Energy Audits and Evaluation Services for Homeowners

Orange Energy Solutions is a full service home performance improvement company.  We offer energy audit and home performance construction services to help diagnose and solve common problems homeowners experience.  Common concerns our customer's have include: 

Diagnostic and Consulting Services:

• Comprehensive Energy Audit (Assessment)- Orange Energy Solutions conducts comprehensive audits (sometimes referred to as Energy Assessments) of your home to determine what improvements can make your home durable, comfortable and energy efficient.  A Comprehensive Energy Audit is the primary service that we provide to most new customers.  Our energy audit start with a detailed interview with you to understand your goals and concerns and to learn how you operate your home. During the energy audit, we carefully inspect the interior and exterior of your home, conduct a blower door test to quantify total building leakage, take infrared images (conditions permitting), and conduct an air sealing inspection to determine air leakage locations and insulation levels. An important part of our energy audit is a health and safety inspection that identifies existing or potential moisture issues and tests your home’s combustion appliances (hot water heater, furnace, gas dryer, oven) to ensure they operate properly. We also look at the lifespan, condition, and performance of you mechanical equipment. The energy audit is a comprehensive evaluation of all of your home’s systems and how they interact with each other to keep you comfortable in your home. The ultimate goal of the energy audit is to find the most cost effective changes you can make to solve health and safety issues, improve comfort, and reduce energy bills.   

• Home Energy Tune-ups- A Home Energy Tune-Up combines a Comprehensive Energy Audit with a two to three person home performance crew.  While the energy audit is being conducted, the crew begins air sealing your home or taking the first steps toward making your home ready to air seal and insulate. 

• Home Energy Ratings - A home energy rating (HERS rating) is an evaluation of a home to determine how it performs on the home energy rating index which allows you to compare the relative energy efficiency of your home to any other home.  The standards for HERS ratings are based on mortgage industry standards, and the rating is very useful for homes that are being sold, purchased, or financed for energy efficiency improvements.

• Manual J Heating and Cooling Load Calculations - Orange Energy Solutions determines the correct size of heating and cooling equipment by following the prescribed method of the Air Conditioning Contractors Association of America (ACCA).  It is not standard practice of HVAC contractors to use the method their own industry prescribes for correclty sizing equipment.   If your HVAC contractor is guessing at the size of your heating and cooling system, call Orange Energy and we will size it correctly. 

• Mechanical Equipment Replacement Guidance - Are you replacing your water heater, heating system or air conditioner? Are you unsure if your current systems need to be replaced? Are you unsure about the best type of new equipment to install or concerned that the sizing?  Orange Energy Solutions can help you choose the correct equipment and make sure that it is sized correctly.  All energy audit reports include guidance on your mechanical equipment.

• Blower Door Tests - A blower door test quantifies the air leakage in your home, and in conjunction with an air leakage inspection identifies the location of air leakage points. A blower door test is included in every energy audit.

• Duct Leakage Tests -  Are you loosing heated and cooled air through your duct work?  Orange Energy solutions can quantify the amount of duct leakage by conducting a duct blaster test.  A standard energy audit does not include a duct blaster test, but it does inlcude a thorough visual inspection that will identify most air leakage locations.

• Geothermal Loop Design - Are you considering a geothermal system?  Are you concerned that your contractor may not design the loop properly?  Call Orange Energy Solutions and we will design the loop.  This service is usually performed in conjunction with a load calculation for a geothermal system.  Once you see our work, chances are you will also want us to install the geothermal system.

•  Utility Bill Disaggregation -  Are you unsure why your utility bills are high?  Are you having a hard time figuring out what is driving your high utility bills?  Orange Energy Solutions can disaggregate your utility bills into various useages like heating, cooling, lighting, water heating, refrigeration, cooking, etc.  Utility Bill Disaggregation is included in all energy audit reports.