The Problems Associated with Most Homes Advertised as Energy Efficient by Synergy Airflow and Ventilation, LLC

Homes and commercial buildings account for about 40% of the total energy usage in the United States. A recent study by the Department of Energy found that a typical home’s energy usage could be reduced by at least 30%. It also found that the monthly mortgage payment needed to cover the higher construction costs for energy efficient measures would be more than offset by lower monthly energy bills (See cost calculator). As the demand for energy increases, utility providers understand that it is much less expensive to reduce energy usage in homes and commercial buildings than it is to build new energy producing plants. As a result, many utility providers are heavily marketing programs such as the Energy Star for New Homes Program and many builders are now participating. The homeowner gets an energy efficient home, the builder gets a substantial rebate, and the energy providers reduce the total amount of energy usage. In theory, it all sounds great. But in practice, many of these homes actually have increased not decreased energy costs. Furthermore, many of the homes built to energy efficient program’s standards will experience major comfort issues, moisture issues, indoor air quality issues, high radon concentrations, and premature HVAC compressor and fan motor failure.

I know that I take energy efficiency and performance home testing much more seriously than the average person. I remind myself often that it is just not that big of a deal to most people. I find myself getting so upset when I witness major issues in homes that we are called in to test, especially in new homes that were marketed and sold touting energy efficient features. I am slowly learning that writing a scathing article reporting our findings and assigning blame with an extremely condescending and critical tone may not be the best way to address the issues. The truth is that many of those at fault don’t know any better and are actually trying to do the right thing. However, it’s not very comforting to the customer when we have to report that their home has major issues that will cost thousands if not tens of thousands of dollars to repair. The simple fact is that doing something wrong with the right intentions is still wrong. Energy producers, energy suppliers, builders, subcontractors, architects, building inspectors, home inspectors, real estate agents, bankers, appraisers, and most of all, homeowners have got to understand the basic principles of building a home that performs and the simple truth is that most energy efficient designations do not ensure this.

My company, Synergy Airflow and Ventilation LLC is in business to test, identify, and repair major issues in homes. We also offer consulting services and design Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems. In our business, there is nothing harder than reporting bad news to homeowners that in most cases had no idea that their home had serious issues. At the same time, there is nothing more satisfying than helping a builder or homeowner plan, design, and construct a home that performs. Given the choice, our company would much rather consult and design for new homes than test, identify, and repair existing homes. Doing it the right way during construction is by far the easiest and most cost effective way for the homeowner. But there are many people that are lured into purchasing nonperforming homes by unbelievably low prices, especially when these homes carry energy efficient designations. It is the purpose of this article to help you avoid such situations.

Most people would be shocked at the number of homes we test in which the homeowner is completely overwhelmed by the severity of the problems that exists. They just assumed that by passing code, their home was built correctly and in accordance with building science principles. But just this past month, one of the nation’s largest homebuilders announced “a sudden spike in construction defect claims” and as a result reserved $272 million dollars in cash with more expected claims in the future. Many times major problems don’t appear until after the warranty period has expired. The homeowner cannot afford anywhere near the costs of remediation and they are forced to either simply “band-aid” the situation and in many cases, they completely ignore the problem(s). But these problems don’t go away and eventually they must be addressed. Keep in mind that most home inspections only visually inspect and do not actually test systems. Appraisals certainly don’t include provisions for systems that will prematurely fail such as the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning. How about moisture and mold issues? Could your home be one of the numerous homes where the time-bomb is ticking?

It’s important to understand that a home is an interactive system of heat gain and loss, air movement, moisture, and mechanical systems. In the middle of this system are people and their quality of life is determined by how well this system works. The absence or failure of one single part can cause catastrophic failure to the entire system. For example, building a well insulated, tight home is the foundation for an energy efficient home. However, without fresh air ventilation, a tight home is a recipe for disaster. I know this from personal experience. I spent years in the insulation business super-insulating and super air-sealing homes that later experienced major issues due to the lack of fresh air ventilation. Fresh air ventilation is simply the signature of excellence in new construction. Ventilation is so important that we included it in our name. Building Science dictates that for every amount of conditioned air that is exhausted out of the home by bathroom fans, kitchen fans, and clothes dryers, there must be an equal amount of air that is pulled in to replace it. Small leaks in tight homes are magnified and the air that is pulled in comes from unintended places like the crawlspace, attic, down the chimney and water heater exhaust. This air carries contaminants such as dust, moisture, pesticides, radon, carbon monoxide, soot, and insulation. Tight homes without fresh air ventilation also trap contaminants inside of the home. With that said, would it surprise you to know that most if not all homes are being built without fresh air ventilation?

