How to Conduct a Home Energy Assessment | Ask This Old House

In this video, This Old House home technology expert Ross Trethewey shows a homeowner where her energy consumption is going, and how to save some money moving forward.
SUBSCRIBE to This Old House: bit.ly/SubscribeThisOldHouse.
Home technology expert Ross Trethewey goes on a house call to help a homeowner figure out her energy loss. After discussing her energy consumption concerns, Ross suggests a home energy assessment and gets to work.
Start on the Outside
A good home energy assessment starts outside. The assessor will be looking at the siding, windows, roof, foundation, chimney, gutters, and any penetration for vents, wires, and piping. They’ll be looking for gaps or damage, as well as proper drainage to ensure the home is as enveloped as possible from the outside.
Use a Blower Door [www.energy.gov/energysaver/bl...] to Check for Leaks
Shut off all the combustion appliances, close all wall openings, vents, or flues, and set up a blower door in one of the exterior doorways. Set this blower door to roughly 50 Pascals and allow the fan to get up to speed. Use a thermal imaging camera and a small smoke machine to find cold air penetrating through walls, windows, the basement rim joists, vents, and other areas.
Input the Data into the Computer Model
Input all of the data compiled during the assessment into the computer model. Following the above formula, the model will determine where the majority of energy loss is, whether it’s the windows, walls, roofs, or other areas. Use this information to make decisions about future upgrades.
Where to find it?
Ross conducts a full home energy assessment. He recommends starting with walking the exterior of a home to visually inspect siding, windows, and the roof.
Siding: What is the condition of the siding? Are there any gaps in the siding?
Windows: What kind of shape are the windows in?
Roof: What is the condition of the roof? Are any shingles missing? Is the attic vented or not?
Water: Is there any obvious water damage? Are there any signs of puddling? Are gutters/downspouts conveying water away from the building? When it comes to the exterior, you want to make sure there aren’t ways for water to get into the house.
For the interior walkthrough, Ross says to evaluate all major devices and systems. He also recommends checking for insulation and taking measurements (like the length, width, and ceiling height of rooms).
To identify where air leakage is occurring, Ross conducts a blower door test [www.energy.gov/energysaver/bl...]. A blower door is a machine used to measure the airtightness of buildings. It can also be used to measure airflow between building zones, to test ductwork airtightness and to help physically locate air leakage sites in the building envelope.
Looking for more step by step guidance on how to complete projects around the house? Join This Old House Insider to stream over 1,000 episodes commercial-free: bit.ly/2GPiYbH
Plus, download our FREE app for full-episode streaming to your connected TV, phone or tablet: www.thisoldhouse.com/pages/st...
About Ask This Old House TV:
From the makers of This Old House, America’s first and most trusted home improvement show, Ask This Old House answers the steady stream of home improvement questions asked by viewers across the United States. Covering topics from landscaping to electrical to HVAC and plumbing to painting and more. Ask This Old House features the experts from This Old House, including general contractor Tom Silva, plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey, landscape contractor Jenn Nawada, master carpenter Norm Abram, and host Kevin O’Connor. ASK This Old House helps you protect and preserve your greatest investment-your home.
Follow This Old House:
Facebook: bit.ly/ThisOldHouseFB
Twitter: bit.ly/ThisOldHouseTwitter
Pinterest: bit.ly/ThisOldHousePinterest
Instagram: bit.ly/ThisOldHouseIG
How to Conduct a Home Energy Assessment | Ask This Old House
/ thisoldhouse

[@thetributary8089]

Imagine asking for an energy assessment and getting grilled about your downspouts on National TV lol

[@platipuss777]

WE NEED MORE OF THIS CONTENT!!

[@Nick.Steven]

I wish they would do a before and after and come back to see how much energy was saved after the projects were completed.

[@joeozzie1]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/sKLXoHlqnaiNZ8k

[@pauljamilkowski3672]

Assuming she did any of the projects recommended! Some people just be like... Nah, we don't want to save money.

[@gail7275]

you're amazing- love to watch you repair things. I so admire that talent !

[@rupe53]

Ok, so this is an 11 minute version of (likely) a half hour program that shows all kinds of interesting things... but still.... the basics apply to almost any older home. It will cost you a thousand bucks to do a blower door test... or you can spend that money on calk, insulation for the attic, spray foam to stop drafts, and already be money ahead after a few weekends of DIY work. Changing the washer / drier will cost a few grand, with a savings of maybe $100 a year, mostly due to reduced water / hot water use. The flip side is newer front loaders will be good for maybe 10 years instead of 20+ years. Heating system change to heat pump is hard to compare because you now have AC so the unit runs all year. The oil boiler is not perfect but not cost effective to change "just because" it's oil and a little older. The smarter thing to do is make the other changes first and see if the eventual replacement could be a smaller unit. 9 times out of 10 the answer will be yes.... but you can do it down the road as finances allow.

[@Su-ks1qb]

This is a really great video! Thank you!

[@azeraeth]

Really informative. Would love to have the rest of the team turn this into a project to show how to do some of those recommendations!

