With rising energy costs continually being pushed at consumers, regional businesses have found a way to help rescue their local communities. Better Building works was featured in a Roanoke Times article that showcased the benefits of energy assessments for homeowners.
Diagnostic tools reveal often hidden issues including air and/or moisture infiltration, gas leaks and thermal envelope breaks and, with the learned information, a set of recommendations to correct these issues can be provided to clients. One key benefit to a full energy assessment and report is the attention to interaction of all building components. For best results all buildings should be considered as a whole, not a bunch of smaller components, because everything works together to create a system. For example: changing a large quantity of incandescent light bulbs to equivalent LED bulbs should lead to energy savings in regards to lighting, however it can also lead to a decrease in air conditioning costs and an increase in heating costs. This ‘system’ approach is vital in determining return-on-investment (ROI) for all energy efficiency recommendations.
Energy Audits aren’t just for houses – we can help with commercial buildings, too! Energy assessments and retrofits offer building knowledge, enhanced health and safety of your building as well as lower utility bills and greater comfort. Diagnostic tools know no difference when it comes to commercial and residential structures. Quite often these building types are of different construction methods and materials, but a wall is a wall and an energy auditor will be able to determine the most likely locations for thermal envelope breeches regardless of the construction type.
Thermography cameras, blower doors, duct blasters and combustion testing equipment are just a few of the tools used to evaluate both commercial and residential structures.