Other requirements for an energy efficient home are a high efficiency HVAC unit and a tight duct system. The International Residential Code requires an HVAC system to be properly sized according to one of the Air Conditioning Contractors of America approved load calculation methods. Would it surprise you to know that local building inspectors and energy efficiency program officials are not enforcing the code requirements for proper load calculations (Manual J) and proper duct design (Manual D)? The simple truth is that few people know how to perform them correctly. I know because I have spent the last 18 months learning and perfecting the skill and it is the one of the hardest things I have ever done in my life. (See ACCA Quality Guidelines and pay special attention to page (iii) in the foreward). Studies as well as our findings in the field show that many HVAC units are over double the size required. In fact, over-sizing an HVAC system has become the accepted way of masking problems in a poorly built home’s construction. But in tightly built home, oversized units create a multitude of issues including higher energy costs as well as comfort and moisture issues. To add insult to injury, most improperly designed and oversized units typically have improperly designed, installed, and undersized duct systems. Tightly sealing a properly designed, sized, and installed HVAC system is one of the simplest and most cost effective ways in reducing energy costs. However, tightly sealing an improperly designed system results in creating other problems such as reduced airflow. Reduced airflow means the proper amount of heating and cooling does not get delivered which creates comfort issues, higher energy costs, and premature compressor and motor failure. Additional problems are created in homes with undersized returns and the lack of returns or jumper ducts installed in the bedrooms. Air that is supplied cannot be properly returned to the air handler to be reconditioned. When bedroom doors are closed, this pressurizes the bedroom and forces conditioned air through holes in the exterior envelope and creates moisture issues in the wall cavities. At the same time, this depressurizes the main body of the home causing it to pull in unconditioned air from unintended leaks in the exterior envelope. Symptoms include doors that close on their own and the smell of your fireplace when the HVAC system comes on. Our simple strategy is to build it tight, ventilate it right, design and install the HVAC system right, and then allow the interior air to move freely within the home. Finally, we test the home and its systems and adjust them as needed.

Many energy efficiency programs perform only two tests to certify a home. First, a duct blaster test is performed to determine the tightness of the duct system. Most experienced home energy auditors will tell you that the test is oftentimes inaccurate and that it doesn’t provide much valuable information. A simple test we perform and most strongly recommend is a static pressure test. It is the commonly accepted first test of airflow diagnostics by HVAC professionals. It confirms the actual airflow through the duct system and it is the equivalent to having your blood pressure tested when you go to the doctor. Until the proper airflow is confirmed, refrigerant cannot be properly added but HVAC companies do it all of the time. Finally, the individual supply registers and return grilles must be air-balanced with a flowhood so that the right amount of air is delivered at the right temperature to each room. Would it surprise you to know that balancing dampers are required but air balancing is not? Without this step comfort can rarely ever be achieved.