[@betsyhada2936]

I started a whole-home remodel about 1.5 years ago. First step was to remove a 60x48” window from one wall to increase the size of the kitchen by taking over the eating area. My brother and his friend were working that day - friend was working on the window. All of a sudden, he hollers for my brother to come help. When he took out the last nail, the window started to fall out of the opening. Turns out the builder (only 20 yrs ago) hadn’t used any butyl, weatherstripping, or “pooky”. I used to wonder why there were drafts near the double paned windows. While replacing the failing (cheap!) Manville siding with Hardie Plank, they found several shallow areas of water damage, mostly because the windows and trim were installed wrong. Oh, and no house wrap! So while they installed primed redwood 2x4 trim and the Hardie, they removed and reinstalled every window. My heating bills last winter were a pittance, compared with prior years. And NO drafts. It was amazing!

[@nonyanks2510]

Good information but one thing I did not hear was anything about Zoned Heating, not heating the area you do not use , but that little smoke generator really did a good job....all in all good info!

[@rupe53]

that house already has several heating zones, and they did mention replacing the T-stats with units that can do set-back.

[@MojoPup]

It's also nice to have those Therma Cameras... They're coming down in price, but still pricey

[@KJSvitko]

Blower door testing and air sealing are under appreciated tools for energy efficiency and comfort.

[@salvadorsepulveda6415]

Very informative. I would have thought the use of a laser measurement device instead of a tape now days on TOH.

[@ovidiuciuparu6421]

Those windows are super bad… Insulation would be one of the easiest ways to save money, windows, door trim… add those rubber gasket’s… they help…couple of $$$ well spend will go long way!

[@liammcgough9969]

Thank you for the video. what style of homes are the most efficient. Are single story homes with no chimney or sky lights less prone to air leaks and more efficient?

[@nickv5013]

good video, but I wish it had more information. it seems ok for people doing basic research, but not for folks tackling issues themselves. what software was used for analysis?

[@Outlander.-.]

Not sure if you’re still interested by Manual J is the software I’ve used in the past.

[@invertedironcross9]

Wait New England but no insulation in the walls? Woof

[@SeanBZA]

1960's build, when oil was under $20, to fill that oil tank for the winter.

[@rupe53]

that was pretty common pre 1960 when heating oil was 15 - 20 cents per gallon... and that was maybe $200 - $300 a year to heat a home on a bad winter. (1500 gallons)

[@spacescience100]

any recommendations of a fog device that is good for DIY home assessment such as in 8:19?

[@chibbyylol]

Can get similar results from a smoke pen from Amazon etc

[@Demy26]

👏🏽

[@Bremend]

2 inches of insulation in the attic? How did they not catch that in the inspection and why would the inspector not immediately flag that issue. Unless they recently purchased the house an forwent the inspection but then they should have done their own inspection at closing...

[@dtemp132]

Houses are built to the specifications of their time, and this is a 60s house. It wouldn't be very useful for an inspector to tell you all the ways it's inferior to a 2020s house. The attic insulation was intact, so there was no finding to make, really.

[@rupe53]

If you look at the inspection form, it will say "attic insulation" and they check the box that says YES. There may be a place for foot notes but it's usually pretty basic info.

[@smashthings4fun]

1965 is when it became code for walls to be insulated

[@ChuckClaunch]

What is the little hand held fogger device called? I have been trying to find those.

[@billythygoat]

Tiny-S smoke emitter is what one of these devices is called. That company is supposed to come out with a new one that's less expensive but it's been delayed since last fall.

[@CantankerousDave]

I got mine from Amazon. It’s called the Cirrus Wind Indicator. I could swear I only paid $30 or $40 for it a few years ago, though.

[@joeluongo2342]

@@billythygoat $1500!

[@MojoPup]

@@CantankerousDave They're around $75 now on Amazon

[@RandomVids519]

5000/6000$ furance to save a bit of money good call😂

[@UTeewb]

What makes an older electric dryer less efficient? The coils are 100% efficient, so is it just the fan/airflow that makes that big of a difference?

[@smamerica1]

There is also the drum motor perhaps

[@jepito29]

Sensors that will stop the cycle when the clothes are dry, instead of a set time. Also you can get heat pump electric dryers that are way more efficient, but they have some downsides

[@Bremend]

I also questioned this so I did a bit of digging and apparently most of the energy savings come from better sensing of the dryness of the clothes (or maybe even the ability to sense depending on the age or the original unit, thus not running on full heat for the full set period of time) and the ability to avoid having to always iron clothes coming out. Still, considering the energy loss from all of the "smart" features which then cause vampire draw, I think there is a certain point when an upgrade would not save you more energy.

[@dingymon]

I've been living in Europe the last three years, soon to return to Midwest USA. Here, I have air dried 99% of our clothes. We have lower humidity than where I grew up, SW Florida. For us, the lifestyle change of laundry is a way to lower electric bill. Granted, I have the time working out of the home to multi task. The only complaint - bath towels are no longer soft lol

[@jmfia2391]

@@jepito29 hush.

[@justinballard7242]

Mini splits won't heat that house with no wall insulation in the north east. Literally impossible

[@brianfong5711]

I wonder how much it costs to do the assessment.

