Washington State is home to many rodents that will work night and day to gain access to your warm crawlspace and attic. They chew through plastic, wood and even light gauge screening. Protecting your building from there access is not only recommended but even has building code on how it needs to be done.

Yes there is even building code stating how access points into the Attic and Crawlspace need to be secured off. Exterior openings into the attic space of any building intended for human occupancy shall be protected to prevent the entry of birds, squirrels, rodents, snakes and other similar creatures.

Openings for ventilation having a least dimension of 1/16 inch (1.6 mm) minimum and 1/4 inch (6.4 mm) maximum shall be permitted. Openings for ventilation having a least dimension larger than 1/4 inch (6.4 mm) shall be provided with corrosion-resistant wire cloth screening, hardware cloth, perforated vinyl or similar material with openings having a least dimension of 1/16 inch (1.6 mm) minimum and 1/4 inch (6.4 mm) maximum. Where combustion air is obtained from an attic area, it shall be in accordance with Chapter 7 of the International Mechanical Code 701.1 - 708.1.

 

Save up to 25% on your home energy bills and make your home more comfortable to live in! With ever-rising energy costs in Seattle, WA and around the Puget Sound area your savings will begin to quickly multiply.

Home energy bills are the second largest cost of owning a home. A home energy analyzed by Pacific Northwest Inspections Group is quick, easy, and cost effective. It is a tried and tested way to pinpoint and reduce energy loss and is approved by Government Tax rebate programs in the US. We will inspect your home, collect data, and input the data into a energy software that will produce an easy to read report, including pictures and graphs, showing what energy wasting items and improvement can be performed to save you money. 

What a Audit can do for you:

• Save an average of up to 25% on your energy bill;
• Find out which improvements to make - the report will estimate the savings and costs of each potential upgrade;
• Increase the comfort of your home - no drafts, better temperature control;
• Increase the value of your home - each dollar spent on recommended improvements will increase the future sales value by more than a dollar.

We are certified energy specialist and use state-of-the-art equipment to aid in the diagnosis of wasted energy. During the home energy inspection and data collection I will incorporate a blower door and or duct blaster test to depressurize the house and use an infrared thermal camera to show you exactly where the energy is being lost. “A home energy inspection without the use of a blower door and an infrared camera is not a complete energy inspection.”

How The Process Works

Step 1: The Home Energy Inspection

• To reduce utility bills, the first step is to find out where you are wasting energy.
• To do this, you need a residential energy inspection—which should be done by a certified energy inspector who has no financial interest in the improvements recommended.
• The energy inspector will examine, measure, and evaluate the factors that affect energy use in your home, e.g., size of the home, efficiency of appliances, insulation, draftiness of rooms, and efficiency of heating and cooling systems (HVAC). This includes using state of the art Infrared Thermal Imaging Technology and blower door equipment.

Step 2: The Energy Inspection Report Detailed Analysis

• The information gathered during the energy audit is analyzed using specialized software to produce a comprehensive Home Energy Report. The Report shows which energy-efficiency improvements would reduce energy costs and make the home more comfortable. The analysis takes into account regional variables such as local weather, implementation costs, and fuel prices.
• The Report contains estimates of the savings, costs and payback for each energy-efficiency recommendation. It identifies the group of improvements that, if financed, will save more on energy bills than it costs. These are the improvements that everyone can make since they require no out-of-pocket cost when financed.
• The detailed Recommendations section enables contractors to provide preliminary cost estimates without a visit to your home. It also explains how to get the best energy savings from these improvements by listing related no-cost low-cost measures that you can take.

Step 3: The Home Energy Inspection

Pacific Northwest Inspections Group also has a list of preferred contractors that we have personally worked with and can aid you in selecting a qualified person.

Step 4: Financing Home Energy Savings

Energy improvements are unique because they reduce energy bills thereby increasing disposable income.

Financing energy efficiency improvements as part of your home mortgage is the best way to go. You have the advantage of (1) low monthly payments due to a 30-year term and a relatively low interest rate; and (2) interest that is deductible from your income tax.

The improvements listed in the Improvements that Save More than they Cost section of the Report will automatically qualify for financing since they increase the value of the house without reducing disposable income. Information about Energy Loans, Incentives, and Initiatives will be included in the Report.

Pacific Northwest Inspections Group performs Home Energy Inspections in Seattle and throughout the Puget Sound area. Our reports are approved for Lenders and Government rebates/ loan approvals. We offer HERS rating and Energy Start Home Certification as well.

For information regarding low-to-no interest energy loans. Or for information on the Federal Government, and Washington State, energy tax credits, please contact us today.

