📋 Step 1A: About This Home

📌 What You’ll Record

• Assessment date
• Assessment type (Test / Official / Demo)
• Year built
• Number of bedrooms
• Dwelling unit type (Single-family, duplex, townhouse)
• Stories above ground
• Average ceiling height (feet)
• Total conditioned floor area (sq ft)
• Direction home faces (front orientation)
• Blower door test conducted?
• Home professionally air sealed?
• Air leakage rate (CFM50) (if known)

🧠 Why It Matters

• Year built helps predict insulation levels and HVAC age
• Ceiling height and floor area impact heating/cooling loads
• Orientation affects sunlight and seasonal heating/cooling needs
• Blower door test & air sealing directly influence energy loss and comfort

🔬 Building Science Connection

This section helps model your home’s thermal envelope and air leakage profile. A well-sealed, compact home uses significantly less energy than a leaky, oversized one—even if both are the same age.

💨 The Blower Door Test: Finding Hidden Energy Leaks

One of the optional inputs in the Home Energy Score is the blower door test, the gold standard for measuring air leakage in a home. A trained professional installs a powerful fan in an exterior door, temporarily depressurizing the home. This forces outside air through hidden leaks, allowing them to be measured and pinpointed.

🔹 Why It Matters:

• ✅ Reveals the biggest sources of energy loss (attic, basement, walls)
• ✅ Guides air sealing and insulation upgrades for maximum impact
• ✅ Improves comfort by reducing drafts and stabilizing indoor temperatures

🏆 Free or Low-Cost Blower Door Testing

Good news—many utilities offer free or low-cost home energy assessments that include a blower door test!

In Minnesota, homeowners can access this service through the Center for Energy and Environment (CEE) Home Energy Squad.

What’s included?

• ✔ Blower door testing to measure air leakage
• ✔ Infrared imaging to locate insulation gaps
• ✔ On-the-spot improvements like weatherstripping and LED bulb replacements

🧰 Tips if You’re Not Sure

• Year built and square footage may be on your tax record or Zillow
• Use a measuring tape to confirm ceiling height
• Use a smartphone compass to check your home's orientation
• If no blower door test, leave the air leakage field blank or use a default in the tool

👇 Next: Record Attic & Roof Construction →

🏠 Step 1B: Roof & Attic

In this section, you'll describe how your attic and roof are built, insulated, and ventilated. These details help determine how well your home holds onto heat in the winter and stays cool in the summer.

📋 What You’ll Enter in the Score Tool

• Attic or ceiling type (unconditioned attic, cathedral ceiling, flat roof)
• Roof construction type (standard, radiant barrier, rigid foam sheathing)
• Exterior roof finish (e.g., shingles, metal, membrane)
• Insulation level (choose from R-value dropdown or use calculator)
• Roof color (affects solar heat gain)
• Skylights: present or not, and their specs if known
• Attic floor area
• Attic floor insulation R-value
• Knee walls: area and insulation, if applicable

🧠 Why It Matters

The attic is a key zone where heat can be lost in winter and gained in summer. Insulation slows down conductive heat flow, while proper sealing and ventilation manage air and moisture movement.

Dark roofs absorb more solar heat; radiant barriers or cool roof coatings can reflect it instead. Skylights and knee walls are often weak points in the envelope if uninsulated or leaky.

🔬 Building Science Connection

• Conduction: Heat flows through underinsulated ceilings, especially above the living space.
• Radiation: Dark-colored roofs increase summer heat gain. Radiant barriers can reduce attic temperatures.
• Stack effect: Warm air rises and escapes through attic gaps, pulling in cold air from below.
• Knee walls: Often poorly insulated or exposed, knee walls can leak both air and heat into the attic.

🛠️ What You Can Do

• Seal attic penetrations (around chimneys, vents, and hatches) before adding insulation.
• Upgrade attic insulation to R-49 or higher (in colder climates).
• Insulate and air seal knee walls, or build them into the conditioned space if possible.
• Consider radiant barriers or “cool roof” options if replacing roof materials.

🧰 Tips for Entering Data

• If unsure about insulation R-values, use the insulation calculator built into the HES tool.
• You can estimate attic area by measuring the floor area of rooms directly below it.
• If your attic has both cathedral and flat ceiling areas, enter them separately as “Roof / Attic 1” and “Roof / Attic 2.”
• Don’t forget to check for skylights and note if they have solar screens.

👇 Next: Foundation & Floor Insulation→

🧱 Step 1C: Foundation & Floor Insulation

This section captures how your home connects to the ground. Different foundation types—like basements, slabs, or crawlspaces—impact how heat escapes and how moisture moves. Recording insulation levels here helps determine how well your home retains heat in contact with the ground.

📋 What You’ll Enter in the Score Tool

• Foundation type: (e.g., slab-on-grade, conditioned or unconditioned basement, vented or unvented crawlspace)
• Foundation area (sq ft)
• Floor insulation level: Insulation above basement or crawlspace
• Foundation wall insulation level: (if present)
• Optional: Add a second foundation type if your home has more than one

🧠 Why It Matters

Foundations are in constant contact with cold (or hot) ground. Without insulation, they become a hidden energy drain—especially in basements and crawlspaces. Floor and foundation wall insulation slows heat loss and keeps indoor floors warmer and more comfortable.

