Your House As A System
Home Energy Audits: Your House as a System
We have talked about how home BPI certified professionals use their certification to provide thorough home energy audits. The term “house as a system” approach has been used a lot, but what does that mean?
A house is made of three components:
- the building envelope called the shell,
- the heating and air conditioning units,
- and you, the people living in the house.
Accurately Diagnosing
the Issue
If there is a problem with the relationship of these three components in a house, then many things can happen. There may be uneven temperatures, drafts, moisture, mold, poor air quality, pest infestations, and even premature deterioration of building materials.
The house-as-a-system approach shows that if one system has a problem, then it impacts the rest of the house too. You can try to treat the symptoms, but without knowing where the problem originates, you may make the problem worse or create new problems. Accurately diagnosing the cause of the problem will allow the whole house to function together correctly.
At North Georgia Replacement Windows, our BPI certified professionals are trained to track the problem to the root and give a diagnosis as well as solutions to the problem.
How It Works
The process starts with a personal interview. You tell us the things you have been noticing, as well as if and how you have tried to fix them. Providing your energy bills helps with the process.
Then, your BPI certified professional will do a walk-through the inside and outside of your house. There may be the use of an infrared camera, a blower door test, and the testing of air leakage, among other safety tests conducted.
At the end of the home audits, the BPI certified professionals will provide an objective view of the situation. They will tell you what needs to be fixed, how to prioritize your project, and will tell you what things you can fix yourself and what things will require experts.
Once you have all your improvement work completed, the BPI certified professional would do another assessment of your entire home that is nearly identical to the first. The second assessment is to make sure everything is functioning as it should.
Quality Assurance Program
The Building Performance Institute requires that every BPI accredited professional must participate in a quality assurance program, which ensures you are getting the best work possible.
This quality assurance program includes:
- A requirement that organizations implement internal quality control procedures
- Organizations are also required to participate in ongoing quality assurance administered by the BPI
- All completed projects will need a signature from the customer saying they are 100% satisfied.
We take it very seriously. Along the way, every BPI certified professional will document every test and improvement installed in your home and report back to us. We make sure each contractor is doing work according to our standards.
If you are ready for home energy audits, give North Georgia Replacement Windows a call to see how we can help you make your home function more efficiently!
