A lot. After our audit, typical customers spend between $2,000 and $10,000 on home weatherization and insulation and generally achieve energy savings of between 15% and 50%.

Between 2 and 3 hours.

It's not essential, but it is recommended for you to at least be there at the beginning and the end of the audit. At the start It's helpful if you can introduce us to your home, its history and the heating system and tell us about areas of concern, such as rooms that you feel are drafty or cold. At the end of the test we like to share our initial findings with you right away, and it is helpful if we can walk around your home with you to point out how your building is functioning and the key opportunities for saving heat, money and carbon emissions.

Yes. During part of the test it is important to avoid continuous opening and closing of exterior doors; but even during this phase we can easily pause the test if need be for someone to exit or enter.

In preparation for the test please shut and lock tight all the windows and storm windows and doors. If there are fireplaces, vacuum up any ashes and close the dampers. If there is soot or grit in your chimneys the test may dislodge it onto the floor in front of the hearth: so if this is a concern, please take care to protect these areas.

There are 5 key stages:
1. Home introduction and walk through
2. Data collection and test preparation
3. Blower door test
4. Air infiltration diagnosis: where are the leaks?
5. Combusion analysis test
6. Review of findings and discussion with homeowner

We will measure the dimensions of the building with a focus on the square footage of livable space and of exterior walls above grade and the roof. In preparation for the test we will need to turn off your boiler, which is also an opportunity to check on its efficiency and fuel source. It is helpful if you can provide information on annual fuel utilization and your current cost of fuel.

The blower door is a critical part of the audit. It is a sophisticated computer-controlled fan that we place in an exterior door. The fan is gradually sped up, to depressurize the interior space until we get to a pressure difference of 50 Pascals between inside and outside your home.. We then measure the amount of cubic feet of air per minute being pulled into the building at 50 Pascals, and then at 45 Pascals , at 40, 35, 30. etc and plot it on a graph. This among other things will give us the building's air exchange rate when it is in everyday use. By depressurizing the building we also achieve an enhanced view of how the building functions: i.e. we can more readily see the spots where heated (or cooled) air is leaking out.

The thermal camera is one tool for confirming where your home is leaking air, dollars and carbon, The thermal camera makes an image based on temperature rather than visible images. Cold areas look blue and warm areas look yellow or red. We use this camera while the blower door is depressurizing the building to see cold or hot air coming in (when the building is not pressurized this is where the heated or cooled air is leaking out). Moisture has a different heat signature than the surrounding dry areas, so we can also pick up on leaks from interior spaces like plumbing problems, or from leaks due to problems in the exterior wall or roof surfaces.

So long as there is a temperature difference of around 10 degrees F between the inside conditioned space and the outside, the thermal camera gives us valuable inputs. In the fall and winter it typically shows the movement and impact of cold air and in the spring and summer it typically show the movement and impact of hot air; and we have plenty of other tools to identify air leakage even when outside temperatures are the same as inside temperatures: so don't delay on getting your audit done and getting on the road to saving energy and money.

We use a special meter and probe to determine levels of carbon monoxide in gas fired appliances, i.e.: water heaters, gas boilers/furnaces, etc. This allows us to measure the parts per million of carbon dioxide exhausting from your appliances, whether the appliance is drafting properly, or if there is back draft. We can then verify the efficiency and the continued safe usage of your appliances.

Just about. But now comes the most important part of the audit. We sit down with you to:
- discuss what we have learned and explore issues like your building's air exchange rate, insulation levels and other key findings
- explain how your home compares to other similar homes in your area
- point out any building safety issues which we have noticed during the visit
- answer any questions you may have
- identify a preliminary set of actions to improve your building

Yes. Within one week you will receive a summary report with pictures, which we will mail to you, or email to save paper. With this information and our continued input, you can develop your plan to reduce significantly the amount of energy you need to heat and cool your building.

We are finding that many homeowners want to "pick the low-hanging fruit" as soon as possible, so we are always ready to help within a few days and often on the same day. However, we of course will work with you to find the best time to get the work done.

