Case Study: 601 Harmon St., Birmingham, MI

Case Study:
601 Harmon St., Birmingham, MI
Home Performance Meets the Birmingham Real Estate Market
Green Home Energy, a home performance contracting company based in SE Michigan,
works with homeowners to make their homes more comfortable and energy efficient.
Since founded by owner Mark Pytiak in 2011, GHE has been involved in the real estate
industry by supporting various trade organizations, and teaching Realtors about home
performance and local rebate programs. Paul Mychalowych, owner/broker of
Birmingham Realty, had learned about the Home Performance with Energy Star
program from Green Home Energy in 2012, and has since referred GHE to a number of
clients with home performance issues.
Paul had been working with the homeowners of 601 Harmon since late Fall 2013, finding
a new home and getting their current home ready to list in the spring. During a
conversation with Paul, the homeowners had mentioned in passing that certain areas in
the home, especially the third floor, were cold in the winter time and hot in the summer.
This was made especially apparent during one of the many “Polar Vortex” weather
patterns that Michiganders experienced this past winter. Paul immediately thought of
Mark at Green Home Energy and brought him to consult with the homeowners. The
following is a case study detailing the steps the home went through during its home
efficiency upgrade.
Basic Home Facts:
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Built in 1999
Single family three story home with finished basement
5,516 square feet above grade with an additional 1,894 square feet in the
basement
Occupied by two adults and one adolescent
Annual average utility cost of $5,600
Average monthly utility costs $469.58
Comprehensive Energy Analysis
In order to properly assess the home’s current level of performance, Green Home
Energy brought in Joe Presto of Accurate Energy Audits. Joe is a BPI or Building
Performance Institute certified third party energy auditor. This means that Joe does not
work for Green Home Energy, and reports directly to the homeowner to deliver an
unbiased analysis of the home. The comprehensive energy audit incudes a number of
diagnostic tests that help the auditor measure certain performance metrics of the home,
and isolates problems areas so that recommendations for improvement can be made.
The following were the findings and recommendations made by Accurate Energy Audits,
and the subsequent measures that were installed by Green Home Energy to improve the
efficiency of the home:
- Above optimal measured air leakage rates. A blower door test was conducted
and while the home was depressurized at a constant level of – 50 Pa, the home was
found to leak air at a rate of 6,695 C.F.M, or Cubic Feet per Minute. The building airflow
standard, or BAS, for this home was calculated at 3,918 C.F.M. The building airflow
standard is the minimum amount of indoor and outdoor air that should be exchanging
through the home based on its volume. When air leakage is not high enough, poor
indoor air quality can result from a build up of dust and other allergens, and additional
mechanical ventilation is required. When air leakage rates are too high, as with 601
Harmon, air sealing is required to retain more of the conditioned air in the home. A
number of air sealing measures were recommend for 601 Harmon, including the
following:
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Miscellaneous trim work air sealing Throughout the home during the blower door
test, it was found that there were many air
leakage points around interior window and door
trim work. As seen to the right in this thermal
image photo, air is passing underneath the floor
trim of a sliding door, these areas were
addressed simply by caulking around all interior
doors and window trim with clear painters caulk.
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Basement Bond Air sealing - The area
where the home sits on the foundation is a
weak spot in the home’s thermal envelope.
During the energy audit it was found that a
large amount of air was passing through the
bond. While there was fiberglass insulation
installed in this area, which is what the building
code calls for, the fiberglass simply acts as a
filter and does nothing to stop air infiltration.
The fiberglass insulation was removed and 2”
of R-14 of closed cell spray foam insulation
was applied to all accessible basement bonds,
properly air sealing and insulating the area.
Recessed Light Air Sealing - Recessed lights are notorious for being air
leakage points into the attic, and 601 Harmon was no different. All of the
recessed lights that had an attic space directly above were found to leak air. All
accessible recessed lights in the home were covered with air tight fire retardant
domes to reduce air leakage and thermal transfer.
Electrical Outlet Air Sealing - During the energy audit, a number of electrical
outlets were found to leak air, especially the outlets on the third floor of the home.
