| FAQs Home Energy Advisors LLC (HEAL, as in heal your home) was
established to be an advisor and advocate for families interested in
reducing America’s energy dependence by reducing their own energy
dependence at home. We are located in New York’s Capital Region and
operate throughout Eastern New York.
Below are a number of questions that often seem to come up. If
you don’t find the question you want answered, just email us at
Info@HomeEnergyAdvisors.com or call us at (518) 899-2400.
Comprehensive Home Energy & Safety Audit Questions
What does a Comprehensive Home Energy & Safety
Assessment include?
Why are HEAL audits an hour longer than other audits?
Why is a Safety Check important?
Why does HEAL split the Home Energy & Safety
Assessment into two
services?
Does HEAL refund any of the Energy & Safety
Assessment fees if we have
work done?
Energy Conservation Questions
What is a BTU? a kWH?
What does R-value mean?
What is a Blower Door test?
Can a house become too tight?
We have a new furnace but old ducts; is this a problem?
What are “solar south” and “solar noon”?
Home Energy Advisors LLC Business Questions
What does HEAL sell?
Can I use a contractor I know and trust?
Comprehensive Home Energy & Safety Audit Questions
What does a Comprehensive Home Energy & Safety
Assessment include?
The short answer is a check to be sure combustion devices are vented
properly, a survey of your home to identify major energy saving
opportunities, a review of available financing and incentives, and
educational discussions about how your house works today and how it
might be made to work better. For a more complete answer see
Energy
Independence and Services.
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Why are HEAL audits an hour longer than other audits?
We cover “extra” areas to be sure we spot the key opportunities and
have the data necessary to evaluate the opportunity, if you want to
consider an investment in that particular area. For example we do an
initial solar access survey; after all, if you can make use of the
sun, it would be a good idea to do so. We discuss the concept of
Carbon Footprint. Carbon Dioxide your family creates We
discuss financial aspects, get your input on future energy cost
expectations, and learn how you want to fight America’s energy
dependency and global warming. We do all this to provide you the
very best advice and a custom plan that makes sense and cents for
you and your family.
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Why is a Safety Check important?
Over the years many changes happen to your house: some good, such
as, added insulation, new furnace, caulking, storm windows/doors,
new rooms, etc.; some bad, such as chimney deterioration, combustion
appliance aging and malfunction, pipe leaks, etc. Any of these
changes can affect the way your combustion appliances (furnace,
water heater, gas stove, etc.) function and vent. Carbon monoxide is
a colorless, tasteless, odorless gas that can make you sick or kill
you. It is important that your house is checked to be sure you are
not unaware of such a problem. Furthermore, if you are contemplating
any changes to your house it is important that a bad situation is
not made worse. For these reasons we always perform safety checks
before and after any work is done.
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Why does HEAL split the Home Energy & Safety
Assessment into two
services?
Many families are not sure they have significant money saving
opportunities in their home. Some do not have any idea how much it
might cost to take advantage such opportunities or what financial
help is available to them. We can answer those questions and gather
all the data needed for the next step with our Opportunity Survey.
When we have finished the Opportunity Survey, you will have the
information necessary to decide if moving ahead is right for you. If
not, you don’t pay for the analysis and second visit. If it makes
sense to move ahead, then you pay for the next step and we get to
work. See Services for additional details of what each service
contains.
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Does HEAL refund any of the Energy & Safety
Assessment fees if we have work done?
We do not; however, many of the contractors offer a discount to
families coming to them through our program because their sales cost
is a bit lower. These discounts can end up “reimbursing” some, all
and in some cases more than the audit fee costs.
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Energy Conservation Questions
What is a BTU? a kWH?
Both of these terms are measures of energy content. BTU is the
abbreviation of British Thermal Unit. kWH is the abbreviation for
kilowatt hour and the unit of measure to indicate how much electric
we used on our utility bill. One BTU is the amount of energy it
takes to raise one pound of water one degree Fahrenheit – about the
amount of heat in one wooden kitchen match. There are 3412 BTUs in 1
kWH. Because a BTU is relatively small, we talk in terms of MBTUs or
million BTUs. MBTUs and kWH are the units we measure and compare
when we look at consumption and potential savings.
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What does R-value mean?
The R-value is an indication of how much a material resists the flow
of heat through it. The higher the R-value the better insulator the
material is. It is calculated by the manufacturer and provided to
consumers to help them decide which material is best for their
circumstance.
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What is a Blower Door test?
A blower door is a flexible unit that can seal a doorway and
includes a precisely calibrated fan that can measure the amount of
air being blown into a house to maintain a specified air pressure
inside the house. A Blower Door Test is a test performed under
standard conditions (50 Pascals of pressure) with the house in
closed for “winter conditions,” to measure how many cubic feet of
air passes through the envelop of the house. This CFM50 quantity of
air and is compared to the Building Airflow Standard (BAS) to see
how leaky or tight the house is. Depending on how the house
measures, air sealing or mechanical ventilation may be recommended.
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Can a house become too tight?
The short answer is “No.” That is because it is better to provide
mechanical ventilation where we can assure odorous and stale air is
removed and fresh air is delivered where we want it. We can also be
sure we get the correct amount of air on windy days, hot days, and
cold days, which is impossible to assure with “natural” ventilation.
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 We have a new furnace but old ducts, is this a problem?
It could be. Old ducts are often leaky, which can cause a number of
problems, including creating a safety hazard in your combustion
area, forcing conditioned air (hot and cold) outside, or causing
outside air to be pulled into your furnace return air. Leaky ducts
can also cause rooms or areas of the house to be too hot or too
cold. All of these conditions are problems that can be detected with
a special duct tightness test using a Duct Blaster. If a problem
exists it can be corrected, in one way or another.
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What are “solar south” and “solar noon”?
They are terms related to the sun’s position at your location. Solar
noon is the point in time halfway between when the sun rises and
when the sun sets. Solar south is in the direction of the sun at
solar noon. To be effective, fixed solar devices should point within
15-30 degrees of solar south. Other factors must be considered, but
for optimal performance solar devices should point solar south.
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Home Energy Advisors LLC Business Questions
What does HEAL sell?
We are not energy contractors in the usual sense, in that we do not
sell insulation, furnaces, windows/doors, photovoltaics, etc. We
sell our advice and marketplace knowledge. We add value (and earn a
living) by using a scientific approach to evaluate your home,
informing you of the opportunities and options, and by recommending
qualified contractors that do quality work at a fair price.
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Can I use a contractor I know and trust?
Certainly. We can work with your contractor or recommend one we
know. In either case, HEAL will monitor the work and perform
performance and safety checks when the job is finished.
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