Here are some typical first steps:

We work with you to identify the additional action steps, which are right for you. These steps could include:

No. The vast majority of buildings are so leaky that we can reduce air loss significantly before needing to provide additional fresh air. Occasionally, though we will need to install active fan ventilation, which is a little fan (like a bathroom fan, or kitchen fan) to draw fresh air in to keep your indoor air quality high. If necessary, the small electric usage drawn by this fan, is inconsequential compared to the large savings of heating energy. We will design the source of the new fresh air supply. We design the fan and duct work needed and provide the proper amount of air per occupant. We can incorporate a heat recovery ventilator, and recapture as much of the heat from the outgoing air as possible.

The "Whole House Energy Audit" costs $500. This includes the Blower Door Test, the use of the Thermal Camera and the detailed discussion of the findings and options.

A typical program of immediate "weatherization" steps - such as weather stripping windows and doors and selective insulation - will cost around $1500. However, it could be less or more dependent on the exact scope of work.

Beyond these basics there is an almost infinite variety of options and possibilities. Here are some cost guidelines for some of the major options:
- "Whole House Insulation": $5,000 to $10,000
- Window replacement: $200 - $300 per window
- Boiler replacement: $3000 to $5000
- Geo-thermal system: $20,000 to $30,000

The cost of the Whole House Energy Audit is no longer eligible for rebates. But, there are a tremendous number of tax credits and rebate programs for remediation work done to improve the energy efficiency of your home and for installing high-efficiency heating, cooling or water heating systems. So your total out-of-pocket cost is only a fraction of these amounts, and maybe even zero.

Here is an example of how it works: National Grid and Nstar Gas provide an expected rebate of 75% of the cost of air infiltration sealing and weatherization (among other things) up to $2,000.00. This is true if you are heating with gas or oil, though the process for each type of customer is somewhat different. However, In order to qualify for the utility rebate program, homeowners must now have an energy assessment with MassSave before starting the work.

Beyond the rebates, everyone is eligible for the $1500 Federal Tax Credits for Energy Efficiency. The most up to date information can be found at: http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=products.pr_tax_credits#s1

Generally, the tax credit is equal to 30% of the cost of materials subject to an overall cap of $1,500.

Amazingly yes! In fact, this is one of the few times in the tax code when you are explicitly allowed to double dip! Or as the tax research firm RIA (www. ria.thomsonreuters.com) notes: The 2009 Recovery Act eliminates the rules under which expenditures made from subsidized energy financing weren't taken into account for purposes of the Residential Energy-Efficient Property (REEP) Credit as amended by 2009 Recovery Act § 1103(b)(2)(B)). To be more specific, below is a table of the tax credits and rebates you will receive depending on your expenditures. As you can see, if you spend around $2,700 you can actually put some money in your pocket after the rebate and the credit. To reach the maximum credit and rebate combined, you would want to spend at least $5000.

Remember though, the purpose of this process is not to maximize your rebate and tax credit, it is to make your house more energy efficient. The on-going value of making your house more energy efficient, will likely dwarf one-year's worth of rebates and tax credits.

Yes. The MassSave Home Assessment generally involves a walk-through and assessment by a member of their staff. During this assessment they will visually inspect your home to determine where you are losing energy. You will then receive a written Weatherization Recommendations Summary Report.

This program is superficial by design and does not include our rigorous testing; there is no blower door test, thermal imaging or combustion analysis to truly diagnose the energy efficiency of your home. It is worth doing, but it is not a substitute for what Green Guild does.

We suggest you start with Green Guild’s Comprehensive Whole House Energy Audit. Then with your Green Guild reports in hand – call MassSave (1-866-527-7283) to schedule the Home Energy Assessment. This process will ensure you have all the energy saving facts for your home in hand during your assessment. Once you have the “Weatherization Recommendations Summary Report” from MassSave, we can move forward with the remediation work. When the work is complete, the homeowner signs the Rebate Request Application. The customer rebate is deducted directly from the invoice sent to you by us (your contractor). We then submit the application to the utility company for our reimbursement.