Energy Efficiency:
Frequently Asked Questions

1) What are the benefits of home weatherization?
2) What is a BPI based home energy audit?
3) What is radiant barrier?
4) Is there a tax credit for insulation and home sealing products?
5) Are there utility rebates available?
6) Who is the Building Performance Institute (BPI)?
7) What is the Home Performance with Energy Saver� Program?
8) What about replacing my windows?
9) Why is carbon monoxide (CO) a problem?
10) What is Air Sealing?
11) Do I need floor or wall insulation?
12) Is the Home weatherization work warranteed?

1) What are the benefits of home weatherization?

The three primary benefits of improving the performance of your home's thermal and air barriers is increased comfort, improved air quality and reduced energy costs. Homeowner's typically get a 18-20% rate of return on their investment and increase the value of their home. In addition, you can feel good that you are cutting down on the home's carbon footprint and reducing your impact on global warming.

2) What is a BPI based home energy audit?

The majority of homes in America suffer from performance problems ranging from inflated energy consumption to poor thermal comfort to indoor air quality issues. A BPI based home energy audit takes a holistic view of the home, looking at the thermal and air barriers as well as potential health and safety issues. It utilizes a process that is nationally recognized, standards based, and make recommendations for retrofits that will increase the energy efficiency of the home and thus, reduce the costs of operating the home.

3) What is radiant barrier?

Radiant barriers are materials that are installed into buildings to reduce the amount of heat gain in the summer and heat loss in the winter. A radiant barrier insulation system is a layer of foil facing an air space, installed in the envelope of a building/home to reflect heat energy away from your home instead of trying to absorb it.

4) Is there a tax credit for insulation and home sealing products?

Yes, insulation and home sealing products do qualify for a tax credit. Basically you can spend up to $5,000 on a single or multiple products, for your principal residence that you own and live in, and get 30% or $1,500 (30% of $5,000 = $1,500) back as a tax credit.

Typical bulk insulation products can qualify, such as batts, rolls, blow-in fibers, rigid boards, expanding spray, and pour-in-place.

Products that air seal (reduce air leaks) can also qualify, as long as they come with a Manufacturers Certification Statement, including:

Weather stripping
Spray foam in a can, designed to air seal
Caulk designed to air seal
House wrap

Radiant barrier also qualifies for the tax credit in 2010.

5) Are there utility rebates available?

Both APS and SRP offer various rebates for energy audit testing and implementing the recommended retrofits. Funding by both utilities is limited and subject to change so please check with your utility or contact us at 480-299-7640 for the latest offers.

6) Who is the Building Performance Institute (BPI)?

BPI is the nation's premier standards development organization for residential energy efficiency retrofit and weatherization work. BPI brings together leading building science experts from across North America to develop standards using a consensus-based methodology.

BPI standards or equivalent are cited by the Home Performance with ENERGY STAR� program from the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as well as several state Weatherization Assistance Programs. BPI is currently in the process of becoming accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).

7) What is the Home Performance with Energy Saver� Program?

Home Performance with ENERGY STAR, is a national program from the U.S. EPA and U.S. DOE, and offers a comprehensive, whole-house approach to improving energy efficiency and comfort at home, while helping to protect the environment.

8) What about replacing my windows?

Due to their high cost of replacement and resultant return on investment, windows are actually one the last retrofits recommended in terms of priority.

9) Why is carbon monoxide (CO) a problem?

Carbon monoxide (CO) is a colorless, odorless and poisonous gas. It is produced during the incomplete burning of fuel, including the natural gas of your water heater, furnace, range and oven. It is extremely important that CO levels are below accepted minimums and that the CO is properly exhausted from the house.

Low to moderate CO poisoning can cause symptoms that are similar to a flu, including: fatigue, headaches, nausea, dizziness and shortness of breath. Higher concentrations (50-3000 ppm) can lead to vomiting and death. OSHA's max 8-hour exposure level is 35 PPM. We recommend an appliance to be serviced if it is near or over this level. If any appliance reaches over 100 PPM we recommend discontinuing the use of the appliance until is serviced. If the ambient CO level at any place in the house is above 9 PPM we recommend immediately identifying the cause and fixing the issue.

10) What is Air Sealing?

People often complain about having a "drafty" home. Air sealing is the process of sealing all those little (or not so little) holes and gaps in the building shell. Typically, we use a blower door test to exhaust air from your home and provide us with information about the severity of drafts or leakage. A healthy home should have 0.35 ACH (The air-tightness of a home is measured in ACH; the number of times the home's air is replaced by outside air in an hour) or the equivalent of replacing 1/3 the volume of air every hour. A higher ACH means your house is draftier than recommended and wastes energy. This can also cause air to be drawn in from unhealthy areas such as the crawlspace and garage.

11) Do I need floor or wall insulation?

Possibly. Depending on your specific home, floor and/or wall insulation may or make not be the highest priority in moving toward your goals. Properly assessing and/or testing your home will enable us to determine the most cost-effective measures to making your home more comfortable, healthy, and efficient.