Making Houses Whole continued from previous page
per hour wind, that’s how much air exchange we’ll get, how much air is going in and out.” When they turned the fan on, you could feel the wind rush through the house; following the air streams, we found leaks around windows and doors, and a big one in the kitchen where — Larry Goldberg, Northcoast Green an unused, unTrades Association sealed ladder to the attic created huge gaps (easily fixed). Later we went up into the attic to check out gaps around the kitchen vent and some poorly installed insulation. It wasn’t hard to see where the weather was getting in and where our house was losing energy. “It’s not just about keeping the weather out, but also keeping the conditioned air in,” Hector noted. “Living here in Humboldt we have a mild climate so that’s not the first concern, but where you have real seasons it is.” He said another test they would typically do is a “duct blast test,” which involves pressurizing the heating system looking for leaks. Air leakage from poorly sealed heating ducts is typically a prime offender in older houses: In the average American home it’s responsible for 30 percent
“We want to see people move toward a net-zero house, where you produce the same amount of energy you use, first though reducing your energy footprint...”
Josh Sarandos uses a device to test the effectiveness of a kitchen exhaust fan, another part of analyzing the whole house breathing system.
8 do it green guide 2011