Air sealing program saves money and energy

With energy costs rising, air leaks in a home can be costly. A house is also more comfortable in every season when air is not leaking out.

To help lower-income homeowners save money and energy and enjoy a more comfortable home, Home Repair Services offers a program that locates and seals air leaks.

This air sealing program is an offshoot of an energy conservation class that began four years ago. Originally hosted by Home Repair Services and administered by the Area Community Services Employment and Training Council (ACSET), the class used to be required as part of a utility assistance program.
 
Resource Development Manager at Home Repair Services, Stan Greene, says that many people think air leaks mostly occur around windows, but they are often related to structural aspects of the house. He recommends that before people install new windows or installation, they get an energy audit of their home.

The air sealing program uses tools such as a blower door and an infrared camera to quantify heat and air loss.
 
A blower door is basically a frame with a nylon panel that fits over a door of the house. With all of the other exterior doors of the house closed and the interior doors open, a large industrial-size fan is then used to suck the air out and depressurize the home.

Once this is done, trained energy auditors can walk through the home and easily detect where air is coming in. Places such attics, basements, floor joists and bathroom fans are common places for air leaks, and spray foam, Styrofoam and plywood are used to fill the holes when found.

Greene says that finding and fixing the air leaks is “typically cramped and dirty work.”

The Home Repair staff often has to climb in someone’s attic to remove the current installation, fill any holes with spray foam and then reinstall the installation. Or, they may have to climb around in old basements and crawl spaces to find the air leaks.

While Home Repair Services performs the initial energy audit free of charge, homeowners have to pay for any work completed to fill the air leaks. Financially qualifying families typically pay a co-pay of roughly 10 percent of the total cost charged, with most projects costing an average of nearly $1,100.

Since the air sealing is permanent, customers will continue to see energy savings for many years to come.

“We can do a post test to determine how much savings that family will realize,” adds Greene.

This post energy audit is usually performed 90 days after the initial work is completed to check energy efficiency. From July 2011 to June 2012, 81 participating households surveyed a year later saved an average of 8 percent on their energy bills.

Home Repair Services recently formed a partnership with DTE where they will pay almost a third of the customer’s air sealing costs. The organization is currently seeking companies willing to match DTE’s 30 percent reimbursement to be able to help even more families.

Winter is coming soon, and with it, cold, drafty air. If you’d like to help Home Repair Services save its customers money and energy and stay warmer this winter, here are some ways to get involved.

-    Visit Home Repair Services online to learn more about its air sealing program.
-    Volunteer with the organization.
-    Donate.
-    Like Home Repair Services on Facebook.

Source: Stan Greene, Resource Development Manager at Home Repair Services
Writer: Heidi Stukkie, Do Good Editor

Images provided by Home Repair Services.