now in place.

Ventilation System While we are proposing to seal the house tightly, we want to assure that there is plenty of fresh, healthy air for occupant to breathe. In high performance houses, heat recovery ventilation (HRV) is recommended. These are sized to provide, per American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air-conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) 0.35 air changes per hour. It would provide one complete air change in the house every three hours and recover about 70% of the heat. This unit would operate only when occupants are present. It would be a little oversized to provide a method of clearing the air in the house should greater ventilation rates be needed; burned food, excess moisture, parties, etc. To view information about these systems, go to http://www.lifebreath.com/life.htm , then to information and then productsand click on the picture of the Lifebreath heat recovery ventilator. The ventilator would be installed in the crawlspace and ducted into the existing heat distribution ductwork.

Disclaimer: The figures used in this report for energy usage are simply estimates. Energywise does not guarantee the accuracy of any of the figures used to portray the energy usage or any projected energy savings. These figures are intended to assist the client in making informed energy upgrading decisions and the relative distribution of energy used. The findings and recommendations do, however, represent solid building science principles and best practices. Ron Clark has approximately 25-years experience in the energy efficiency field and can produce references that reflect the efficacy of his recommendations.

No and Low Cost Energy Saving Measures

No Cost Tips

These simple steps don't cost a thing, but can potentially save you 10-25% on your monthly energy bill.

• Turn off lights and appliances when not in use. Don't forget your computer - it can use as much energy as a refrigerator. Most new computers have "sleep" settings.
• In the cold months, set the thermostat to 68 degrees when home, and then back to 58 degrees when sleeping or when you're not home more than four hours.
• In the winter, open window coverings on the sunny side of your home to take advantage of "free heat from the sun." Close the coverings on cloudy days or right after the sun sets.
• In warm months, set the thermostat to 78-80 degrees when home and 5 to 10 degrees warmer at night or when you're not home.
• In the cooling season, close blinds and drapes during the day to keep heat out.
• Also, use your dishwasher, clothes washer and dryer, and cook as late in the evening as possible.
• Barbecue outside if practical, keeping in mind the heat and effect of sun on your body. By reducing the heat coming into your home from any source, will reduce the load on your air conditioning.
• Use pool trippers to reduce the time your swimming pool pump runs on--eight to twelve hours a day is plenty.
• Set your water heater to 120 degrees.
• Vacuum your refrigerator coils (underneath and in the back) and don't obstruct the coils. They need air space to work.
• Keep the seals (gaskets) on refrigerators and freezers clean.
• Keep your freezer as full as possible. You can place containers or plastic bottles filled with water in the empty spaces.
• Make sure food is cool and covered before it goes into the refrigerator.
• Run full loads in your washer and dryer, and use "solar drying" (clotheslines).
• Use energy saver option on your dishwasher, allowing dishes to air dry.
• If your A/C unit is on the ground, keep the area around it clean and free of obstructions to maintain air flow.
• Unplug your televisions/VCR when you're on vacation. Most new sets draw power even when they're turned off.
• Keep lights and lighting fixtures clean, especially if you're reducing the number of lights you use. Dirt absorbs light. Let lights cool before cleaning them and never touch halogen bulbs with your bare hands. The oil from your skin can greatly damage the bulbs. Use a small piece of paper to hold the bulb.
• If your dishwasher has a filter, clean it.
• Clean the reflectors underneath the burners on stovetops.

Low Cost Tips

There are plenty of low cost, easy to do projects or steps you can do to save another 10-25% on your energy bill.

• Use compact fluorescent bulbs instead of incandescent ones. This will typically save $1 per bulb changed out (for bulbs running 4-6 hours per day) and reduce heat in your home. Regular bulbs use most of the electricity to generate heat so use care when changing bulbs.
• Clean furnace system and check ducts for leaks.
• Caulk windows and caulk and weather-strip doors. Keep the outside air out and the inside air in.
• Install a hot water heater blanket but be careful not to cover vents or temperature settings.
• Install hot water pipe insulation. Do keep the insulation at least six inches away from the flue (exhaust pipe) of gas water heaters.
• Install electrical outlet and switch plate insulation
• Plant trees and shrubs on the south and west side of your residence. The vegetation acts as insulation and provides shading, reducing thermal gain in a building.
• Fix leaky faucets. Install low-flow showerheads.
• Use room fans to keep the air moving and reduce the feeling of heat in your home.
• Replace furnace and air conditioner filters. Spray the filters with a light coating of lemon furniture polish or vegetable oil cooking spray to help trap dirt in the filter.
• Check the seals on your refrigerator and freezer.
• Replace normal thermostats with programmable thermostats.
• Consider buying a cover for your pool to retain heat in the water.

Glossary of Terms

Air barrier - Any part of the building shell that offers resistance to air leakage. The air barrier is effective if it stops most air leakage. The primary air barrier is the most effective of a series of air barriers.

