Whether you’re cutting down on dinners out or clipping coupons like it’s your job, we’re all looking for ways to save money in our daily lives. But did you know that one of the most lasting, impactful changes you can make is to audit your home energy use?
A lot of that energy goes to heating and cooling. Whether you’re blasting the heat during the winter or cranking up the air conditioning during the summer, a significant amount of your utility bills go to keeping your home and your family comfortable. But what happens in a home that’s filled with drafts and leaks? You could literally be tossing that money out the window! A blower door test will help identify and fix drafts in your home, so you can spend less money on comfort, and more time in a happy, healthy home! Here's how a blower door test serves as a critical step in energy-efficient home management.
What is a Blower Door Test?
Blower door test is a diagnostic tool that depressurizes your home, revealing the secret escape routes of your conditioned air. During the test, a blower door is inserted into an exterior door frame in your home. A blower door is a powerful fan that, once installed, begins to pull air out of your house through the exterior door. This lowers the air pressure inside the house, causing air from outside to flow into the home through any leaks, cracks, or gaps in your walls, door frames, windows, and more.
While the home is depressurized, an energy professional takes the opportunity to identify these air leaks. They may use tools such as infrared cameras or smoke pencils to identify where the air is getting in.
Once the test is complete and any leaks are identified and documented, the blower door can be removed — but it doesn’t end there! Now that leaks have been identified, your energy professional can use that information to seal those leaks and stop air infiltration in your home.
Significance of a Blower Door Test
The trouble with air leaks is that they’re largely invisible. A blower door test gives us a way to identify leaks that might otherwise go unnoticed. Once the test is complete, air leaks can be sealed. That means that all that air you’re spending your hard earned money to keep at the ideal temperature stays where it belongs — inside your home! Sealing these leaks post-test can lead to significant savings on your energy bills. It's an investment in your home that pays back with each utility bill. When that happens, you’ll spend less energy keeping your home comfortable, which means less money on heating and cooling costs (and more in your pocket!).
Continuing the Energy Efficiency Conversation
A blower door test is a great starting point. It can help identify and address leaks quickly to help keep your home more comfortable and efficient. But there’s more you can do to optimize your home. An energy professional can help you perform a home energy audit to identify more areas of concern and help you fix them in the most efficient way possible.
When you go solar with PosiGen, we provide an energy audit to help you address your home’s energy needs and reduce your monthly energy bills.Are you ready for a more energy-efficient home? Reach out to PosiGen to learn more about transforming your home energy usage.
