Today on the Reschexpert blog we want to discuss a phenomenon in the Energy Audit market that we noticed consistently with our clients. This is the component driven Rescheck or Manual J. This is one when particular item on the energy audit needs to be vetted in order to meet a building department’s curiosities against the use.
The most common items that you see presented in this component driven Rescheck scenario are windows, doors, or perhaps a certain portion of the roof that shallows to the point where a higher amount of insulation will not fit. In these cases the onus is out to prove that even with these components below code that the struture’s remaining insulation envelope can support the materials.
For windows maybe you have one window that is different from the rest. Think stained glass, a window from a salvage yard, or perhaps an old window remaining from an older structure. In this case you must assign a U Value and compare it with the rest of your components. The same holds true whether you are using an older door that does not meet code or have sections of insulation that do not match up with the rest of the structure.
The easiest way to tackle such issues in Rescheck is to break the components into individual parts. Say for instance one area of wall was R19 and a smaller section was R15. By simply listing the 300sf in the larger wall as one component and the smaller 100sf section that is R15 you can allow the software to accurately compare the areas exposed to your climate zone and give you a pass or fail score in Rescheck Web or Rescheck Desktop.
After you have isolated the component and been given a score there are options that still remain. You can see what your energy score would be without the oddball component by modifying the Rvalue. Some people decide at this point to scrap older windows when they see how much of an energy burden they are going to be. Sometimes there is nothing better than the hard data that Rescheck and Manual Js provide to show you things you might not be considering.
Finally you can print and turn in your Rescheck and Manual J to your building department for permitting with the components you have decided to install in your new home construction, addition, or alteration. If you had issues isolating the component and completing the report you can email us your plans to service@rescheck.info. We charge only $79 for a Rescheck or $129 for a combo pack of Rescheck and Manual J. Typical turn around time is about 4-6 hours. We will send you a project recap and invoice when your report is ready. Order now.
