The owners purchased this 3-bedroom, 2-bathroom ranch-style home in Paoli, PA in 2005. The husband and wife live in the house with their son.
The homeowners sought energy improvements as a way to improve the comfort and energy efficiency of their home, and wanted to ensure that the improvements that were made were cost effective. In this particular home, one of the bedrooms lies between an un-insulated garage and the attic, and the temperature in the bedroom was prone to becoming colder or warmer than the rest of the home. The family room was also perceptibly colder than the rest of the house. The family enlisted the services of Orange Energy Solutions (OES) to resolve these comfort issues.
OES conducted an initial energy assessment of the home that included a blower door test and infrared imaging to identify areas of the home where air leakages were occurring. After the energy assessment, OES presented the homeowners with a comprehensive list of upgrades that could be made to the home, and they decided to increase the amount of air sealing and insulation in the attic.
The homeowners participated in the region’s EnergyWorks program, funded by a grant from the US Department of Energy. EnergyWorks connects home and business owners with available rebates, tax credits and very low-interest loans. Through EnergyWorks, they were able to receive a $300 rebate on their home energy assessment by implementing at least $1,000 of the energy efficiency improvements recommended. The availability of this rebate encouraged the homeowners to go forward with the work. For more information, visit http://energyworksnow.com/

PROJECT DETAILS
The initial energy assessment’s blower door reading, quantified in CFM50 (cubic feet per minute at 50 pascals of pressure), for the Paoli home was 3205 CFM50 or 0.62 air OES set a goal for the Paoli residence at 0.45 ach or 2400 CFM50, thought to be achievable through a cost-effective set of recommended improvements to the home.

Insulation and Air Sealing
A home’s attic and knee walls can easily become leaky, so in the process of making energy efficiency improvements, the first step the homeowners took was to install additional insulation, and use spray foam and caulk to seal up holes. Recessed lights can also let air in, so installing light box covers helped to reduce drafts, as well.

Venting and Air Circulation
When making a house “tighter,” or less leaky, it is important to install some ventilation for moisture and humidity because otherwise, odors, mold, mildew, dust mites, and other indoor air pollutants will stay trapped in the house. To cent out mosit and humid air from the bathroom, OES re-routed the bathroom fan from the attic space to the exterior of the home, according to building code.

PROJECT OUTCOME
Once the work on the home was complete, OES conducted a follow up blower door reading to verify the reduction in air flow that was achieved. The follow-up reading revealed a 24% reduction in draftiness, which is expected to save the homeowners on heating and on cooling costs, and considerably improve the thermal comfort in the home.
The homeowners felt that the information they received during the home energy assessment was invaluable to their understanding of their home and helped them better appreciate the benefits of energy efficiency improvements.
Although the homeowners were initially unsure about undertaking the project, they reported that they were pleased with the results and the first night after the improvements were made, the house felt noticeably more comfortable.
The homeowners’ positive experience with the results they saw convinced them to have insulation work done in their garage, as well, and they reported that they might do even more energy efficiency work to further increase comfort of their home and save on their monthly bills.