Energy Audit of KFTC's London Office: A Photo Essay

On Friday, three KFTC members, three KFTC staff, and two staff members from MACED's E3 (Energy Efficient Enterprises) program performed and observed an energy audit of KFTC's office in London.

The office in London is the only building that KFTC owns. The building was completely remodeled in the late 1990s. In recent years, KFTC's member leaders have pointed out how important it is for our own office to be energy efficient, especially as we do work in the community to promote energy efficiency. In 2011, the Renew East Kentucky strategy team of members added an audit and upgrade to KFTC's program of work. The photos below document the assessment process--the first step in making the office more energy efficient and possibly even eventually generating its own electricity.

Laurel County KFTC members Felix Woods, Vicki Lauderdale, and Jennifer Even Melton were on hand to learn about the energy auditing process from Josh Bills and Hope Broecker from MACED. Everyone pitched in when needed and learned a ton.

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MACED staff Hope and Josh begin the audit by examining the lighting and appliances in the office. Then, they take a look at the indoor parts of the heating, air-conditioning & ventilation (HVAC) system.

Oops! It is way past time to change the filter on the air return vent. A new filter will improve air flow and the efficiency of the HVAC system.

The group then moves outside, where Hope and Josh inspect the heating system:

Josh takes photos of every step in the process to help come up with an energy improvement plan later:

Josh crawls under the cob-web strewn crawl space:

 Once under there, he inspects the air-conditioning system:

Next, the group moves back inside to perform the blower door test. This test checks for the amount of air exchange between the outside and the inside of the building, and helps to reveal the sources of drafts and air leaks.

Josh and Hope begin to assemble to the blower door frame:

After assembling the frame and putting up the blower door, Josh runs a hose to the outside of the building that will help test for the difference in air pressure between inside and out:

 KFTC member Felix helps out by shutting and locking all the office windows. This helps ensure a good blower door test:

Back downstairs, Hope installs the fan into the blower door:

 You can see the pressure & flow gauge and the blower door controls in the foreground.

Once the fan is installed, Hope removes rings from the fan before switching it on:

KFTC members and staff watch as MACED performs the blower door test:

Once the fan is switched on, the blower door begins depressurizing the indoor office space.

In order to get a good blower door test reading, Josh tapes over some gaps in an attic hatch that was letting in too much air:

Now that the test is fully working, you can feel air flow coming from all kinds of unexpected places...like electrical outlets, and interior door jambs.

Jennifer is surprised at the amount of air flowing out of the door jamb:

And Felix rigs up a trash bag to show how much air is flowing from the door jamb upstairs:

And Vicki shows her surprise at the amount of hot air that's flowing out of a small hole in the upstairs attic closet:

 After the audit is complete, the group is happy to pose with their new friends: the blower door and Hope and Josh of MACED.

The group moves outside for one more photo before saying goodbye:

Soon, MACED will create a report on the audit and a possible plan for upgrading the office. We'll then begin exploring creative ways to finance the project, and will keep everyone posted on the project's progress here on the KFTC blog.