Kenton:
In Canada, we’re energy rating both new and old homes with essentially the same program (it’s been toned done for older homes ; will be more accurate with a new home due to having plans and all the particulars), using blower doors, detailed meausurements, house orientation, etc, etc.
Except that there is a government Grant to stimulate energy retrofits in older houses under the ECO energy program compared to no incentive for the builders on the ENERGY STAR program for new houses.
Energy Ratings on new houses are really a load of BS, its like labeling a product with an energy sticker, unless the home is self sufficient. Most Energy Advisors can improve on the energy efficiency of any newly built home by at least 5-10 points which is normally quite a bit.
There is no restriction to age of homes that get an energy audit done. A home can be 1 year old or 100 years old, the evaluation is done the same way and the grants are no different. As long as the equipment that is being replaced is better than what exists. The Ecoenergy retrofit program is geared for houses that are 15 years or older but I have performed Evals on new houses.
Every pre and post retrofit requires door blower results submitted to NRCan.
Hope this comment helps!
Yuri,
The is an incentive for the Energide for New Houses and R2000 programs in Canada. See below:
EnerGuide rating of 77 or higher - the cost of the EnerGuide registration will be rebated to the builder or the homeowner, depending on who paid the initial registration fee.
Energuide rating of 80 or higher* - The homeowner will receive an additional $500.
Building R-2000?* - The homeowner is entitled to a $1,000 rebate.
Here’s some more incentives under the EnerGuide for New Houses and R2000 program:
The Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) offers a 10% rebate on the premium of your mortgage loan insurance if your home is either an R2000 home or has an EnerGuide rating of at least 77.
Operating cost reductions - Each year you will spend less to keep warm in your new home. In the long run that adds up to huge tax free savings, savings that grow each time the price of energy increases.
My suggestion, prior to investing in a blower door, is to read a bit first.
I have read that they will no longer be recommended due to their negative effects on IAQ.
Any rumbles or rumors being past around in legislation regarding extensions or renewals of the current program.
IAQ - what is this?
Joe,
Do you have any links or articles on this? I’d be interested to read on it. I haven’t heard this come up yet.
Regards to Indoor Air Quality - Most door blower test are performed by sucking the air out, but if IAQ is an issue in a home such as an unsubstantiated fear of vermiculite in the home the fan can be reversed so the air is actually sucked in, but this is a very rare case. If a door blower is not done it must be documented on the data collection forms as to why and the client must sign off agreeing to this.
I would opt to not running the fan. 
I would like to see those links on those articles.
Cheers.
IMHO, some scare tactics being “thought” up by someone not understanding the process!! I should be sued by now if I was making people sick with blower door testing since I began doing it in 1981. Never had a complaint about dust and mould entering the house from the walls.
The highest pressure differential created across a wall in a blower door test is 60 pascals. 60 pascals is velocity pressure of a 22.3 mile per hour wind!!!
Our houses experience winds that are much higher than 22.4 mph many times a year. So if people are afraid of the pressures created in a blower door test—60 pascals… they should really be afraid of the pressures created when the wind blows 50 miles an hour—261 pascals. That should should be enough air velocity to really clean the walls out until the same time next year!!!
Brian,
I have heard from a number of reliable sources that blower door tests have either been eliminated from the list of approved procedures or soon will be. The announcement will come from the EPA, with support from the CDC.
As I understand it, the blower door significantly de-pressurizes the dwelling, and allows any number of conditions to occurr regarding Indoor Air Quality.
It has been documented that such tests actually suck in contaminents from a variety of sources, including wall cavities. Depending on what exists in these cavities (including dust, mold spores, dander, mice hair, feces, etc), these contaminents quickly permeate throughout the dwelling, landing on furniture, people, pets, food, etc.
And this is why the EPA now believes that the upside to using this technology is outweighed by the negative effects it results in.
It’s not a scare tactic on my part by any stretch of the imagination. De-pressurization is a genuine issue. For instance,studies have confirmed that high efficiency furnaces and boilers, absent of having sources of exterior combustion air, can depressurize a structure enough to cause the premature failure of thermopane window and door seals. If this moderate source of suction can cause these sort of problems, just imagine what a huge source of depressurization can cause.
Show us some documentation please. Its one thing to read what you are trying to imply, but I would like to see verifiable reliable information!
Joe,
Can you provide any documentation to support?
Joe:
I’m sorry to say that you’re just hearing stories from the street with no actual factual basis. Stuff from the street has a way of being not that good a source of info…check your sources. Remember in the mid 80’s with AIDS being only a gay male disease until some guy got it from his girlfriend!! I have seen some very well respected contractors not have a clue about this stuff but spout “facts” like they knew it inside out.
I have worked with airtight housing since 1977 and have not heard anything like this. I believe you’re as least a bit familiar wth Canada’s R2000 system with which I worked for 9+ years. During that period, two of my clients were named Canada’s R2000 “Builder of the Year”. I was a site advisor/inspector/certifying air leakage tester/“troubleshooter” for the local New Brunswick as well as doing follow-up research after the homes were lived in to ensure unforseen problems were not occurring.
Joe Lstiburek was involved in the forerunner program to and the early R2000 program and helped set the standards for the system. He’s been a main partner of the “Building America” program and sat of the board of directors of the Energy-Efficient Buildings Association and was co-chair of the American Lung Association’s “Health House” technical committee. To date, I have not heard anything from his organization to this effect…and they have been leaders in this field for years!!!
Check your sources!!!
BPI has had a recommendation of no blower testing for houses known to contain ACM’s such asbestos containing loose fill vermiculite insulation.
The biggest causes of depressurization in a home are (in order):
Not flues or appliances.
Why not just presuurize the home instead? Blower doors can run both ways.
Jim, how are you going to find air leaks by pressurizing the house?
With the blower door, that is what it does. Measures air flow.
Yes, the blower door measures pressure differential or air flow. I’m asking about finding particular places that loose heat by air leakage. You can only find them when the house is de-pressurized, not pressurized.