The air we breathe in our home has a large impact on overall health. Mold, pollutants, and emissions can all bring down your family’s quality of life and cause health problems. If you’re unsure how clean the air is in your residence, our team can provide comprehensive indoor air quality (IAQ) testing to give you a clear answer.
Whether you have strong, chemical odors in a new construction home or you live in an older property with musty smells, Lakewood Home Energy can help. We are Central Maine’s trusted energy auditors, and as home performance specialists, we’ll help you identify the root cause of your air quality issues.
Moisture Testing
Mold is one of the most harmful indoor air pollutants. It can produce allergens, or in some cases, toxins. Exposure can cause a variety of allergic reactions in sensitive individuals, such as eye, skin, nose, and throat irritation.
Mold becomes a major issue in a home when moisture is present, because it provides the environment for spores to thrive and grow. If you’ve noticed excessive humidity, musty odors, or any of the allergy-like symptoms listed, Lakewood Home Energy can use moisture meters to locate the source of moisture intrusion. Sometimes, it’s caused by leaks, but many times it’s from air gaps and inadequate insulation.
Insulation ServicesVOC Testing
Volatile organic compounds are chemicals that can evaporate into the air. Once in the air, they produce unpleasant odors that cause throat irritation, headaches, and dizziness. VOCs are emitted from many sources, but within a home, they commonly come from paint, new furniture, and building materials.
This is mostly a concern in new construction homes, especially when a family moves in shortly after the build is complete. It’s important to perform thorough testing to ensure VOCs are at a safe level. Lakewood Home Energy can provide this service to contractors finishing a project or to homeowners who have just moved into their new residence.
Combustion Safety Testing
Efficiency Maine requires combustion safety testing after insulation and air sealing work. Sealing a home more tightly can affect how naturally vented, fuel-burning appliances like furnaces and water heaters draw combustion air and exhaust their gases. This testing confirms those appliances still vent safely to the outdoors and aren’t drawing dangerous combustion byproducts, such as carbon monoxide, back into the home.
As an official Residential Registered Vendor with Efficiency Maine, Lakewood Home Energy conducts these tests after all rebate work. We’ll make sure your weatherization upgrades provide maximum improvement to energy efficiency without negatively affecting your heating and cooling equipment’s performance.
EFFICIENCY MAINE REBATESIAQ Testing As Part Of Our Comprehensive Energy Audit Services
Our comprehensive energy audits include indoor air quality testing, giving your family a complete look at your home’s performance. These assessments are extensive and take four to six hours to complete in the field. They’re essential for understanding your home’s current energy efficiency and where energy might be being lost. Some of the elements of the audit include:
- A blower door test to measure the air tightness of your home and identify air leaks.
- Infrared imaging to identify areas of inadequate insulation coverage.
- Moisture readings and VOC detection.
- An extensive report on our findings, with raw data and measurements.
- A 10-year energy roadmap for your family to follow moving forward.
An important part of the energy audit is to provide information on weatherization upgrades that will make the biggest impact on your home’s performance. As a trusted insulation company in Madison, Skowhegan, Rangeley, and Carrabassett Valley, Lakewood Home Energy can provide the insulation or air sealing services you need for lasting comfort and affordable heating and cooling.
Learn About Energy Audits