Home Energy Audit Photo Album: Home Energy Audit in Rehoboth Beach, DE

Lawson Home Services inspects these Rehoboth Beach, DE condo units every year. And every year the situation gets worse because the home owners don't invest in upgrading the crawlspace insulation. Nearly every one of these units were built the same. Originally these were vented crawlspaces. Another company came in here years ago and encapsulated the crawlspace, but failed to perform one of the most important steps: moving the insulation barrier from the floor deck to the foundation walls. As a result gravity is having its way and as the pictures show the insulation is falling away from the floors. This leaves the underside of the floor deck totally exposed to the outdoor temperatures in the crawlspace. You can just imagine what this feels like to the occupants from October through May. In addition it allows precious heat energy to escape, costing hundreds of extra dollars in heating bills each winter. But having this mix of temperatures between the crawlspace and the living spaces causes other problems as well. We see water stains on the crawlspace floor liner in nearly every one of these units. Where is it coming from? It could be plumbing leaks. It could be ground water intrusion. It could be a problem with the dehumidifier. But it could also be the result of condensation occurring on the sewer pipes and dripping off all summer long. Lawson Home Services staff are well trained in building science and are certified by the Building Performance Institute (BPI), an organization recognized by the building industry as the leading experts in home energy efficiency and comfort. Our inspectors and energy auditors know what they are looking for and they can spot the problems in the early stages before they develop into something serious. This gives homeowners a helpful "heads up" warning that can save thousands of dollars in costly repairs and unnecessarily high energy bills. So why not give Lawson Home Services a call and schedule an energy audit for your home. Delaware residents get an added bonus: the audits are currently being subsidized by the "Energize Delaware" program. You should sieze this opportunity while the program still exists, since as with all things, we are never guaranteed it will be around next year.

Lots of uhhh-ooos

A trained eye will see several major problems in this photograph: The dehumidifier is not draining properly and is spilling over flooding the crawlspace floor liner, The crawlspace liner is detached from the wall and falling away The insulation that was installed in the floor joists is succumbing to the forces of gravity. Once it is no longer in direct contact with the floor deck it is completely useless.

Dehumidifier hose must be clogged

The dehumidifier drain hose is apparently clogged. As a result the dehumidifier is over flowing directly onto the crawlspace floor liner. What good does it do to pull the humidity out of the air to simply spill it onto the floor where it evaporates right back into the air it came from? A useless loop that costs the homeowner a lot of money for nothing. The solution is a fairly simple one. But only a trained technician like the BPI certified staff of Lawson Home Services will know what to do.

Insulation TOTAL FAIL

The insulation here has completely dropped away leaving this section of the floor deck completely exposed to outdoor air temperatures. There is also an open pvc pipe hanging there. What purpose does that serve? More than likely it is a drain in the laundry area designed to drain the floor in the event of a washing machine overflow. That should be routed to the sump pump

Fail fail fail

There are all kinds of problems with this floor deck insulation. A trained specialist can spot them immediately. In fact this insulation shouldn't even be here. Instead the insulation should be on the foundation walls so that it protects the entire crawlspace and keeps the air here clean and dry the same as the air in the living spaces above. Lawson Home Services can make these changes if the homeowner decides they want it to be done.

Insulation not in contact

The insulation here is utterly useless since it is not in contact with the floor deck. We see this kind of thing very often. This installation was done before contractors were really paying much attention to things. They just slapped these condo units together as quickly as they could. This is what results. Dr. Energy Saver has an affordable solution to this problem.

Rim band left bare

This part of the construction is called the rim band. It is the frame inside which the floor decking is built. The outer side is exposed to the outside air, typically only covered by the siding, but nothing else. It allows heat to escape the home all the way around the perimeter at the base. In addition it is one of the worst places where outside air is drawn into the crawlspace. Dr. Energy Saver has a solution - insulate and air seal each bay of the entire rim band with SilverGlo™ rigid foam board and seal it in place with expanding Zyp™ foam.