The second test that is performed in most programs is a blower door test. A blower door helps evaluate the air tightness level of the home and it helps to locate the actual air leakage sites. It is the foundation of home testing. However, it is possible to build a tight home that performs well on a blower door test although it is not properly insulated. Keep in mind that I am no longer in the insulation business, but I know generally what the market prices are for insulation. Purchasing decisions by many builders are made many times solely on the basis of the lowest initial costs and it rarely includes quality installation. I still enjoy stopping by and inspecting insulation work being performed in the field. The majority of homes are still being insulated with fiberglass batts which are less expensive initially than blown cellulose or spray foam, but it is more susceptible to installation defects that create thermal bypasses. It used to be that once the insulation was covered up and hidden with sheetrock, there wasn’t much that could be done to prove whether or not the insulation was installed correctly. Out of sight is out of mind for a lot of consumers. Beautiful trimwork and interior details often cover up horrible construction practices. But that is all changing. I recently read an article that featured the Energy Star Program Director, Sam Rashkin, stating that the infrared camera will trigger demand for more insulation in homes as well as better installation practices. The infrared camera allows us to see thermal bypasses, especially when used in conjunction with the blower door. We have learned from using the infrared camera that if insulation, other than foam insulation, is not completely touching the interior air barrier such as the sheetrock, it is not working. We have also learned from using the infrared camera, that walls exposed to the attic that do not have hard-decking behind them simply do not perform. With an infrared camera in hand, we plan to change standard practices in the field. But be aware that an infrared scan is rarely performed. As a matter of fact, there are usually no insulation inspections performed by an outside agency during the construction of a home. In many programs, the builder assumes responsibility for verifying that the thermal bypass checklist has been inspected and passed by signing it. One of the most popular program’s checklist states that, “The purpose of the thermal bypass inspection is to constructively work with builders to provide more effective thermal envelopes. If the general intent of an air barrier requirement is met, but not perfect, use good judgment before failing. Use field observations as an opportunity to help the builder be more successful in the future.” When a homeowner purchases a home that does not perform and experiences major issues can a good defense be that the builder had a general intent to do better? Can a good defense be that the builder was more successful in the future when he built the neighbor’s home? With such lax standards and inspections, is the goal to designate as many homes as possible as “energy efficient” or are we really serious about building homes that require less energy to operate, and that are more comfortable, durable, and healthy?

The Energy Star for Homes program which is the U.S Government’s seal of approval of energy efficiency is the most popular program and in 2008, one out of every five homes built received the designation. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administers the program and they admit current standards are too weak and need updating to address these issues. As a matter of fact, the new Version 3 of the Energy Star program was just released. It requires pressure balancing, ventilation, and humidity control. It requires 3rd party verification for thermal and HVAC systems. It requires bringing the entire HVAC system into the conditioned space and air balancing the HVAC system. It requires complete documentation for the Manual J and Manual D calculations. The EPA’s head of the Energy Star program stated that the new Version 3 guidelines will make existing homes obsolete. It is my interpretation that this means that homes built to the existing Energy Star Version 2 standards fall into the obsolete category. Many of the builders that advertise the advantages of the Energy Star designation are already complaining and demanding postponement of the new guidelines. It will be interesting to see how quickly the new guidelines are adopted and to see which of the builders that are currently building under the Energy Star label remain in the program and conform to Version 3 guidelines.

• Our "Seven Steps of Building a Synergy Home" addresses all of the areas needed to build a home that truly performs. We then test to confirm it and make any necessary adjustments.
• Home energy audits start at $.15/sf. If you have an “Energy Efficiency Designated” or “Green Designated Home”, we offer a discount of $100 off of the total cost of the audit.
• We offer HVAC design services for $.15/sf.
• We recommend that you demand documentation of your home’s Manual J Calculation and Manual D design.
• Call your local building department and ask them why the International Residential Code requirements for Manual J and Manual D are not being enforced.
• We recommend you demand fresh air ventilation and returns/jumper ducts in every bedroom.
• We recommend you demand a static pressure test, interior pressure test, and air balancing.
• Call us to inspect that your attic insulation is the proper depth and density, that you have attic rulers installed throughout your attic, that you received an attic card that states the square footage of your attic space, the number of bags installed, the date of installation, the R-value of the insulation, the company’s name, and the installer’s name. See more info at FTC Rule 460. Remember, each individual violation can carry a penalty for the insulation contractor of $11,000 for each violation.
• We recommend you eliminate traditionally vented crawlspaces and replace them with closed crawlspace construction.
• Check out our pictures from many of the homes we test on our Facebook page at Synergy Airflow and Ventilation LLC.

If you are interested in learning more about the Seven Steps of Building a Synergy Home please checkout our website at www.wetestothersguess.com or call us at (256) 686-0168.