Many people underestimate the impact that air leakage can have on their homes’ energy efficiency. By addressing the following two areas, you can create a more energy-efficient home and potentially reduce your energy costs. 
1. Duct leakage While investing in a high-efficiency HVAC system is smart, it’s important to recognize that your duct system plays a crucial role in your home’s overall efficiency. In fact, it’s common for homes in California to have ductwork leaks of up to 30%, resulting in only 70% of the conditioned air actually making it into the living spaces. If this is true of your home, it means you’re spending more money on heating and cooling than necessary, so your best course of action is to have a professional assess your ductwork and perform any necessary repairs or sealing. 
2. Envelope leakage Envelope leakage refers to areas in the home where air can leak in or out, such as windows, doors, electrical sockets, plumbing cutouts and light fixtures. When combined with a leaky duct system, these envelope leaks can significantly impact your energy bills. To identify areas that require attention, consider conducting a blower door test. This test measures the amount of air leakage in your home and identifies specific locations that need to be sealed or repaired.

Two Undervalued Aspects of Home Energy Efficiency

Learn about two often-overlooked elements of home energy efficiency that can save you money and improve comfort in your living space.

Two Undervalued Aspects of Home Energy Efficiency by Marty Kerr

By Marty Kerr, Diamond Certified Expert Contributor

Video: The Basics of an Energy Audit


a lot of homeowners come to us and want
to know when do we need to have an
energy audit done what's the right time
to actually do this work well an energy
audit will help you identify more than
just the standard inefficiencies in your
home it helps you uncover a lot of the
other underlying issues as to how a home
was constructed and some other minor
things that you can do that at the end
of the day don't cost a lot to make the
upgrades but it's going to save you a
very large amount on your energy bill
this is what an energy audit is it's
someone walking in your door finding
solutions to your energy issues making
recommendations and really helping you
as a homeowner fine-tune the upgrades
that you're going to make to your home
so contact your local energy advisor
today and they can help you out
thank you

Video: Two Undervalued Aspects of Home Energy Efficiency


a lot of homeowners don't realize that
leakage within a home is a huge factor
of inefficiency people look at a high
efficient heating and air conditioning
system and think okay great I've got a
very efficient heating and cooling
system in my home this is going to save
me energy what they don't realize is one
of the biggest components to that
heating and cooling system is actually
the duct system and how efficiently your
duct work actually operates oftentimes
homes in California their ductwork will
leak upwards of 30 percent which means
only 70 percent of the conditioned air
is actually making it into your home
what does this mean for you as a
homeowner you're spending more money to
heat and cool your home than you
typically would if you had a well-sealed
system so one of the biggest factors to
making that system more energy efficient
is to seal your duct work and make that
heating and cooling system more
efficient if only 70 percent of your
conditioned air is actually making it
into your home what happens to that air
once it's inside well that that's where
we deal with the envelope leakage of a
home leaky windows leaky doors
electrical sockets Plumbing cutouts
light fixtures there are numerous areas
that air can leak in or out of the home
a blower door test can determine what
the leakage is within a home and
actually identify areas to rectify so
instead of having a leaky duct system as
well as a leaky home both of them
working against you and both causing you
to have higher energy bills one of the
best Solutions you can make as a
homeowner for energy upgrades is to
start by sealing your ductwork and
sealing the leaks within the envelope of
your home

thank you

Marty Kerr: Doing His Part

Companies Rated Highest in Quality and Helpful Expertise