Air leakage through the building envelope is responsible for a significant share of heating and cooling energy loss in typical buildings. The DOE estimates that air leakage can account for 25-40% of total energy use for conditioning. In multi-family and affordable housing, sealing the envelope is one of the highest-ROI improvements you can make — both for the tenant comfort and the operating cost.
HECS uses a combination of diagnostic tools to pinpoint air leakage: blower door testing for whole-building air leakage rate (ACH50 or CFM50), thermal imaging to visualize temperature differences at framing penetrations, window perimeters, top plates, and rim joists, smoke pencils and infrared thermometers for spot-checking suspect areas, and visual inspection of the building envelope details to identify common failure modes.
Once we have identified the leakage points, HECS provides a written report with prioritized recommendations for sealing and weatherization. Our recommendations are practical, code-compliant, and cost-effective — we focus on the changes that will have the biggest impact on energy performance and tenant comfort for the least cost. For projects pursuing ENERGY STAR, NGBS, or EarthCraft, we also document the work to support the certification package.
Engage HECS for air leakage consulting if you are: investigating tenant comfort complaints in an existing building, doing pre-construction quality assurance on a new project, doing post-construction verification for ENERGY STAR or NGBS, troubleshooting failed blower door tests on a new project, or seeking a third-party expert witness for a construction defect claim. We work throughout the Southeast.