Certified Home Inspections
Buying a home is one of the biggest decisions that you will make in your lifetime and one of the largest purchases that you will ever make. A home inspection by a Certified Home Inspector is an impartial and in-depth evaluation of the property you plan to purchase by a trained professional.
A home inspection will:
- Evaluate the physical condition: the structure, construction and mechanical systems.
- Identify items that need repair or replacement
- Estimate the remaining useful life of the major systems (such as electrical, plumbing, heating, air conditioning), equipment, structure and finishes.
After the inspection is complete you will receive a detailed, written report of the property condition. The information that you receive will help you determine whether the new home is right for you and is normally utilized to negotiate repairs or replacement of major system components.
Energy Audits
SCHEDULE YOUR ENERGY AUDIT HERE
Who needs an Audit?
- If you are considering replacement of a Furnace or Air Conditioner
- II you are sick and tired of paying high energy bills
- If you are considering replacement windows
- If you are considering remodeling projects including roof repair, water damage, siding, drywall replacement, major plumbing repairs.
- If you suspect that your energy bills are too high
- If your home is not comfortable. ie cold in the winter, hot in the summer
- If your house does not maintain a consistent temperature from room to room within 3 degrees
- If you are concerned about reducing our dependence on foreign oil
- If you would like to reduce your carbon foot print
There are other reasons that a Home Performance audit might be a good idea. Some new houses are so tight that it becomes unhealthy for the occupants because there is not enough fresh air coming into the house.
Other reasons to have a Home Performance Audit:
- Damp, musty, moldy conditions
- Your family complains of headaches, nausea or they just feel bad when they are at home but are fine outside the home
- Your furnace is tucked away in a tiny utility room
- You suffer from severe allergies
What the audit entails:
- The Combustion Appliance Zone test. This test assures that your combustion appliances have enough air for complete combustion and that the flue byproducts always travel up the flue instead of into your home.
- The Blower Door test. A Blower door is used to depressurize the house so that leaks in the building envelope can be detected and repaired.
- A physical inspection of the property to identify noticeable problems.
- A utility bill analysis
- Duct Blaster Test – To determine the amount of energy being lost through the duct system
After the initial audit is completed the Auditor will crunch the numbers and provide you with a report offering suggestions for inprovement. The report outlines the following:
- Suggested Energy Improvements
- Savings to Investment Ratios for each proposed improvement
- Suggestions regarding safety concerns
Empowered with this information you can make the improvements yourself or hire a contractor. Once the improvements are made the Home Performance Auditor returns to perform an additional Blower Door Test to prove the results.
Power Companies such as KCP&L here and Missouri Gas Energy have always had Energy Programs but now they are requiring that a Certified Energy Star Home Performance Auditor perform an audit before they will pay out for the improvements. The reason is simple. The Audit provides them with a comprehensive report of the condition of the house before and after the improvements are made and the results are quantifiable.
To contact a Home Performance Auditor check your Energy companies website for Energy Star Home Performance programs.
Here are a couple links if you would like to investigate further:
www.missourihomeperformance.org
http://www.kcpl.com/residential/homeperf.html