ACH - Air changes per hour

Air changes at 50 Pascals (ACH_5o) - The number of times that the complete volume of a home is exchanged for outside air when a blower door depressurizes the home to 50 Pascals.

Air handler - A steel cabinet containing a blower with cooling and/or heating coils connected to ducts, which transports indoor air to and from the air handler.

Annual fuel utilization efficiency - A laboratory-derived efficiency for heating appliances which accounts for chimney losses, jacket losses, and cycling losses, but not distribution losses or fan/pump energy.

ASHRAE - American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers

Batt - A narrow blanket of fiberglass insulation, generally 14.5" or 22.5" wide.

Blower door - A device that consists of a fan, a removable panel, and gauges used to measure and locate air leaks.

British thermal unit (Btu) - The quantity of heat required to raise the temperature of one pound of water one degree Fahrenheit.

Btuh - British thermal units per hour.

Building cavities - The spaces inside walls, floors, and ceilings between the interior and exterior sheeting.

Building science - Branch of science dealing with construction, maintenance, safety, and energy efficiency of buildings.

CFM / 50- The number of cubic feet per minute of air flowing through the fan housing of a blower door when a house is depressurized to -50 Pascals (0.2 inches of water). This figure is the most common and accurate way of comparing the air tightness of buildings that are tested using a blower door. .

Combustion air - Air that chemically combines with a fuel during combustion to produce heat and flue gases, mainly carbon dioxide and water vapor.

Condensing Furnace - A furnace with efficiency so high that the combustion gases condense, forming a corrosive liquid.

Cellulose Insulation - Insulation made from recycled newsprint treated with a fire retardant that is typically blown in place.

Conditioned - Intentionally heated or cooled areas of a building are conditioned.

Conditioned Air - Air that has been tempered by heating or cooling.

Conductance - The property of a material to conduct some energy form like heat or electricity.

Conduction - Heat flow from molecule to molecule in a solid substance.

Convection - The transfer of heat caused by the movement of a fluid like water or air. When a fluid becomes warmer it becomes lighter and rises.

Cost-effective - Having an acceptable payback, return-on-investment, or savings-to-investment ratio.

Cubic foot per minute (cfm) - A measurement of air movement past a certain point or through a certain structure.

Demand - The peak need for electrical energy. Some utilities levy a monthly charge for demand.

Depressurize - Cause to have a lower pressure or vacuum with respect to a reference of a higher pressure.

Distribution system - A system of pipes or ducts used to distribute energy.

DOE - The United States Department of Energy.

Draft - The force created by warm air rising which causes combustion gases to vent.

Effective Leakage Area (ELA) - The sum total surface area of all the leaks in a building.

Efficiency - The ratio of output divided by input.

Efficacy - The number of lumens produced by a watt used for lighting a lamp. Used to describe lighting efficiency.

Energy - A quantity of heat or work.

Energy Conservation Measure (ECM) - An upgrade to a building, which shows an energy saving benefit.

Energy consumption - The conversion or transformation of potential energy into kinetic energy for heat, light, electricity, etc.

Energy efficiency - Term describing how efficiently a building component uses energy.

Energy efficiency ratio (EER) - A measurement of energy efficiency for room air conditioners. The EER is computed by dividing cooling capacity, measured in British Thermal Units per hour (Btuh), by the watts of power. (See also Seasonal Energy Efficiency Rating-SEER.)

Energy Star - A partnership program between the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy aimed at creating at saving energy and reducing air pollution.

Exfiltration - Air flowing out of a building through the shell (walls, ceiling, windows, etc.)

Fiberglass - A fibrous material made by spinning molten glass.

Flue - a channel for combustion gases.

Foamboard - Plastic foam insulation manufactured most commonly in 4'x8' sheets in thicknesses of to 3".

Heat Exchanger - A mechanical device, which transfers the heat from one fluid to another via conduction.

Heat loss - The amount of heat escaping through the building shell during some period of time like a month or a year.

Heat rise - The number of degrees of temperature increase that air is heated as it is blown over the heat exchanger. Heat rise equals supply temperature minus return temperature.

Heat transmission - Heat flow through the walls, floor, and ceiling of a building. Does not include air leakage.

Heat transfer coefficient - See U-value.

Heating degree day - Each degree that the average daily temperature is below the base temperature (usually 65F) for 24 hours, constitutes one heating degree day.

Heating load - The maximum rate of heat conversion needed by a building during the very coldest weather.

House pressure - The difference in pressure between the indoors and outdoors measured by a manometer.

Ice Damming - Formation of ice at the edge of a roof that can cause damage to shingles and cause roofs to leak.

Inches of Water (Wg) - A unit of measurement of pressure.

Indoor Air Quality - A term referring to the how healthy the air is in a building.

Infiltration - The inflow of outdoor air into the indoors, which is accompanied by an equal outflow of air from indoors to the outdoors. .

Insulation - Material with relatively high thermal resistance.

