Old homes and new are getting comfier and more efficient with standards that improve control and reduce wasted energy. Upgrading old homes to the performance-tested comfort systems standard, or buying an Energy Star Home when shopping for new construction can go a long way to better livability and lower bills.
The initials PTCS might sound like the latest health hazard, but they’re just the opposite. The performance-tested comfort systems standard reduces health hazards in your home. If PTCS is invading anything, it’s building codes. Contractors following the PTCS and duct-sealing standards build a better-sealed home with tighter ducts, and efficient heat pumps and air circulation systems. By creating a more controlled environment, PTCS reduces the constant switching on and off that shortens the life of a heating system.
Residential and commercial codes are getting stricter regarding energy efficiency. So, builders erect new homes and business structures that use less energy every year. Once upon a time, there was a belief that buildings had to “breathe.” That is a house had to let air in and out. That was when energy was cheaper and insulation thinner.
While it’s true that air needs to circulate in and out of a building, no one could really say how much air leaked out or seeped in. And, no one had a reason to measure it. As energy costs rose, building owners asked for more energy-efficient buildings. Building designs improved, because standards organizations such as Energy Star and others supported higher standards for home energy efficiency, and building designers made measurements to prove buildings met these standards.
New homes built to Energy Star Homes standards often include smaller, but more efficient furnaces and work to create a more comfortable home with less temperature variation and less costs for heating and cooling a home.
Along with utility programs and education, often funded through regional organizations such as the Bonneville Power Administration, today’s building codes dictate that changes to existing homes make them more energy efficient, healthy and comfortable.
“New, tighter codes let the BPA combine its PTCS and Prescriptive Duct Sealing programs,” explained Sarah Moore, residential sector lead for BPA. “The change makes it simpler to receive utility incentives.”
Improved compliance
To meet Energy Star Home standards for new construction, builders measure leakage of the exterior shell with blower door tests and measure duct leakage with duct blaster tests to prove the homes meet the quality standards these codes set. If a home fails a whole house or duct blaster test, the builder needs to find out why and fix the problem. Something as simple as a disconnected duct or loose joint in an attic or crawl space could be the cause and is easily fixed. With the fix completed, the builder must redo the test to prove the home meets the standards.
“Thanks to stricter codes, most builders are meeting the minimum energy-efficiency standards voluntarily,” said Moore. “So, the BPA is also dropping incentives for duct sealing in new homes under construction as of October 1 this year. However, once a home is occupied, a homeowner may apply for the incentive if the home doesn’t meet the required efficiency standard.” Homeowners still qualify for the duct-sealing incentive through Clark Public Utilities for existing electrically heated homes.
For homeowners looking to improve efficiency in existing electrically heated homes, Clark Public Utilities’ website has a list of approved PTCS-trained contractors who provide high-quality installations of qualified efficiency heat pumps and the sealing of ducts to increase energy savings, improve health and comfort. Both the BPA and Clark Public Utilities do spot checks on a percentage of installations to make sure the work meets the standards. Since 2006, 47,000 homes in the state have received PTCS services, increasing comfort as well as energy efficiency.
Energy Adviser is written by Clark Public Utilities. Send questions to ecod@clarkpud.com or to Energy Adviser, c/o Clark Public Utilities, P.O. Box 8900, Vancouver, WA 98668.
