Priority Energy

Home Performance is a term used to describe how well your home performs on any or all fronts; such as comfort, indoor air quality, energy efficiency, and general durability. Our technicians are trained to assess your homes performance related to all of these topics be it relative to a state energy code, your own expectations, or programs like Energy Star for Homes.

Indoor air quality (IAQ) in our homes can be impacted by leaks in the home's shell, leaks in the duct work, excess humidity or moisture, lack of ventilation...to name a few. Headaches, allergy symptoms, a rash; these all can be caused by poor air quality in your home. The EPA is continually studying the effects of indoor environments on our health; especially in this work-at-home new world.

A Manual J report refers to the standard developed by the air conditioning contractors of America (ACCA) for sizing your heating and cooling systems. It is one of the most widely accepted residential standards around. There are several parts, Manual J - which is the sizing of of the system for the whole home, and room by room - giving the BTUs (british thermal units) required to both heat and cool your home. All furnaces and air conditioners are sized by the BTUs they can provide to your home. There is also a Manual S - which is equipment selection, and Manual D - duct design and sizing. All of the pieces work together and start with the Manual J. Priority Energy can help you with all of these.

That's a good question, and unfortunately the answer often depends on the specifics of your home. It could be caused by a problem with the envelope (a term we used to describe the outside of your home or room - containing insulation and air sealing) in a specific room - meaning the room leaks more air from/to the outside or is insulated less/more relative to other rooms in your home. It could also mean there is a mismatch of the heating or cooling be supplied to the room compared to what is required to maintain the same temperature as the rest of your home. Our technicians are trained to examine your home and/or problem rooms to identify the cause or causes be it envelope related or mechanical related or both.

A blower door test refers the process of using a large fan to pressurize or depressurize your home or building (with all outside doors and windows shut) to a set pressure. Once the building is at this specified pressure we can calculate the amount of air leakage at that specific pressure which can be compared to energy codes, other homes, or can serve as a baseline for any improvements made to the home to make it more air tight. A blower door test also serves as a way for us to identify air leakage into your home or commercial space that may be causing you indoor air quality, comfort or energy issues. By speeding up the leakage we can use other tools to find the leaks and recommend corrections.