🔬 Building Science Connection

• Conduction: Heat flows from your warm indoor floors into the cooler ground below.
• Air Leakage: Crawlspaces and rim joists are common areas for hidden air leaks.
• Moisture: Foundations without vapor barriers can allow moisture to rise into the home (capillary action).

“An uninsulated basement is like living over a cold cave. You’re heating it whether you want to or not.”

🛠️ What You Can Do

• Seal rim joists and basement penetrations before adding insulation
• Install rigid foam or spray foam along basement or crawlspace walls
• Add insulation under floors over crawlspaces (R-19 or higher)
• If accessible, add a ground vapor barrier in crawlspaces to control moisture

🧰 Tips for Entering Data

• If unsure of insulation level, check for visible batts or rigid foam along crawl/basement walls
• Use the R-value calculator in the tool to estimate based on insulation type and thickness
• Homes with slab-on-grade foundations typically have no insulation unless retrofitted
• If your home has multiple foundation types, such as slab and basement, enter each separately

👇 Next: Exterior Walls →

🧱 Step 1D: Exterior Walls

Walls are one of the biggest surfaces in your home’s thermal envelope. In this section, you’ll describe how your exterior walls are built, what kind of insulation they contain, and whether different sides of your home are constructed the same way.

📋 What You’ll Enter in the Score Tool

• Are all exterior walls constructed the same? (Yes / No)
• For each side of the home (front, back, left, right):
  • Wall construction type (e.g., wood frame, brick, straw bale)
  • Exterior wall finish (e.g., siding, stucco, stone)
  • Adjacent space type (e.g., outside, another unit, heated garage)
  • Wall insulation level (select R-value or use calculator)

🧠 Why It Matters

Walls that are poorly insulated or not air sealed allow heat to escape in winter and enter in summer. Insulation slows down this heat flow, while dense materials (like brick) affect how much the wall stores and radiates heat back into your home.

If your home has multiple wall types (e.g., brick in front, wood frame elsewhere), the Score tool needs this information to model how each wall performs.

🔬 Building Science Connection

• Conduction: Heat moves directly through solid materials like drywall, studs, and exterior siding.
• Thermal bridging: Wood studs conduct heat faster than insulation; this reduces total wall performance unless broken by rigid foam sheathing.
• Infiltration: Cracks in walls—especially around windows, sill plates, or between different materials—can leak air.

“Your walls should be like a thermos—insulated on all sides, not just one.”

🛠️ What You Can Do

• Blow cellulose insulation into empty wall cavities (common in pre-1960s homes)
• Add rigid foam on the outside during re-siding for a continuous insulation layer
• Seal gaps around windows, doors, utility penetrations, and baseboards
• Choose wall upgrades during larger remodels when walls are open

🧰 Tips for Entering Data

• If unsure about insulation, look in unfinished parts of the home (garage walls, behind outlets)
• If wall construction is unknown, wood frame is most common in homes built after 1940
• Use the built-in insulation calculator if you know the insulation thickness but not R-value
• Most homes can be entered as “same on all sides” unless there’s a major change in material

👇 Next: Record Window Types and Efficiency →

🪟 Step 1E: Windows

Windows are more than just views and ventilation—they’re a key part of your home’s energy performance. In this section, you’ll enter the size and type of windows on each side of your home, along with basic efficiency specs.

📋 What You’ll Enter in the Score Tool

• Window area (sq ft) for each wall: Front, Back, Left, Right
• Are the windows the same on all sides? (Yes / No)
• For each side (if not identical):
  • Does the window have a solar screen?
  • Do you know the actual window specs (U-factor & SHGC)?
  • If not, enter:
    • Number of panes (single, double, triple)
    • Frame material (wood, vinyl, metal, composite)
    • Glazing type (clear, low-E, etc.)

🧠 Why It Matters

Windows are a major pathway for heat loss in winter and heat gain in summer. They also influence comfort—especially near seating areas or beds—and contribute to passive solar heating or unwanted overheating depending on orientation.

The type, size, and quality of your windows directly affect how much energy your home uses to stay comfortable.

🔬 Building Science Connection

• Conduction: Glass is a poor insulator—heat moves easily through single-pane windows.
• Radiation: Sunlight entering windows increases heat gain. Low-E coatings reflect heat energy, keeping homes cooler in summer and warmer in winter.
• Air Leakage: Old or damaged windows may leak air around the frames.

“If walls are your home’s coat, windows are the zippers—too many gaps and you’re losing warmth fast.”

🛠️ What You Can Do

• Replace old single-pane windows with Energy Star–rated double or triple-pane units
• Add storm windows or interior inserts as lower-cost upgrades
• Use insulating window shades or thermal curtains to reduce heat loss at night
• Install solar screens or awnings on south and west-facing windows to block summer heat

🧰 Tips for Entering Data

• To estimate window area, measure height × width for each major window and add them up
• If windows are the same on all sides, check “Yes” to simplify data entry
• Check labels on the window frame or ask a contractor for help identifying U-factor and SHGC
• Solar screens reduce solar gain—a helpful add-on in hot climates or on south/west sides

👇 Next: HVAC & Ductwork →