Blower door test rig in a doorway with the heat pump outdoor unit in the foreground

Spokane, WA

Heat Pump Energy Audits in Spokane, WA | Blower Door Testing and Thermal Imaging

Spokane WA Heat Pump Installation is a heat pump contractor providing heat pump energy audits for homeowners and property owners across Spokane County, WA and out to the Idaho state line. Every job starts from a load calculation rather than the size of whatever came out.

An energy audit measures the house rather than the equipment, and it frequently changes what equipment you should buy. Blower door testing quantifies air leakage, which is often the largest single term in an older Spokane home's heat loss and the one most commonly guessed at in a load calculation. Thermal imaging shows where insulation is missing or has settled. The result is a genuine picture of where the heat is going, which is worth having before spending on a system sized to compensate for problems that could be fixed for less.

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Heat Pump Energy Audits Spokane

Spokane WA Heat Pump Energy Audits

What actually matters in an energy audit

An audit is only worth having if it produces decisions rather than a list of observations.

Blower door test quantifying air leakage rather than estimating it
Thermal imaging conducted with sufficient temperature difference to be meaningful
Duct leakage assessed separately from envelope leakage
Findings prioritised by cost against benefit, not just listed

The most useful outcome of an audit is often that it changes the equipment decision. A house with substantial air leakage has a heat loss that reflects that leakage, and sizing a system to meet it means paying for capacity to heat air that is escaping. Air sealing frequently costs less than the additional equipment capacity it saves, and the result is a smaller system that performs better. That is only visible if the house gets measured first.

The usual approach

Calculate the load from assumptions about the construction, size the equipment to match and let the customer pay to heat the air leaks forever.

How we do it

Measure the actual air leakage and find the insulation gaps, then let the customer decide whether to fix the house or size the equipment around it.

Thermal imaging camera aimed at duct insulation above a heat pump air handler

At a glance

Air leakage: Measured by blower door test
Insulation: Located by thermal imaging
Duct leakage: Assessed separately
Output: Prioritised findings by cost and benefit

Detail

How the tests actually work

A blower door is a calibrated fan fitted into an exterior doorway that depressurises the house to a standard pressure difference, typically 50 pascals. The airflow required to maintain that pressure is a direct measure of how leaky the envelope is, expressed in air changes per hour. With the house under pressure, leaks become findable by hand or with a smoke pencil.

Thermal imaging is done simultaneously, because depressurising the house pulls cold outdoor air through every leak and makes those paths visible on the camera as cold streaks. Running both tests together is considerably more informative than either alone, and it needs a meaningful indoor to outdoor temperature difference, which is why this work is done in the heating season here.

What separates a good job from an average one

Air leakage is usually the largest correctable term in an older house and the cheapest per unit of improvement.
Rim joists, attic hatches, recessed lighting and plumbing penetrations account for a disproportionate share of leakage in this housing stock.
Duct leakage in unconditioned space is measured separately, because it is a different problem with a different fix.
Thermal imaging shows settled or missing insulation that visual inspection from a hatch cannot reveal.
Findings need prioritising by cost against benefit, because a list of every imperfection is not actionable.

What an audit involves and delivers

50 PaStandard test pressure for blower door

WinterWhen thermal imaging works best

PrioritisedHow findings are presented

An energy audit is priced as its own piece of work covering the blower door test, thermal imaging, the inspection and a written report with prioritised findings.

Where an audit leads directly into an installation with us, we credit the audit cost against that work, because the measurements feed straight into the load calculation. Either way the report is yours to use however you like.

How it runs

What happens, in order

Step 01

Set up and test

The blower door is fitted and the house is depressurised to a standard test pressure, with air leakage measured in air changes per hour.

Step 02

Image while depressurised

Thermal imaging is carried out with the house under pressure, which makes leakage paths and insulation gaps visible.

Step 03

Assess the ducts

Duct leakage in unconditioned space is assessed separately, since it is a different problem with a different remedy.

Step 04

Report and prioritise

Findings are presented in order of cost against benefit, so you can see which fixes are worth doing first.

Before we arrive for an energy audit

Blower door testing requires the house to be set up in a specific condition, and getting that right beforehand saves time.

Close all windows and exterior doors, and open all interior doors so the house tests as a single zone.
Extinguish any solid fuel appliance at least twenty four hours before the test, as depressurisation can draw ash out of a fireplace.
Close fireplace dampers and cover ash beds, since the blower door will pull air down any open flue.
Make sure the attic hatch and crawlspace access are reachable, as both get inspected during the audit.
Have twelve months of utility bills available if possible, since actual consumption is a useful cross check against the measured findings.

Measured air leakage feeds straight into the load calculation. Our Spokane heat pump sizing and climate guide explains how infiltration is treated in a Manual J calculation and why measuring it beats estimating it. Read the guide.

Frequently asked questions

What does an energy audit actually measure?

Air leakage through the building envelope, quantified by a blower door test, and insulation gaps located by thermal imaging. It also assesses duct leakage separately. The result is a measurement of where heat is escaping rather than an estimate.

Will an audit change what equipment I need?

Frequently, yes. A leaky house has a higher heat loss, so sizing equipment to that load means paying for capacity to heat escaping air. Air sealing often costs less than the extra capacity it saves, which produces a smaller system that performs better.

Why does the audit have to be done in winter?

Thermal imaging needs a temperature difference between inside and outside to reveal anything. A cold Spokane day gives a strong contrast that makes insulation gaps and leakage paths clearly visible. In summer the same test shows very little.

Do I need to be present during an energy audit?

Yes. The house has to be set up in a specific way for the test, we need access to every area including attic and crawlspace, and the findings are far more useful explained in person as we go.

Do you offer free quotes for energy audits?

The audit is a paid piece of work rather than a quote, and we tell you the cost upfront. Where the audit leads into an installation with us, we credit its cost against that work.

Will the blower door test damage anything?

No, but preparation matters. Any solid fuel appliance needs to be out for at least twenty four hours and ash beds covered, because depressurising the house can draw ash out of an open fireplace. We go through the checklist with you when booking.

Heat Pump Energy Audits in Spokane

Phone: 509-352-6630
Quote: Free, includes the load calculation measurements
Typical duration: Prioritised findings by cost and benefit
Service area: Spokane County, WA and Post Falls, ID