Internal gains - The heat generated by bathing, cooking, and operating appliances, that must be removed during the summer to promote comfort.

Joist - A horizontal wood framing member that supports a floor or ceiling.

Kilowatt - A unit of electric power equal to 1000 joules per second or 3412 Btus per hour.

Kilowatt-hour - A unit of electric energy equal to 3600 kilojoules or 3412 Btus used in one hour.

Minimum Ventilation Guidelines (MVG) - A guideline set for minimum air tightness of a home.

Natural ventilation - Ventilation using only natural air movement, without fans or other mechanical devices.

On Demand Water Heater - A water heater, which produces hot water only when a demand is call for. Also known as an instantaneous water heater.

PPM - Parts per million

Pascal - A unit of measurement of pressure equal to 0.2 inches of water.

Payback period - The number of years that an investment in energy conservation will take to repay its cost in energy savings.

Plenum - The piece of ductwork that connects the air handler to the main supply duct.

Plywood - Laminated wood sheeting with layers cross-grained to each other.

Polyisocyanurate - Plastic foam insulation sold in sheets, similar in composition to polyurethane. The Insulation factor for this material is R-7.2 / inch when new.

Polystyrene insulation - Rigid plastic foam insulation, usually white or blue in color. The insulating value for this material is R-5 / inch.

Pressure - A force encouraging movement of a fluid (such as air or water) by virtue of a difference in some condition between two areas.

R-value - A measurement of thermal resistance.

Radiant barrier - A foil sheet or coating designed to reflect heat rays. Radiant barriers are not insulating materials.

Radiant temperature - The average temperature of objects in a home like walls, ceiling, floor, furniture, and other objects.

Radiation - Heat energy, which originates on a hot body like the sun, and travels from place to place through the air.

Retrofit - An energy conservation measure that is applied to an existing building. Also means the action of improving the thermal performance or maintenance of a building.

Return air - Air circulating back to the furnace from the house, to be heated by the furnace and supplied to the rooms.

Rim joist - The outermost joist around the perimeter of the floor framing.

Space heating - Heating the living spaces of the home with a room heater or central heating system. Span - Horizontal distance between supports.

Stack effect - The draft established in a building from air infiltrating low and exfiltrating high.

Standby losses - Losses from a hot water storage tank through its shell.

Stud - A vertical framing member used to build a wall.

Sub floor - The sheathing over the floor joists and under the flooring.

Sublime - Change from a solid to a gas.

Supply air - Air that has been heated or cooled and is then moved through the ducts and out the supply registers of a home.

Thermal Bypass - An area in a building shell where heat "bypasses" the insulation system either through a gap in the insulation system or an air leak.

Truss - A lightweight, rigid framework designed to be stronger than a solid beam of the same weight.

U-value - The amount of heat that will flow through a square foot of building cross-section with multiple slabs of materials when there is a temperature difference (delta T) of 1F.

Unconditioned space - An area within the building envelope that is not intentionally heated.

Vapor diffusion retarder - A vapor barrier.

Ventilation - The movement of air through an area for the purpose of removing moisture, air pollution, or unwanted heat.

Venting - The removal of combustion gases by a chimney.

Watt - A unit electrical power equivalent to one joule per second or 3.4 Btuh.

Watt-hour - A unit of electrical energy equivalent to 3600 joules or 3.4 Btus used per hour.

Weatherization - The process of reducing energy consumption and increasing comfort in buildings by improving energy efficiency of the building.

Weatherstripping - Flexible gaskets, often mounted in rigid metal strips, for limiting air leakage.

Scope of Work

Install High Density Blown-In Cellulose Insulation in the Side Walls.$3068

Insulate the Attic Hatch with Rigid Insulation and Weather Strip$65

Insulate the Attic Floor with R-44 (1 Foot) Of Blown-In Cellulose Insulation.$1862

Insulate Cathedral Ceilings with R-35 (10 Inches) Blown-In Cellulose

Insulation..to be determined

Install Window Quilt Insulating Window Shadesto be determined

Install an On-Demand Hot Water Heater (by other)..$2100

Calculate Duct Sizing Using Manual-D Software$200

Air Seal the Heating Ducts with High Quality Mastic and Reinsulate.$250

Install R-35 (10 Inches) Of Blown-In Cellulose Insulation, Behind Spun

Polypropylene Netting in the Main Floor$3258

Install R-10 (1 Inch) Rigid Insulation on the Concrete Portion of the

Stem Wall. $200

Install R-13 (3-1/2 Inches) of Biofoam Insulation in the Framed Wall Cavities of the Stem Walls.....$600

Install a Vapor Barrier in the Floor of the Crawlspace over the

Bare Earth..$500

Install a High Efficiency (96% EFF), Condensing Furnace

(by other)......to be determined*

Install a Heat Recovery Ventilation (HRV) System$3000

*NOTE: A Heating contractor must be contacted to determine a cost for installing anewfurnace.