The document discusses performing a home health check up to improve energy efficiency, comfort, and safety. It involves interviewing homeowners, inspecting the home, testing systems, and educating homeowners. Key areas of focus include air sealing, insulation, HVAC systems, and behaviors that impact energy usage. The goal is to understand where a home is losing energy, and develop an action plan to seal air leaks, improve insulation, and increase efficiency to lower bills while enhancing comfort and safety.

1. The Home Health Check Up Mission
•Conserve Energy
•Increase Efficiency
•Protect the Environment
•Increase Comfort
•Enhance Safety
•Increase Awareness
•Conserve Energy
•Increase Efficiency
•Protect the Environment
•Increase Comfort
•Enhance Safety
•Increase Awareness

2. Task and Priorities
•Interview Homeowner
•Inspect
•Test
•Educate
•Safety
•Comfort
•Action Plan
•Interview Homeowner
•Inspect
•Test
•Educate
•Safety
•Comfort
•Action Plan

3. The 3 B’s : Resource for Energy Savings
•Bills-understanding BTU’s and Kwh
•Buildings
•Envelope
•Mechanicals
•Behaviors
•How we use energy is closely tied to
the bill we get each moth
•Bills-understanding BTU’s and Kwh
•Buildings
•Envelope
•Mechanicals
•Behaviors
•How we use energy is closely tied to
the bill we get each moth

4. BASIC FACTS ABOUT AIR LEAKAGEBASIC FACTS ABOUT AIR LEAKAGE
Most air leakage occurs at the joints between materials and
at openings, rather than through the materials themselves.
For air leakage to occur through the building envelope, two
things are necessary: a hole and a pressure difference.
Most air leakage occurs at the joints between materials and
at openings, rather than through the materials themselves.
For air leakage to occur through the building envelope, two
things are necessary: a hole and a pressure difference.

5. Building Envelope
The residential building envelope. The
orange band indicates the preferred
placement of the insulation barrier.

6. Building heat lossBuilding heat loss
Uncontrolled air leakage through the
building envelope is typically
responsible for up to 33 per cent of
the total heat loss of smaller buildings,
such as detached houses.
Air leakage out of the building is called
exfiltration and air leakage into the
building is called infiltration. The
common term to describe both is
simply infiltration.
Air leakage can affect moisture
accumulation in the walls and ceiling,
building temperature control and
energy consumption.
Uncontrolled air leakage through the
building envelope is typically
responsible for up to 33 per cent of
the total heat loss of smaller buildings,
such as detached houses.
Air leakage out of the building is called
exfiltration and air leakage into the
building is called infiltration. The
common term to describe both is
simply infiltration.
Air leakage can affect moisture
accumulation in the walls and ceiling,
building temperature control and
energy consumption.

7. Air Transfer
Air moves through even very small
voids in the wall coverings and
through the gaps that may be left
around window and doors. Heat and
cold moves with the air.

8. Draft Stop Details
Common air infiltration points in homes are cracks, gaps, pipe, wiring
holes and poor workmanship in the building envelope, causing air-stack
effect thought-out the home.

9. Energy-IndependenceEnergy-Independence
This includes proper air sealing
1. Improve insulation
2. Sealing ducts
3. Water conservation fixtures
4. Old appliances
5. New energy saving bulbs
This includes proper air sealing
1. Improve insulation
2. Sealing ducts
3. Water conservation fixtures
4. Old appliances
5. New energy saving bulbs

10. •Heating and cooling bills are high.
•Rooms in the home feel drafty,
•Snow melts quickly off the roof
•The furnace or air conditioner runs
constantly
•Outside noise is audible inside the house
•Icicles and ice damming occur
•Heating and cooling bills are high.
•Rooms in the home feel drafty,
•Snow melts quickly off the roof
•The furnace or air conditioner runs
constantly
•Outside noise is audible inside the house
•Icicles and ice damming occur
Any one of the following conditions can be an
indicator of inadequate insulation:

11. Checklist: Air sealing
A leaky home will decrease the R-value of your insulation, create
unwanted drafts and comfort issues, and bring moisture and pollutants
into the home.

12. Reducing air infiltration and duct leakage are some of the most
important items a home owner can do.

13. If your house has high humidity levels and no obvious
moisture sources, it is essential to check any fuel-burning
equipment – furnaces, hot water heaters, boilers,
fireplaces and wood stoves – to ensure that they are
venting properly. A blocked chimney could mean that
combustion products, including large amounts of water
vapor, are spilling into your house.
If your house has high humidity levels and no obvious
moisture sources, it is essential to check any fuel-burning
equipment – furnaces, hot water heaters, boilers,
fireplaces and wood stoves – to ensure that they are
venting properly. A blocked chimney could mean that
combustion products, including large amounts of water
vapor, are spilling into your house.

