Energy Audits for Historic Buildings

Jennifer Mui and Sarah Jackson

Architecture and Engineering National Center for Preservation Technology and Training

Purpose: to improve energy efciency of an historic building

without negatively impacting its historic character. An energy audit analyzes energy use in a building by performing tests that identify areas of signicant energy loss. Energy audits inform energy saving techniques such as weather stripping gaps around doorways, wrapping insulated lm over the windows to block airow, and caulking cracks on the walls. Energy Audit Equipment

Energy audit at the Seed House at Oakland Plantation, Bermuda, Louisiana.

Objects such as pipes are often loosely tted to the structure. These holes can be a source of excessive airow. Sealing the gap on the interior and exterior helps with less airow entering/exiting the building.

The spot meter (crosshairs) can pinpoint the temperature of a material. Historic windows and doors can leak energy through gaps around the edges of frames and jambs.

Infrared Camera This special camera can detect differences in temperature that are telltale signs of energy loss.

Infrared images show bright yellow, orange, red, and white areas representing heat/airow entering or exiting the building. Sometimes, this airow can be detected by hand.

Blower Door (DoorFan-Q46) This device has sensors that measure the amount of air that leaks from a building. A weather-tight building will leak less air and waste less energy.

Seed House Floor Plan

Interior of the Seed House: view looking Southeast

The Seed House is a long rectangular building that was used historically for storing cotton seeds. The Seed House was designed so that the structure could ventilate heat naturally. It was restored with modern technology in early 2000 as a conditioned space for a maintenance workshop. Without altering the original ventilation design, the Seed House will waste energy.

Site Plan

Infrared Image: North Elevation

Original Image: North Elevation