• We are PTCS certified to conduct air leakage testing for Washington State Energy Code requirement.
• The Washington State Energy Code requires air leakage testing for new residential construction and for some remodeling jobs.
• The test uses a fan to depressurize your house by blowing air out of the building (called a blower door test).
• The amount of air that goes out of the building is equal to the amount of air that is pulled back into the building. The incoming air is referred to as infiltration. It comes into the building through unsealed penetrations in the shell of the building (walls, floors, ceilings).
• Before air infiltration testing was adopted into our state’s energy code, it was estimated by the U.S. Department of Energy that approximately 30% of a building’s heating and cooling energy usage was due to air infiltration.
• If your house is too tight and does not allow enough fresh air to enter, this can cause health problems.
• There is a ventilation health safety standard called ASHRAE 62.
• When I conduct a Blower Door test, I also determine what the ASHRAE safety standard is for your specific house. If the blower door test results show that your building is below the ASHRAE safety standard, then I will advise a strategy for restoring proper ventilation.

Washington State Energy Code (WSEC)
There are three separate pathways for complying with the Washington State Energy Code:

1. Prescriptive Pathway Checklist – WSEC Sec. R401.1
2. US Alternative – WSEC Sec. R402.4
3. Performance Alternative – WSEC Sec. R405

The most commonly used one is the Prescriptive Path. It is essentially a checklist of energy requirements that are necessary for compliance. However, some homeowners and builders would like to incorporate design elements into their houses that do not comply with the prescriptive checklist. This can be accomplished by using either the UA alternative or performance alternative paths.

With the UA Alternative Path, you can trade off design elements of the house’s shell in order to comply with code (walls, floors & ceilings).

With the Performance Path you can trade off design elements of the house’s shell along with mechanical components. The performance path has been helpful for some homeowners who want to increase the county assessed value of their house by converting non-conditioned space into conditioned space.

• There are many financial incentives for homeowners and builders to build energy efficiently.
• Utility incentives typically range from $1,200.00 to $2,000.00 per qualifying house.
• EPAct 45L Federal tax credit is $2,000.00.
• We evaluate and identify the most cost-effective design changes needed for earning these incentives.

Energy efficient mortgages provide borrowers with tangible benefits such as:

• Increasing their purchasing power through cost savings
• Increasing market value of their home
• Helping to make energy efficient upgrades more affordable

There are federal and state sponsored energy efficient mortgages:

• The Washington State Housing and Financial Commission (WSHFC) has a program that enables qualified homeowners to get a .25% reduction in their mortgage interest rate.
• Federally there are energy mortgages that are sponsored by: FHA, VA, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac

As a HERS Rater I am certified to qualify your home for these programs.

• There are inexpensive design changes that builders can make that will enable them to earn this incentive.