Blower Door Test
Draffy homes waste energy, however, most homeowners don’t have a clue as to how energy inefficient their homes may actually be. Insulation Co. offers professional Blower Door testing to identify key problem areas in your home. The main inefficiency in the building envelope can be attributed to air leakage, which dramatically increases your heating and cooling costs, and can cause undesirable air moisture imbalances. Blower door testing is an excellent way to determine how energy-efficient your home is. Since you likely want to conserve as much energy as possible, conducting the blower door test can help you cash in on your savings.
What is a Blower Door Test?
A blower door is a powerful fan that one of our trained professionals temporarily mounts into the frame of an exterior doorway in your home. After calibrating the device, the fan pulls air out of the house, lowering the air pressure inside. The higher the outside air pressure then flows in through all unsealed gaps, cracks, and openings such as gaps, cracks, or wiring penetrations. If conditions do not allow for lowering the pressure in the home, the fan may also be operated in reverse, with air pressure increased inside the home. Blower doors consist of a frame and flexible panel that fit in a doorway, a variable-speed fan, a digital pressure gauge to measure the pressure differences inside and outside the home, which are connected to a device for measuring airflow, known as manometer.
What does the Blower Door Test tell you?
Our blower door professional will complete a blower door test and you will receive a report at the end of the test which allows you to see how airtight your home is and where you can take steps to improve its efficiency to see what energy-efficient upgrades you may need on your home to save money on energy costs. The test report will also list all the areas of the home where drafts were found. This allows the homeowner (or the builder) to pinpoint the areas of the home that need to be sealed.
What are the benefits of getting a Blower Door test?
- Optimize energy efficiency and insulation.
The benefit that is most commonly associated with blower door testing is energy efficiency and reduction of your home’s carbon footprint. By determining and stamping out air leakages in the building envelope of your home, you will make your home more energy efficient, which will save you money on heating and cooling costs, while also reducing your environmental impact.
- A blower door test is a great way to know whether your home is leaking precious heat or air conditioning.
How much your home leaks or doesn’t leak air can impact how much heating and cooling as well as humidification and dehumidification is required. An added benefit of blower door testing is that it allows homeowners accurately access which size furnace or air conditioner is optimal for their home.
- Improving the health of your home and your family, protection from contaminants and insects.
Entryway leaks in wetter climates can allow moisture into the home. This makes your home muggy and can result in mold buildup in structural components along the passageway and even in the home’s interior. Gaps can also permit entry to insects and other pests, dust, and contaminants like pollen. For climates more aired, leakages can result in diminished humidity, potentially leading to respiratory health implications, like dry sinuses or throat, and increase the likelihood of the spreading of viruses.
Blower door tests can be used to determine what mechanical ventilation, if any, is needed to promote fresh air flow and preserve the air quality inside your home, and ultimately your health.
- Energy Efficiency programs provide rebates and incentives for blower door testing.
Energy Rebates Help Yo Save!
Washington State Department of Commerce offers a home energy rebates program. They provide rebates to homeowners and aggregators for whole-house energy savings in retrofit homes, which includes blower door testing and air sealing. Rebates vary by depth of energy savings and income qualifications.
Are blower door tests needed if you build a new home?
Blower door testing is not just limited to retrofit homes and in fact many states require all new construction to undergo blower door testing. The Washington state energy code requirements now require blower door testing for air leakage on new construction and many types of remodeling projects.
Can Insulation Co. help to seal my home following a blower door test?
Yes, our blower door professionals will be able to provide quotes for caulking, sealing, door replacement, and other measures that help to reduce air leakage if the results of your blower door test show that your home is not energy efficient. We will provide a report of our findings. Your blower door test report will include details about the locations in your home where air leakages are occurring. After the testing is complete our certified testing professionals will include some suggested measures for reducing leakage to make your home more energy efficient.
How long does a blower door test take?
A blower door test will typically take one to two hours. It is most often conducted towards the end of the building process when the home is fully constructed or renovated, and most of the installations have been made.
The money spent on blower door testing could pay off fairly quickly, saving you on heating costs and paying for itself in no time!
