Home Air-Leakage Testing

Air leaking into and out of your home, whether it's old or new, could be driving up your energy costs. Air leaks also can create air-quality issues that can lead to health problems for your family.

OPPD's Energy Information Center is now offering home air-leakage testing and consulting. For a fee, OPPD will send a certified energy rater to your home to conduct computerized blower door testing.

For this test, all of the home's windows and exterior doors are closed, then a fan is installed in the front door with a special airtight seal. With the fan running, the energy rater monitors the flow of air through the fan, as well as the air pressure in the home.

Once the home is sealed and depressurized, the rater can detect exactly where air is leaking into or out of the home. Sealing those leaks can reduce the home energy costs by 20 to 40 percent.

In addition to the air-leakage test, the rater will perform a visual inspection of accessible areas in your attic, basement and crawlspaces, then recommend how best to seal and/or insulate these areas.

For more information about this service, please call the OPPD Energy Advisor at 636-3850 (1-800-648-2658 outside the metro) or e-mail energyadvisor@oppd.com.

A brochure, Detect Air Leaks in Your Home, is also available for you to view online (PDF document, opens in new window).