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Blower Door
To perform a thorough energy
efficiency analysis of your home, energy advisors use specially
designed "blower door" test equipment to measure your home's rate of
air leakage. The blower door is a variable-speed fan mounted on an
adjustable panel that can fit into any exterior door opening of your
home.
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How
the test is run:
- Reduce house pressure.
When the fan is turned on, the pressure inside your home
is gradually reduced to allow outside air to flow into
the house through unsealed openings or cracks in the
house structure.
- Measure airflow rate.
Pressure gauges connected to the fan measure the rate of
airflow required to keep your home a constant pressure
so that the advisor can calculate your home's resistance
to air infiltration.
- Calculate energy
efficiency. The results of the test are incorporated
into your home's energy efficiency rating. Because
airtight homes are energy efficient, a house that has
little air leakage will result in a higher rating than a
home that has a lot of air leakage.
- Check ventilation.
Advisors also ensure that the home is adequately
ventilated as part of their analysis because modern
airtight homes must always be adequately ventilated,
usually with mechanical ventilation.
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