Building-envelope air-leakage consulting, diagnostics, and remediation — infrared thermography, smoke pencils, calibrated blower door, and the field report that identifies the worst air leaks and targets the highest-ROI air-sealing work.
Air leakage is the uncontrolled flow of air through a building’s envelope — through gaps, cracks, penetrations, and unintended openings in the walls, roof, and foundation. Air leakage drives 15–30% of the energy waste in a typical building, reduces occupant comfort, brings moisture and pollutants into the wall cavity, and degrades the performance of the insulation, the HVAC system, and the ventilation system. Air leakage consulting is the process of identifying, prioritizing, and remediating the worst air leaks in a building.
HECS delivers air leakage consulting as an integrated engagement: blower door test to quantify the airtightness, infrared thermography to locate the worst air leaks, smoke pencils to verify the leak path, and a prioritized remediation plan that targets the highest-ROI air-sealing work. The result is a building that performs to design, with lower operating cost, higher occupant comfort, and a certified airtightness result that satisfies the program of record.
Air leakage consulting applies to both new construction and existing buildings. On new construction, HECS identifies the air leaks before drywall closes the wall cavities, allowing the insulation contractor to address them at the lowest possible cost. On existing buildings, HECS identifies the air leaks that drive the operating cost, the comfort complaints, and the moisture problems — with a remediation plan that pays back in 2–5 years on most projects.
HECS delivers three air leakage consulting scopes depending on the building phase, the airtightness target, and whether the engagement is paired with a certification program.
Pre-drywall
Pre-drywall air sealing QA — HECS walks the project with the insulation and air-sealing contractor, identifies the worst air leaks before drywall closes the wall cavities, and verifies the air-sealing work at the end. Paired with the blower door test at final.
Best for: New construction, pre-drywall, code compliance
Existing buildings
Existing building air-leakage diagnostics — blower door test, infrared thermography, smoke-pencil verification, and a prioritized remediation plan. For existing buildings with comfort complaints, high operating cost, or moisture problems.
Best for: Existing buildings, complaint investigation, retrofit
ENERGY STAR, NGBS, 45L
Air leakage consulting bundled with the program certification — the air-leakage diagnostics feed the certification blower door test, the airtightness credit, and the certified report of record.
Best for: Developers pursuing certification + air leakage consulting
From the initial walkthrough to the certified airtightness result, here is what HECS delivers on an air leakage consulting engagement.
HECS walks the project with the contractor and the owner, identifies the suspected air-leakage paths, and plans the diagnostics. The walkthrough focuses on the highest-risk areas: penetrations, top plates, rim joists, attic hatches, electrical and plumbing penetrations, window and door frames, and foundation-to-framing connections.
HECS depressurizes the building with a calibrated blower door, runs infrared thermography to locate the worst air leaks, and uses smoke pencils to verify the leak path. The diagnostics are run in a single coordinated visit, with the results captured in thermal images, video, and a written leak inventory.
HECS issues a prioritized remediation plan: the leak inventory, the recommended air-sealing work, the estimated cost, the estimated energy savings, and the recommended sequencing. The plan is actionable by the insulation contractor, the GC, or the owner — with line-item costs and ROI estimates.
After the air-sealing work is complete, HECS returns to the project to verify the result. A second blower door test is run, the airtightness is measured against the program target, and the certified report is issued. The verification is the deliverable that closes the engagement.
Every HECS air leakage report includes the following measurements, diagnostics, and prioritization, formatted to the program of record and the owner’s ROI targets.
Calibrated blower door test at 50 pascals. CFM50, ACH50, and ELA reported per ASTM E779 or RESNET 380. The baseline airtightness measurement that drives the prioritization.
Multi-point blower door test at 10–60 Pa to derive the leakage coefficient (C), the exponent (n), and the ELA. Required for ENERGY STAR MFNC sampling and most certification programs.
Building-envelope thermography with a calibrated FLIR camera. Identifies the worst air leaks, the moisture problems, and the insulation gaps. Captured as thermal images with location, temperature, and severity.
Smoke pencil used to verify the leak path identified by the infrared camera. The combination of thermography and smoke pencil is the most effective air-leakage diagnostic method.
Per-room pressure pan measurements at 25 Pa identify the rooms or zones with the worst duct leakage. Used on multifamily projects to isolate the problem areas.
Comparison of the measured airtightness to the program target (ENERGY STAR, NGBS, EarthCraft, code, or owner-specified). Reported as pass/fail with the recommended remediation.
Air leakage drives 15–30% of the energy waste in a typical building. The blower door + thermography + smoke-pencil diagnostics identify the worst air leaks and target the highest-ROI air-sealing work.
On new construction, the most cost-effective air-sealing work is the work done before drywall closes the wall cavities. HECS pre-drywall air-sealing QA identifies the worst air leaks at the lowest cost. Call (859) 983-7382 for a project-specific quote.
