Challenge

This customer contacted us through Duke Energy's rebate program to find ways to help them make their house more efficient and comfortable and save money on their power bills. The homeowner wanted to know if there were any issues with their attic insulation, crawl space and heating and air conditioning system.

Solution

Whole Home Energy Evaluation/Audit

GSM Services solution was to perform a Whole Home Energy Evaluation/Audit. Steven Grant was the Comfort Advisor on this call to check to make sure the customer’s home was efficient and comfortable.

During the energy evaluation, Steven took a look at the whole home by performing the necessary steps by testing the air flow of the home with a blower door and checking for areas of leaks. During the visit, taking a thorough evaluation of the crawl space and the attic to look for areas in which energy is lost. Our Dr. Energy Saver home evaluations can take 3-4 hours of to complete. We make sure we allow enough time to provide the customer with solutions to fix their needs.

Attic

After performing a whole home energy evaluation/audit, Steven Grant discovered that this home was in need of air sealing and insulation improvements which would cut their energy bills and improve their living comfort. Steven found that the insulation levels in the attic were low, the duct work need to be sealed and insulated, and proper air sealing from the interior of the home (living space).

Improvements:

Before we insulated the attic with Cellulose to an R-38 value, we had to put a strip of radiant barrier for a baffle on front of the house to separate the attic from the porch roof. We then spray foamed the duct system in the attic and the boots.

Crawl Space

Next Steven checked the crawl space for any issues. The crawl space also had some issues with insulation and air sealing. The crawl space needed a full crawl space encapsulation. We had to install a false wall with radiant barrier to proper insulation specs that needed to be built to properly seal the crawl space from the front porch area. There were gaps and cracks in both the attic and crawl space that need to be air tight from the outside, this ensures that all the air conditioning and heating that you are paying for, stays in your home.

Improvements:

In the crawl space, we needed to remove all debris and make sure the area was clean before we started our process on encapsulation. We installed 2” SilverGlo insulation on the walls of the crawl space ensuring the foundation was insulated and properly sealed. After air sealing all penetrations in the whole area, we installed our 20mil Cleanspace encapsulation system. This makes sure the area will be protected and clean from the outside conditions.