Building performance
Building performance or home performance is a comprehensive whole-house approach to identifying and fixing comfort and energy efficiency problems in a home.[1]
Energy audits are performed by energy auditors, also known as building analysts or consultants,[2] which, in the United States, are usually certified by the Building Performance Institute (BPI) or the Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET).[3][4]
The United States Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Energy started a national program "Home Performance with ENERGY STAR" to offer a comprehensive, whole-house approach to improving energy efficiency and comfort at home, while helping to protect the environment.[5] The Home Performance with ENERGY STAR program has 40 programs, to date, across the country which are administered by various utilities and state energy offices.[6]
Home performance applies building science to address the following issues:[7]
- Efficient energy use
- Durability
- Health & Safety
- Indoor Air Quality
- Thermal Comfort
- Indoor Moisture sources and solutions[8]
Diagnostic equipment includes:[7]
- Blower door
- Duct leakage tester (DuctBlaster (R))
- Thermal Imaging camera
- Combustion analyzer
- Carbon monoxide detector
A home performance energy audit results in home energy retrofit recommendations to improve the comfort and efficiency of the home, the most common of which include:
- Sealing air holes and gaps in the building envelope
- Sealing & insulating structures like attic access stairways & whole house fans
- installing new windows or sealing existing windows
- Adding insulation.
- Sealing ducts.
- Upgrading heating and cooling systems, appliances and lighting by replacing them with energy efficient equipment such as ENERGY STAR appliances or devices, compact fluorescent lamps, or LED lamps.
- Adding heat recovery ventilation or other means to control and upgrade fresh air ventilation.
- Controlling moisture.
See also
References
- ↑ Residential Sector: Designing a prescriptive whole house retrofit program Michael Wheeler, California Public Utilities Commission, page 15
- ↑ http://www.energystar.gov/ia/home_improvement/Consultant_Model.pdf
- ↑ http://www.energy.ca.gov/HERS/index.html
- ↑ http://www.southface.org/learning-center/trainings/home-energy-rating-system
- ↑ Home Performance with ENERGY STAR
- ↑ http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=home_improvement.hm_improvement_index
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 http://www.stlcc.edu/Workforce_Development/Events_and_Seminars.html
- ↑ http://www.csuohio.edu/ce/catalog/courses/ENGR499101.html
External links
- Global Buildings Performance Network
- BPI Building Performance Institute - U.S. organization setting home performance technical standards
- Efficiency First - U.S. trade association of home performance contractors and others promoting performance based energy retrofits.
- Home Energy Magazine - Home performance articles.