On existing buildings, air leakage is the leading cause of comfort complaints, high operating cost, and moisture problems. HECS air-leakage diagnostics identify the cause, prioritize the remediation, and document the result with a verification blower door test.
The remediation work identified by the HECS air-leakage diagnostic typically pays back in 2–5 years on most projects — through reduced energy cost, improved comfort, reduced moisture damage, and extended equipment life. HECS provides a project-specific ROI estimate with the diagnostic.
Field-measured performance that matches the engineer’s design intent — verified, documented, and accepted by the certification program of record.
Air leakage drives 15–30% of the energy waste in a typical building. The remediation work identified by the HECS diagnostic reduces the air leakage, reduces the energy waste, and reduces the operating cost.
A certified third-party air-leakage diagnostic transfers the airtightness risk from the GC, the insulation contractor, and the owner to a neutral third party. It is the deliverable that closes out the diagnostic, satisfies the program of record, and releases the warranty.
HECS is an NCI-certified testing and balancing firm. We work with general contractors, mechanical contractors, property developers, and certification programs across the region — delivering field measurements, certified reports, and the documentation owners and inspectors actually need.
Every HECS field technician holds current NCI certification. We use calibrated instruments, follow NCI-formatted reporting, and produce the documentation that commissioning authorities, code inspectors, and certification programs accept on the first review.
HECS serves commercial, multifamily, institutional, and light-industrial projects across Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Tennessee, Illinois, and Missouri. We staff jobs of every size — from a single building balance to a 12-building multifamily rollout — with the same team and the same reporting standard.
Blower door, duct leakage, refrigerant charge, combustion analysis, decibel, infrared, TAB, and 45L documentation — HECS delivers all of them. One contract, one schedule, one set of reports that line up with each other and with the certification program of record.
HECS air leakage consulting is the right fit for:
Tell us about the project — program, scope, schedule — and we will respond with a written proposal inside two business days.
Air leakage consulting is the process of identifying, prioritizing, and remediating the worst air leaks in a building. HECS delivers air leakage consulting as an integrated engagement: blower door test, infrared thermography, smoke pencils, and a prioritized remediation plan.
Air leakage drives 15–30% of the energy waste in a typical building. The exact number depends on the climate, the building, and the air-sealing quality. HECS provides a project-specific energy-savings estimate with the diagnostic.
On new construction, the best time is at pre-drywall — before the drywall closes the wall cavities. On existing buildings, the best time is whenever the comfort complaint, the operating cost, or the moisture problem becomes unacceptable. HECS provides diagnostic services for both.
Most air-leakage diagnostics take 2–4 hours on site for a single-family home, 1–2 days for a multifamily project, and 1–3 days for a commercial building. HECS provides a project-specific schedule with the proposal.
Infrared thermography is the use of a calibrated thermal imaging camera to identify temperature differences on a building surface. In air-leakage diagnostics, thermography is used to identify the cold spots where air is leaking through the envelope. HECS uses calibrated FLIR cameras with current calibration certificates.
A smoke pencil is a tool that produces a visible stream of smoke, used to verify the leak path identified by the infrared camera. The combination of thermography and smoke pencil is the most effective air-leakage diagnostic method — thermography identifies the cold spot, smoke pencil confirms the leak path.
Yes. Air leakage consulting is commonly bundled with ENERGY STAR, NGBS, EarthCraft, and 45L. HECS delivers the air-leakage consulting + certification as a single integrated engagement — the air-leakage diagnostics feed the certification blower door test, the airtightness credit, and the certified report of record.
The ROI depends on the project, the climate, the local utility rates, and the air-sealing quality. Most projects see a 2–5 year payback on the air-sealing work identified by the HECS diagnostic. HECS provides a project-specific ROI estimate with the diagnostic.
A blower door test measures the airtightness of a building’s envelope by mounting a calibrated fan in an exterior door frame, depressurizing (or pressurizing) the building, and measuring the airflow required to maintain a 50 pascal pressure difference. The result — CFM50 or ACH50 — quantifies how leaky the building is.
Call (859) 983-7382 or email hecs@hecsusa.com with the project name, address, building type, and the program of record. HECS responds with a written proposal inside two business days.
NCI-certified TAB that verifies design airflow and water flow at every terminal. Calibrated instruments, certified report.
Whole-building and duct leakage to RESNET, ENERGY STAR Multifamily, NGBS, and code. Blower door + duct tester.
Field verification, sampling, and documentation for ENERGY STAR MFNC. HECS is an ENERGY STAR MFNC verification partner.
Tell us about the project — program, scope, schedule — and we will respond with a written proposal inside two business days.
Free consultation, fast turnaround, and audit-ready reports. Same-day callback during business hours.
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