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Bad Air Quality in Nashville
Homeowners Greg Bullard and Brian Copeland struggled with the efficiency and comfort in their 1960s 1600 sq. ft. ranch in Nashville, TN. The air quality was poor and excessive moisture was potentially causing health problems. And, of course, the cause of the issues was also driving up their energy bills.
ENERGY AUDIT RESULTS
When Samantha Hart did an initial whole-house evaluation she was able to identify many of the issues that were causing the homeowners discomfort. Insulation was falling apart and degraded from air filtration. Many of the moisture issues were caused by a disconnected bath fan and problems with the home’s envelope. She also uncovered an inaccessible crawl-space that was causing issues. The home had seen upgrades and improvements including a garage conversion, and much of the work had been done improperly or insecurely, leaving leaky ducts and improper supply runs that made the home uncomfortable to live in and costly.
SOLUTIONS
After a thorough audit and conversations with the homeowners to prioritize their upgrades, Samantha and her team were able to start on the much needed home performance improvements. They started with insulating the attic and crawl space and air sealing and insulating the rim joists with spray foam to create a tighter building envelope. They replaced the exterior door that was causing some drafting and repaired and sealed the duct work to make sure that clean, conditioned air was getting to the parts of the house where it was needed. They replaced the bath fans to avoid any further moisture damage and did moisture testing and mitigation in the finished garage, which was at the root of the problem. They decided to replace most of the home’s lights with LED lighting and install a programmable thermostat along with a lifetime reusable air filter. This made the home much more healthy and comfortable, and resulted in lower energy bills.
PROJECT OUTCOME
The results were immediate and the comfort level of the home was drastically improved. Greg and Brian were so impressed with the work that they also took the opportunity to make upgrades to their water system to improve their water efficiency. When the GoGreen team did a follow-up testing visit, they were not surprised to discover there was a 28% reduction in air leakage.
TESTIMONIAL
"I don't think we'll ever own another home without going through this process. I was shocked, and actually appalled, that we actually had interior doors in the place where exterior doors were supposed to be. We went from needing to keep blankets around all the time to draft-free living. We would've never known and simply lived with the inconvenience for who knows how long.
Living on the other side of this process gives me the peace of mind to know that our home is truly sealed. That was made even more of a priority when we were enjoying a TV show with our two year old and an eight-foot snake came slithering through our living room. Needless to say, it was a stressful night at the house. This process found every vulnerable spot in our home. Face it... we live in an old house in the country. Varmints are a way of life. Since finishing this process, we've seen no bugs, mice or, thankfully, snakes!
The other big change was our basement. It was a musty, moldy mess. Now, we were given the confidence to finish it out, and our kids enjoy it as their playroom. It's sealed from all water intrusion and the air is well-conditioned in the area. Mold and must are things of the past.
We're committed to this process not only for any home we own or will own, but for every home that is owned by someone we love."