[@dustyboard2247]

The cost is priceless, the most expensive thing you can do is nothing. Weatherization is the only work that pays you back, from my personal experience.The cost varies from state to state.

[@Bremend]

Usually you are already paying for it through your utility bill, just sign up on the list to take advantage of the program and don't forget to reapply every few years as new technologies come out.

[@snakeye2669]

I believe a few hundred

[@rupe53]

@@dustyboard2247 .... you don't need fancy gear to figure out that most homes will benefit from the basics outlined here. Insulation, draft sealing, and appliance upgrades all help. Behavior modification of the occupants is something they never talk about.

[@grzegorzswitajski6609]

What's the name of the fog device 8:19 ?

[@robertm5969]

A lot of what he's recommending is a waste of money for a small payback. Replacing an oil furnace with a heat pump and replacing a robust dryer are large upfront investments that might not help. Just air seal the attic and rim joists and boost the insulation to code. Add insulation to the exterior facing walls. Best bang for buck and most of it DIY friendly

[@xcmskim4]

I hope she doesn't change that dryer. That's a 1980s original Maytag dryer. That's the dryer in the old TV commercials with the Maytag man. You're not going to save ANY MONEY if the new energy star dryer breaks down in 3-5 years!

[@CantankerousDave]

Heh, I feel the same about my 1991 Kenmore refrigerator.

[@MariuszChr]

Yup. The savings sound nice but... its per year, so you barely notice that, and you have to spare some (huge) change to install those heat pumps, which will work purely in this uninsulated walls...

[@xcmskim4]

@@MariuszChr Ductless heat pumps are worth the investment if you don't have central AC and no natural gas. With the cost of diesel/heating oil it might actually be worth it. Ductless units also have 10-12 year warranties.

[@MariuszChr]

@@xcmskim4 and are inefficient in very low temperatures. I have one. I plan to make my insulation as strong as possible to be able to get most of the heat pump.

[@KJSvitko]

An energy efficient home or business is more comfortable and saves money in the long run. Solar energy on your roof combined with battery storage can make people more independent from the grid and natural gas supplies. Add solar and supplemental electric heating, infrared heating or a heat pump for home or business heating.. All big box stores and manufacturing sites can support solar energy on their roofs or parking lots. Added insulation, double or triple glaze windows, energy efficient doors, energy efficient heating and cooling systems, energy efficient appliances, LED lighting, smart thermostats, solar panels combined with battery storage and a electric vehicle charger in the garage or car park. People are too focused on the short term costs and miss out on long term savings and comfort. Blower door testing and air sealing are under appreciated tools.Even if you have money to burn you should not waste it. Climate Change will impact everyone. Leave a better future for your children and grandchildren. Join in and speak up for the future of the planet

[@danielwindecker3937]

Too focused on the short term costs? Someone has to pay for stuff and just going into debt to “save the planet” is a horrible solution. So if someone can’t afford to spend thousands of dollars to get solar panels and a battery backup system, does that make them a bad person? No. If we don’t take care of ourselves we can’t take care of anyone else either. So focusing on upfront costs is not actually a bad thing.

[@Lawlzinator]

@@danielwindecker3937 Yup. And people don't realize just how harmful to the environment all these "green" energy products are, especially batteries for electric cars. Lot of heavy chemical processing and mining for materials there. But as long as it isn't their country that has to get dirty to build this stuff, they won't care.

[@KJSvitko]

@@danielwindecker3937 Short term thinking misses out on long term savings. Total cost and total savings over the life need to be calculated. You will always be broke if you only think short term.

[@rupe53]

@@KJSvitko ... what they fail to cover in this video is what the average DIY type can do "quick and easy" to start saving. A few hundred bucks in spray foam, calk, weatherstrip, and such can easily shave over $100 a year in energy. (we'll call this short term) A new drier won't save much, but a front loading washer can shave well over $100 a year in water / hot water use This is more of a long term deal with your savings being in the 5-10 year range. I recently installed all new windows in my older home at a cost of $15k. Heating savings is only in the area of $150 a year. OTOH, the comfort level can't be measured. I expect to get my pay-back in resale value. (seriously LONG term)

[@KJSvitko]

@@rupe53 Exactly. Save energy = save money.

[@c0mputer]

So by peaking in by the outlets you can tell that her exterior walls have ZERO insulation?

[@SeanBZA]

Well if there was insulation you would see it at least in some of the boxes, but having none visible it means there is likely either none, or so little that it is ineffective. A couple of cans of spray foam around the basement to handle air ingress, along with adding another layer up by piping, and also adding in extra insulation to the attic, are DIY friendly, and easy enough to do. The walls will need pro work to insulate them though, along with the boiler and heating conversion.

[@rupe53]

@@SeanBZA ... yes, added attic insulation and spray foaming leaks can save at least $100 a year.... and any DIY type can do it in a weekend or two. Pay back in dollars will be long term but comfort factor will more than make up for that quickly.

[@isakwatz11]

Very leaky house!

[@rachelisraelri4889]

5 house energy ya not going to last

[@akoznasovajusername]

This show is not for rich people.