 

Find the Energy Leaks Virtural Tour !!!!

The 2018 WA State Energy Code (WSEC) section 101.3.2.6 requires that ducts be tested in homes that replace any of the following equipment:

• Whole furnace system 
• Air handler
• Outdoor condensing unit (AC or HP) 
• Cooling or heating coils 
• Furnace heat exchanger 

The new 2018 Washington State Energy Code for commercial and residential projects is available online from the Washington State Building Code Council. The second edition of the code was published in April 2020. Changes from the first edition can be seen in the errata document. 

Rushing provided feedback during the development of these codes, which now take effect on February 1, 2021. Our integrative design teams are hard at work with partners on several projects that fall under these new provisions.

The ducts must be tested in accordance with the requirements of RC-33 for total leakage. An affidavit must be completed by a qualified technician approved by the state, which must be submitted to the code official.

Pacific Northwest Inspections Group employees are certified to perform duct testing to the RC-33 standard and have extensive qualifications and experience with duct testing in residential homes and commercial buildings.

In addition, we have the experience and specialized testing equipment needed to help contractors in troubleshooting ducting systems that are particularly difficult to seal with elusive holes and leaks.

Duct testing can be time consuming and difficult task to get good results, but you can rely on Pacific Northwest Inspections Group to help you save money and give you and your clients the best possible information about their home. They will appreciate our service and feel confident in the work that was performed.

The first step to making your house tighter and more efficient is to schedule a Performance Test for your home. PNWIG's technicians are specially trained and PTCS Certified, so you can be sure that when your Duct and Blower Door tests are performed, and your ductwork is sealed, all work will meet or exceed new building code standards. 

Air flowing in and out of a building can cause lots of problems; in fact, air leakage can account for 30 percent to 50 percent of the heat loss in some homes. But air flowing through a building can help solve lots of problems too — as long as it’s the result of a blower-door test. With a blower door, builders, contractors, homeowners can quantify airflow and the resulting heat (or cooling) loss, pinpoint specific leaks, and determine when a home needs additional mechanical ventilation.

Once we have used flow and pressure to determine what the leaks are like, we can use that hole description, along with weather and site data (the test pressure), to estimate the airflow that can be expected under normal conditions. But estimates of “natural airflow” are inherently inaccurate because it’s difficult to know how the wind blows on a particular site, or what the occupant behavior is like, or how the mechanical equipment interacts with the building. So it’s important to know whether airflow descriptions are measurements of leakage under specified conditions or estimates of airflow under normal conditions.

To measure airflow, a closed-up house is depressurized with the blower-door fan to a constant pressure differential as compared with outside conditions, typically 50 pascals (Pa). A pressure gauge attached to the blower-door assembly measures the rate of airflow required to maintain that pressure differential in cfm (cubic feet per minute).

Sometimes several readings are taken at different pressures, then averaged and adjusted for temperature using a simple computer program. This provides the most accurate picture of airflow, including leakage ratios, correlation coefficients, and effective leakage area.

Most of the time, though, this detailed output isn’t needed, and all we want to know is how much the building leaks at the specified reference pressure of 50 Pa. So-called single-point testing is popular with crews who do retrofit work because once the door is set up, it takes only about a minute to measure the effectiveness of their air-sealing strategies.

.

2018 Energy Code:

R403.3.3 Duct testing. Ducts shall be leak tested in accordance with WSU RS-33, using the maximum duct leakage rates specified.

Exceptions: 1. The total leakage test or leakage to the outdoors is not required for ducts and air handlers located entirely within the building's thermal envelope. For forced air ducts, a maximum of 10 linear feet of return ducts and 5 linear feet of supply ducts may be located outside the conditioned space. All metallic ducts located outside the conditioned space must have both transverse and longitudinal joints sealed with mastic. If flex ducts are used, they cannot contain splices. Flex duct connections must be made with nylon straps and installed using a plastic strapping tensioning tool. Ducts located in crawl spaces do not qualify for this exception.

2. A duct air leakage test shall not be required for ducts serving heat or energy recovery ventilators that are not integrated with ducts serving heating or cooling systems. A written report of the results shall be signed by the party conducting the test and provided to the code official.

2018 Washington State Energy Code RE-31 < R403.3.4 Duct leakage.

The total leakage of the ducts, measured in accordance with Section R403.3.3, shall be as follows:

1. Rough-in test: Total leakage shall be less than or equal to 4 cfm (113.3 L/min) per 100 square feet (9.29 m2 ) of conditioned floor area when tested at a pressure differential of 0.1 inches w.g. (25 Pa) across the system, including the manufacturer's air handler enclosure. All registers shall be taped or otherwise sealed during the test. If the air handler is not installed at the time of the test, total leakage shall be less than or equal to 3 cfm (85 L/min) per 100 square feet (9.29 m2 ) of the conditioned floor area.

