OUR SERVICES CALCULATING YOUR ENERGY EFFICIENCY
for the Greater Sacramento Area
The WHAT and the WHY of our Field Verification and Diagnostic Testing. These are our most common services. Please contact us for additional requests.
Refrigerant Charge
(MCH-25)
WHAT: Title 24 requires all HVAC altered by installation/replacement of refrigerant-containing system components, shall have the proper refrigerant charge verified in accordance with all applicable codes.
WHY: The purpose of refrigerant is to pull heat from one location and move it to another. Refrigerant pressures need to be in a specific range to perform properly. Too much or too little refrigerant is detrimental to the efficient transfer of heat.
Airflow Testing
(MCH-23)
WHAT: System airflow is a mandatory Title 24 verification, in all climate zones, when an entirely new or replacement duct system is installed.
Similar to blood-pressure, Airflow is directly determined by pressure difference & pathway conditions. Airflow is intimately linked to refrigerant & cooling capacity; therefore it's essential to verify airflow is performing at compliant rates.
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WHY: A number of factors are responsible for how well air flows through an HVAC system. Diminished airflow means condition air is not reaching its desired destination at the volume necessary for optimal system efficiency.
Building Infiltration
WHAT: A Blower Door is used to test the building envelope at a test pressure of 50 Pascals with reference to outside. All windows and doors to outside are sealed and locked to perform the test.
WHY: The purpose of testing the building infiltration rate is to determine how much conditioned air is leaking out of the building envelope. When the A/C unit is on it produces a positive pressure which can cause conditioned air to be pushed out of the home.
Fan Efficacy
(MCH-22)
WHAT: Formally know as the "Watt-draw ratio", this test determines if the fan motor is operating as intended, under normal operating conditions, i.e. how much energy is used to move 1 CFM of air.
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WHY: The Air-hanhler (fan) is the Heart of an HVAC system. If the fan performance is inhibited, system capacity plummets, and other system components are at risk of failure.
Research has shown that the majority of residential HVAC systems have fan efficacy far below the necessary levels for optimum system performance.
Air Balancing
WHAT: Air balancing is a service that involves modifying the settings of an HVAC system to make sure that air is evenly distributed throughout the home.
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WHY: If you have hot and cold spots in your home, airflow problems, or if some areas of the home receive more conditioned air than others, you could greatly benefit from Professional Air Balancing.
Most people are unaware that closing supply registers in cold rooms doesn't necessarily increase cooling in hotter rooms, but reduces overall system airflow.
Duct Testing
(MCH-20)
WHAT: Title 24 mandatory verification to calculate the amount of conditioned air which would leak from the duct system during normal operating conditions. In an ideal system there would be zero duct leakage.
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WHY: Like the veins in a body, ducts are designed to deliver a flow to its desired destination. A leakage from the supply ducts means expensive conditioned air is being dumped into unconditioned space (outside). A leakage in return ducts pulls unwanted air into the system causing increased energy expenses, as well as introducing dangerous pollutants into your home (asbestos, insulation fibers, mold, dust, animal waste, etc).