14. Knee wall air sealing and insulation work 1 ½ sty
Steps to insulating After sealed

15. Knee wall
Small air leaks into uninsulated attic space are a major source of heat
loss in many homes.

16. Insulation types
Insulation is assigned a resistance value, most commonly known as an R-value. An
R-value is a measure of resistance to heat flow. The higher the R-value, the greater
the resistance. R-values are established based on a type of material, its thickness
and its density.

17. Insulations types
A. Cotton Batts
B. Loose-Fill Fiberglass
C. Extruded Polystyrene (XPS)
D. Cellulose
E. Fiberglass Batts
F. High-Density Polyurethane Spray
Foam
G. Mineral Wool
H. Low-Density Polyurethane Spray
Foam
I. Foil-Faced Polyisocyanurate

18. Trivia question

19. Preventing Roof Ice Dams
Evaluate the insulation and ventilation in your attic. Most experts
agree the R-value of attic insulation should be at least R-30

20. Apart from age, the major cause of roof damage is improper insulation and
ventilation causing ice dams. Ice dams can be a nightmare, potentially causing
extensive water damage to not only the exterior of your home but also the
interior.

21. Natural Gas Furnaces
Two important considerations in
choosing a natural gas furnace are size
and efficiency. The size of furnace you
need is determined by the heat loss of
your house.

22. Furnace filters
More expensive (electrostatic) furnace filters capture smaller particles
and need less changing than cheaper (pleated) and the cheapest (woven
fiberglass) filters. If you have allergies, consider electrostatic filters.

23. AC
Central air conditioners are made up of two separate components: the
condenser unit, located outside the house on a concrete slab, and the
evaporator coil above the furnace.

24. AC
Central air conditioners are made up
of two separate components: the
condenser unit, located outside the
house on a concrete slab, and the
evaporator coil above the furnace.

25. Conventional Water Heater vs. Power vents
less safe/less savings Safety /energy savings

26. Water heater sizing
water heating represents up to 15.5 percent of national residential energy consumption, which
amounts to the second largest energy end use in homes behind heating and cooling.
Water heater sizing
water heating represents up to 15.5 percent of national residential energy consumption, which
amounts to the second largest energy end use in homes behind heating and cooling.

27. Combustion spillage
caused by exhaust devices
overpowering the furnace
Combustion spillage
caused by exhaust devices
overpowering the furnace
1. Natural draft furnace spills
combustion products into
house
2. Fireplace draws excessive
air, causing other equipment
to backdraft, and can spill at
the end of a burn
3. Dryer
4. Range hood
5. Exhaust fans depressurize
interior of house
**install a carbon monoxide
detector if you have fuel-
burning equipment.**
1. Natural draft furnace spills
combustion products into
house
2. Fireplace draws excessive
air, causing other equipment
to backdraft, and can spill at
the end of a burn
3. Dryer
4. Range hood
5. Exhaust fans depressurize
interior of house
**install a carbon monoxide
detector if you have fuel-
burning equipment.**

28. Back Drafting
This hot water heater has exhaust
rollout. If your water heater has these
stains please have it checked out.
furnace and hot water heater shared
the same closet. The furnaces cold air
return was broken, and sucking air out
of the small space pulling the exhaust
out of the burner chamber under this
hot water heater.

29. Radon enters Home
Radon is a radioactive gas that has been found in MN homes. It comes
from the natural breakdown of uranium in soil, rock and water and gets
into the air you breathe.

30. Asbestos Risks
Common Locations in the Home: Asbestos use was so widespread that virtually any
material used in home construction may contain this substance prior to the 1980s .

31. How they stack up

32. Seal sills
Caulking the sill plate and the rim joist stops air leaks along the
foundation.

33. Attic hatch
Good gasket or weatherstripping on the stop will stop air from leaking
past the cover. The key to getting a good seal is making sure the cover
presses tightly against the gasket. A latch could work

34. Crawl Space
Great to prevent cold floors
Good R Value added
No nesting support for insects and rodents
Prevents ground moisture from causing dry rot

35. Seal electrical outlets and switch platesSeal electrical outlets and switch plates
1. Gasket
2. Child-proof plug
1. Gasket
2. Child-proof plug

36. The finer points of air
sealing
Seal around windows and exterior
doors with backer rod, caulk or non-
expanding spray foam.

37. Rim Joist
Ridged foam and spray foam

38. Home Health Check UpHome Health Check Up
Mission
Save Money Save energy
The EndThe End