Comfort Institute

Independent research* shows that over 90% of homes have hidden air control problems. Is your home one of them?

Achieve a comfortable, safe, healthy and efficient home: Improve indoor temperature and humidity - put a stop to rooms that are too hot or too cold. Reduce indoor air impurities - decrease dust and help allergy sufferers breathe easier. Lower operating costs - save money on your utility and repair bills.

Some indoor air quality problems - like poorly ventilated combustion gases or carbon monoxide creeping in from the garage - might even be making your family ill. There are solutions. The first step is to pinpoint the precise cause of your problems with a Whole House Comfort Checkup. A Whole House Comfort Checkup is a thorough evaluation of all your home's comfort systems. A specially trained Comfort and Indoor Air Quality Consultant will visit your home and - using advanced diagnostic instruments and testing procedures - will identify problems that affect your indoor living environment. Your consultant will then provide you with a personalized plan to solve these problems, permanently.

Initial Consultation
Your checkup starts with an initial interview with a Comfort and Indoor Air Quality Consultant. Your input provides valuable information, such as whether any rooms feel clammy when the air conditioner is running, or if any parts of the house need to be dusted more often than others. We encourage all the adults in your home to participate in this initial consultation since everyone's perception of comfort and indoor air quality is unique.

Equipment Inspection
The inspection begins with your heating and cooling equipment. Is it efficient, dependable and safe? Your consultant will visually inspect your equipment for any signs of deterioration, improper installation, or insufficient maintenance. We will let you know the average life span of your type of equipment. Your consultant will also evaluate your system's air filtration and purification efficiency, to determine if improvements would better clean your indoor air.

Insulation Inspection
Even the best heating and cooling system will have trouble keeping you comfortable or will cost more to run if you don't have enough insulation. Your consultant will visually inspect insulation levels throughout your home and determine if they meet currently recommended levels. More importantly, we will look for hidden defects, such as hollow wall cavities, that allow air and heat to bypass your insulation. Attic ventilation levels will also be checked.

Air Leakage Evaluation
Not all air leaks are created equal. From an air quality standpoint, those around your windows and doors are good leaks, since they let in fresh outdoor air. Bad leaks let in dusty, moldy or polluted air from your attic, garage or crawl space. Leaky air ducts often bring in dirty air and cause your heating and cooling equipment to perform well below peak efficiency. As part of the infiltrometer blower door test, your consultant will pinpoint where your home's worst air leaks are, and where improvements can be made.

Air Flow Diagnosis
If your air duct system has hidden design flaws or blockages, your air flow will be restricted or unevenly distributed. This wastes your money and can make your home uncomfortable. Studies conducted for electric utilities nationwide show that over 66% of heat pumps and air conditioners suffer from this problem. Your consultant will conduct 'static pressure' tests - like a blood pressure check for your ducts - to reveal and hidden blockages or design problems.

Personalized Improvements Plan
Once the inspection and testing are complete, your consultant will explain the results, and give you a prioritized plan of recommended improvements. Many - such as adding insulation or weather-stripping - can be performed by homeowners as weekend projects. Other improvements may require professionals. Upon request, your consultant will prepare a proposal for repairs we can perform and can recommend other contractors for services we do not offer.

According to the Department of Energy, "The typical duct system loses 25% to 40% of the energy put out by the central furnace, heat pump or air conditioner." Are you throwing away 25 cents to 40 cents out of every utility dollar? Find out if you are, and how to stop it.

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