Quality Construction
Assessment Project

Information gained from the project will help the Energy Commission improve both the Title 24 energy efficiency building standards and the Home Energy Rating System (HERS), and ultimately increase construction quality, which will help builders increase sales and profits, provide energy savings for their customers, and reduce complaints and callbacks.

Diagnostic tools such as duct testers, blower doors and infrared cameras will be used to assess the post-construction quality of 60 new homes throughout the state (See details below). Davis Energy Group and a team of subcontractors will gather extensive data on duct systems, insulation installation and air infiltration.

The two-year project will also identify builders who use diagnostic testing, distinguishing their homes from those built by other companies.

The program will focus on:

Ducts

• Duct protocol and "Appendix F" duct efficiency calculation techniques will be assessed to determine their effectiveness in addressing problem areas and achieving realistic estimates of duct performance and energy savings.

• In the first year of the program, the quality of duct systems installed by "leading edge" contractors, who currently use diagnostic tools, will be assessed.

• In the second year, the quality of duct systems installed by contractors claiming Title 24 compliance credit for improved ducts will be assessed.

Insulation

• Assess the installation quality of different insulation products in California homes.

• Determine the extent and energy impacts of common insulation installation problems.

• Evaluate the effectiveness of the Commission's insulation protocol in addressing problem areas.

• Develop methods for using diagnostic tools to quantify the extent of insulation installation problems and guide the correction of those problems in particular houses.

• Assess the applicability of research done by Oak Ridge National Lab and the "affordable comfort" industry to California.

Air Leakage and Air Pressure

• Assess quality of building envelope air sealing by measuring the total air leakage and relative pressure in conditioned space and building cavities.

• Analyze common air leakage and air pressure problem areas and quantify the energy impacts.

• Assess the effectiveness of the building envelope sealing protocol in addressing problem areas and the residential infiltration and ventilation calculation method for quantifying the energy impact of air leakage.

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For more information on Quality Homes,
drop us an e-mail at:
eehomes@energy.state.ca.us