We have all heard about the latest government idea: Cash for caulkers - get up to $2500 to caulk and seal and insulate your home. Our company performs infrared energy audits - lots of energy audits in Utah, Colorado, Idaho and Wyoming. We use calibrated blower doors to depressurize the home down to 50 pascals so we can calculate the total air flow coming into and leaving the home. This will give you the total air changes per hour and hence you can have an idea of the energy or utility use that is being wasted. The single most item that we find are air leaks that can be solved with caulk. When the wind is blowing and one room in the home is cold, you can bet it is from cold air infiltration.
Cold air is coming in from the trim pieces around your doors and windows - not the weatherstripping from from around the door and window frames. Even from cracks in your sheetrock walls and ceilings. The second worst culprit is can lights.
It is amazing how a case of caulk and one weekend will tighten up your home and lower your energy bills.
Here are a few images taken during an infrared energy audit performed last week in Park City, Utah. The digital photo gives you a room reference and the thermal image or infrared photo clearly show the cold air entering. The darker the blue is of course the coldest.
The cost of an Infrared Home Energy Audit is around $400 and the annual energy savings in the Rocky Mountain region is usually 15-35%, so the ROI is very good.
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