Blower Door & Duct Blaster Diagnostic Testing
Blower Door Testing
- Form of diagnostic testing used to determine the amount of air leakage in a buildling and to identify the main sources of leakage. The blower door consists of a panel with a built-in fan that fits an open doorway. The fan either pressurizes or depressurizes the building to a standard pressure. Gauges then measure the air leakage.
- Air leakage occurs through holes in the thermal barrier of a building. Common areas of leakage include areas around door and window frames, plumbing and electrical fixtures, through fireplaces, and access doors or stairs to attic spaces.
- Air leakage results in air that is intentionally heated or cooled by heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment — known as conditioned air — escaping a building, resulting in wasted energy and higher utility bills.
- The same holes that cause air leakage also cause air infiltration, where unconditioned outside air entering the building can cause indoor air quality and thermal comfort problems for building occupants. This can lead to potential durability issues with the building itself
Duct Blaster Testing
- Similar to blower door testing, duct blasters are used to determine the amount of air leakage through a building’s duct system. Duct blaster assembly and functionality is similar to that of a blower door, but it is connected to the building’s duct system.
- Duct leakage results in inefficient distribution of conditioned air within a building, leading to wasted energy and pressure differences within the building that can cause indoor air quality issues.
RATIONALE
EFFORT REQUIRED
Diagnostic testing on buildings requires hiring a qualified energy rater to perform the tests. Most often there is a cost associated with the rater providing this service. After testing is performed, raters typically provide a detailed analysis of building performance and cost effective options for improving building energy performance. Although some raters offer imrprovement services themselves such as air sealing building penetrations, sealing leaky duct work, and installing insulation, others simply perform diagnostic testing and suggest building remodeling companies to perform the improvments.
BENEFITS
The benefits of blower door and duct blaster diagnostic testing include:
- Assessing the energy performance of a building’s shell and duct system
- Identifying the sources of air leakage and infiltration, addressed through air sealing, can lead to improved indoor air quality and thermal comfort for building occupants and increased durability for the building
- Building owners make informed decisions on how to improve their building’s energy efficiency
- Builder and contractor work is verified
RISKS
Some contractors who market themselves as being able to perform diagnostic testing of buildings may not have the appropriate education or certification to accurately perform the testing, or may choose to mislead building owners on improvements that need to be made. To avoid this, testing should be performed by certified contractors, such as Home Energy Rating Systems raters, Building Performance Institute ® analysts, or Home Performance with ENERGY STAR ® contractors.
ACTION AGENTS
Building diagnostic testing should be performed by contractors who have obtained the appropriate level of education on how to properly perform diagnostic testing, and who are subject to quality assurance procedures performed by an impartial third-party organization. Examples of certified contractors include Home Energy Rating Systems raters, Building Performance Institute analysts, and Home Performance with ENERGY STAR contractors.
COSTS
Blower door and duct blaster tests can cost anwhere from a few hundred dollars to multiple thousands of dollars, depending on size of building and level of testing. But the identification of sources of energy loss in a building can result in significant long term savings through improved energy efficiency.
The practice of protecting a building and its interior from the elements, particularly from sunlight, precipitation, and wind, and of modifying a building to reduce energy consumption and optimize energy efficiency. Also known as weatherproofing.Either a product formulated from multiple materials (e.g., concrete) or a product made up of subcomponents (e.g., a workstation).A measure of a building's or product's energy performance compared with that of similar buildings or products, as determined by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency / U.S. Department of Energy's ENERGY STARŪ Portfolio Manager. Energy efficiency is the process of using less energy to produce the same or increased functions. Often used mistakenly as a synonym for ENERGY CONSERVATION. The quality of air inside a building space that affects the health and wellbeing of building occupants. The ability or potential of a physical body to do work. The most common forms of energy are heat, light, mechanical (moving parts), and electrical.