2. Post-construction test: Leakage to outdoors shall be less than or equal to4 cfm (113.3 L/min) per 100 square feet (9.29 m2 ) of conditioned floor area or total leakage shall be less than or equal to 4 cfm (113.3 L/min) per 100 square feet (9.29 m2 ) of conditioned floor area when tested at a pressure differential of 0.1 inches w.g. (25 Pa) across the entire system, including the manufacturer's air handler enclosure. All register boots shall be taped or otherwise sealed during the test.

Duct Sealing:

R403.3 Ducts. Ducts and air handlers shall be installed in accordance with Sections R403.3.1 through R403.3.7. R403.3.1 Insulation. Ducts outside the building's thermal envelope shall be insulated to a minimum of R-8. Ducts within a concrete slab or in the ground shall be insulated to R-10 with insulation designed to be used below grade. Exception: Ducts or portions thereof located completely inside the building's thermal envelope. Ducts located in crawl spaces do not qualify for this exception. R403.3.2 Sealing. Ducts, air handlers, and filter boxes shall be sealed. Joints and seams shall comply with either the International Mechanical Code or International Residential Code, as applicable. Exceptions: 1. Air-impermeable spray foam products shall be permitted to be applied without additional joint seals. 2. For ducts having a static pressure classification of less than 2 inches of water column (500 Pa), additional closure systems shall not be required for continuously welded joints and seams, and locking-type joints and seams of other than the snap-lock and button-lock types. R403.3.2.1 Sealed air handler. Air handlers shall have a manufacturer's designation for an air leakage of no more than 2 percent of the design air flow rate when tested in accordance with ASHRAE 193

2018 Blower Door Testing

R402.4.1.2 Testing. The building or dwelling unit shall be tested and verified as having an air leakage rate of not exceeding 5 air changes per hour. Testing shall be conducted with a blower door at a pressure of 0.2 inches w.g. (50 Pascals). For this test only, the volume of the home shall be the conditioned floor area in ft2 (m2 ) multiplied by 8.5 feet (2.6 m). Where required by the code official, testing shall be conducted by an approved third party. A written report of the results of the test shall be signed by the party conducting the test and provided to the code official. Testing shall be performed at any time after the creation of all penetrations of the building's thermal envelope. Once the visual inspection has confirmed sealing (see Table R402.4.1.1), operable windows and doors manufactured by small businesses shall be permitted to be sealed off at the frame prior to the test. Exception: For dwelling units that are accessed directly from the outdoors, other than detached one-family dwellings and townhouses, an air leakage rate not exceeding 0.4 cfm per square foot of the dwelling unit enclosure area shall be an allowable alternative. Testing shall be conducted with a blower door at a pressure of 0.2 inches w.g. (50 Pascals) in accordance with RESNET/ICC 380, ASTM E779, or ASTM E1827. For the purpose of this test only, the enclosure area to be calculated as the perimeter of the dwelling unit, measured to the outside face of the exterior walls, and the centerline of party walls, times 8.5 feet, plus the ceiling and floor area. Doors and windows of adjacent dwelling units (including top and bottom units) shall be open to the outside during the test. This exception is not permitted for dwelling units that are accessed from corridors or other enclosed common areas.

During testing:

1. Exterior windows and doors, fireplace and stove doors shall be closed, but not sealed, beyond the intended weatherstripping or other infiltration control measures.

2. Dampers including exhaust, intake, makeup air, backdraft, and flue dampers shall be closed, but not sealed beyond intended infiltration control measures.

3. Interior doors, if installed at the time of the test, shall be open, and access hatches to conditioned crawl spaces, and conditioned attics shall be open.

4. Exterior or interior terminations for continuous ventilation systems and heat recovery ventilators shall be sealed.

5. Heating and cooling systems, if installed at the time of the test, shall be turned off.

6. Supply and return registers, if installed at the time of the test, shall be fully open.

Exceptions:

1. Additions less than 500 square feet of conditioned floor area.

2. Additions tested with the existing home having a combined maximum air leakage rate of 7 air changes per hour. To qualify for this exception, the date of construction of the existing house must be prior to the 2009 Washington State Energy Code.

Call us today to learn how we can better help you comply with the 2018 Washington State Energy Code - PTCS  call 425.608.9553 for independent Blower Door, CFM Verification, and Air Duct Testing