Delayed...but still relevent

Sorry for the delay, but...
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From: Peyton
Sent: Sunday, July 24, 2011 7:45 PM
To: Phillip.a.brown
Subject: Energy Audit Report

Mr. Brown,
Your energy audit report has been approved by the State and is attached. Also, your approval letter from the State is attached. If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to let me know. The next step is to get bids for the work. Once you decide on the bids you want to use, you send them to me and I will send them to the State for final approval.
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*(note- I've deleted the email contacts for privacy reasons)

So...you must be interested in what the report says right?
Of course you are...you couldn't possibly be reading this blog and not be interested in what an energy auditor would say about our d.i.y. home.
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HERS Home Energy Efficiency Rating Index:
Existing: 208
Proposed: 69

Air Leakage is: 1 Air Changes Per Hour
What does this number mean?
1) 99% of the volume of air inside your home is lost to the outside every hour
2) If you added up the size of all the leaks in your home you would have a hole that is equal to a 5.0 sqft.
3) You are paying to heat and cool 2.8 times more air than is necessary

Overall, your home is considered to be extremely leaky



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Yep...couldn't get much worse then that. So here are all the recommendations for us they gave and how much it would save us money yearly.

Recommendation 1: Insulate Hot Water Heater -$18
Recommendation 2: Add Insulation to Attic -$243
Recommendation 3: Insulate Foundation Walls - $391
Recommendation 4: Reduce House Air Leakage -$220
Recommendation 5: Upgrade Furnace and Air Conditioner -$569
Recommendation 6: Add Insulation to Above Grade Walls - $151
Recommendation 7: Upgrade Single and Single Pane with Storm Windows -$131


So this is how we plan on fixing this problem. We have $20,000 in interest free loan from the utility company that we can repay over a long period of time. That money will need to go to:
1. A new Furnace (we just got a new air conditioner so it'll stay) - ~$2,000
2. All new windows throughout the house~ $200/window = $3,000
3. Insulation throughout the house: basement, attic and walls -~$5,000
4. Get new sealed and insulated garage door - ~ $3,000

We pretty much expect that is about the extent of how far the 20,000 will stretch (with a bit of elbow room)... so these are the projects we can financially tackle ourselves.

1. Purchase Water Heater Blanket - ~$40
2. Replace Back door to home with a more sealed door - ~$100
3. Use sealant and foam-in-a-can to stop up air leakages not fixed by windows and insulation - ~$100