To remedy this, canned foam and foam gaskets were installed behind the
faceplates of the outlets to reduce the air leakage levels.
- Under Performing / Insufficient Attic Insulation.
Upon visual inspection and while conducting a thermal
image scan of the attic deck area, it was discovered that
there was an insufficient level of insulation, and much of
the existing insulation was not properly in contact with
the drywall. This results in the uneven thermal signature
that you see to the left in this thermal image scan. The
effective R-value of the attic was rated at an R-24. The
Energy Star recommended R-value for the home is
between R-49 to R-60. The recommendation was made
to reapply the existing attic insulation and add an R-25
of blown cellulose insulation to the attic deck.
- Under Performing Knee Wall / Skylite Insulation
During visual inspection and thermal image scan, it
was discovered that on the vertical knee walls and
on the skylite shafts, insulation was falling away
from the drywall, resulting in some areas having
thermal image signatures as seen on the right. The
recommendation was made to remove the failing
fiberglass insulation and to apply 2” (R-14) of
closed cell spray foam insulation. The spray foam
adheres directly to the drywall so that it will never
fall away, and it air seals any penetrations in the
walls.
- Mechanical Tune Up
While the homeowners of 601 Harmon had kept the
three furnaces in their home on a regular
maintenance schedule, the exceptional cold of the
past winter meant that the furnaces ran much more
than normal in one season. It was recommended
that the three units be inspected, cleaned, and
tuned up by a licensed professional certified by the
Consumers Energy Home Performance with
Energy Star Program. The tune ups were carried
out and an additional 1.6% of efficiency was gained
out of the furnaces.
- Lighting
In talking to the homeowners of 601 Harmon, they had mentioned that a majority of their
time is spent in and around the kitchen. In an effort to get the over all electrical base
load of the home down, it was recommended that the recessed lighting be switched out
with LED light bulbs. Twelve incandescent bulbs were switched out with ECO Smart 65
watt equivalent LED bulbs. Each bulb has a life span of 23 years, and will save over
$150 over the life of the bulb. That is an electrical savings of $80 per year in just
switching out the light bulbs in the kitchen.
Test Out Audit Results
Once all work was completed at 601 Harmon, Joe Presto from Accurate Energy Audits
returned to the home to conduct the retest, or test out, audit. The test out audit is used
to measure the home’s improvement and confirm that all measures were installed
correctly. The blower door test was conducted, and there was an overall reduction in
home air leakage of 25.5%. This brings the total air leakage rate in the home to 4,990
CFM which is now only 1,072 C.F.M above the calculated Building Airflow Standard.
The original test had the air leakage rate at 2,777 CFM above BAS. Also, thermal image
scans showed that all problem areas were now insulated and air sealed properly.
Investment and Rebates
Because the homeowners of 601 Harmon had comprehensive energy audit testing
conducted on their home, and they worked with a Consumers Energy Trade Ally in
Green Home Energy, they were eligible for cash rebates from the Consumers Energy
Home Performance with Energy Star program. The total cost of this project including all
insulating, air sealing, mechanical tune ups, and lighting came to a total of $5,904. The
rebate for this project came to a total of $1,300, or 22% of the total cost, and will be sent
to the homeowners in the form of a check directly from Consumers Energy. Based on
calculations from the Consumers Energy Beacon Home Energy Modeling software, the
annual projected utility savings from this project are $513.76, with an annual rate of
return of 11.16%. The simple payback from energy savings was calculated at nine
years, which would be dramatically sped up if Michigan keeps having “Polar Vortex”
winters. There are also the intangible benefits of having a more safe and comfortable
home. How much is having a comfortable home worth? That is up to the individual
homeowner to decide.
Information Links
Green Home Energy: www.greenmyhomenow.com
Birmingham Realty:
www.bhamrealtyllc.com
Accurate Energy Audits: www.accurateenergyaudits.com
Building Performance Institure: www.BPI.org
Home Performance with Energy Star:
http://www.consumersenergy.com/eeprograms/HPHome.aspx?id=4474

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