How Air Tight Is Your Home?--Get a Blower Door Test

If you want to stay cool in the summer and warm in the winter, you need to reduce your air infiltration.  Your energy bill could be much higher than necessary if your house is too drafty. Call Wayne-White Electric Cooperative and ask for a Blower Door Test to determine the leaks in your home’s building envelope. At a cost of just $25, members can find out exactly where their air leaks are located and take the necessary steps to correct the problem areas before the winter winds begin to blow and your heating bills go up.  The air leaks are measured by by two criteria.  One is CFM (cubic feet per minute) of air loss.  Another measurement we provide is the ACH (air changes per hour). Ideally, your CFM reading will be at or below the amount of square footage in your home. (ie: 2400sq. feet = 2400 CFM or less)  Your goal for the ACH should be 5 or less (air changes per hour). 

The Blower Door Test is a special scientific piece of equipment connected to your door that changes the building pressure in your home with a special fan. It forces the air to blow through the leaks you may have in the envelope of your home in a very noticeable manner, making it easy to identify the problem areas in your home. When you learn where the leaks are located, you can add insulation, caulking, spray foam, etc. to keep out the winter chill and save money on your heating bills. The results will also save you money on your air-conditioning bill in the summer time. A Blower Door Test only takes about 45 minutes to 1 hour to complete, which includes a written data report, list of leak points in your home and suggestions for correcting your problem areas.  If you are a Wayne-White member/customer, you can sign-up for a Blower Door Test simply by calling the Cooperative office at 842-2196.  A small fee of $25.00 will be assessed for each test, but if we come back to your home for a repeat test after you make the necessary corrections to tighten your home, the follow-up test is FREE.