1. What is Orca Efficiency Group?
2. Why start a Home Performance Testing Company?
3. Who does the diagnostic work for Orca Efficiency Group?
4. How much energy can I save?
5. What is an energy audit?
6. What does Orca Efficiency Group do?
7. What is the Orca Efficiency Group Survey?
8. How do I know if I need a Home Performance Evaluation?
9. What types of homes stand to benefit the most from a Home Performance Evaluation?
10. How much does a Home Performance Analysis Cost?
11. What is the difference between a Structural Maintenance and Efficiency Plan and a Home Inspection?

Why start a Home Performance Testing Company?
Currently, there is no place to go to for non-biased information regarding home energy efficiency. The heating guy is trying to sell you a furnace. The insulation guy is trying to sell you insulation. The window guy is trying to sell you new windows. Our goal is to provide non-biased, accurate and helpful advice on how to make your home more efficient and comfortable.

After inspecting thousands of homes in Western Washington, it was evident that homeowners need help in identifying and repairing home efficiency issues and they need a non-biased source of good and realistic information. What I observed is that most homes have an array of significant energy leaks and losses that could be easily and inexpensively repaired. I also noticed that many homeowners who have tried to make their homes more efficient are not spending their money wisely because they did not have a plan; they are often being sold expensive systems and equipment that may not be the best or wisest investment in their home.
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Who does the diagnostic work for Orca Efficiency Group?
Structure and System Specialist: Dylan Chalk is the owner of Orca Inspection Services. He is an Energy Star certified Performance Tester and is certified to perform Tune-up energy audits. He has performed roughly 2000 structural home inspections in Western Washington, is a member of the American Society of Home Inspectors ASHI, the Washington State Pest Control Association (WSPCA), is ITA educationally certified to perform home inspections, is a licensed Washington State Clock Hour Instructor and is a Washington State Licensed Structural Pest Inspector. Dylan performs:

• Complete structural home inspections
• Maintenance and efficiency plans
• Tune-Up energy audits
• Blower door heat leakage tests
• Building moisture diagnostics

Heat Loss Specialist: Brent Foster is the owner of Northwest Infrared. He is the premier thermal imaging expert in Washington State and is a level II thermogropher. He is also an Energy Star Performance Tester and he has done thousands of structural home inspections in Western Washington. Brent understands building science and is a great believer in finding the easy and inexpensive fixes to home energy efficiency. Brent performs:

• Thermal camera scans
• Blower door home heat leakage tests
• Duct blaster duct leakage tests
• Building moisture diagnostics

Occupancy Behavior Specialist: Aaron Campbell is the owner of Campbell Energy. Aaron is a big believer in reducing home energy use through occupancy behavior. He has reduced energy use in his own home by over 50% since ownership by implementing everything from free behavioral changes to making capital investments in insulation, weatherization, solar hot water and other efficient systems. Aaron is our occupancy behavior specialist. He is an Energy Star certified verifier.
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How much energy can I save?
This is the incredible part of what we do. Did you know that most homes can be made 10-25%+ more energy efficient without spending a fortune on expensive systems? For roughly the cost of a single window we can show you how to make easy and inexpensive repairs to your home to:

• Reduce energy use
• Lower utility bills
• Reduce deferred maintenance
• Put your home on a path to greater performance and efficiency

What is an energy audit?
There are no local, state or national standards for an energy audit of an existing home and not all energy audits provide the same level of service and diagnostics. A basic energy audit starts with a simple "walk-through" and expands from there to incorporate technical diagnostic tools like system efficiency evaluations, heat loss tests, duct leakage tests and thermal camera scans. Many energy audits are done by companies trying to sell you THEIR system, such as insulation and window contractors. Be wary of these services. You should shop around carefully and understand what you are going to get from a given energy consulting service before agreeing to do it and be sure that it jives with your needs. Energy audits of the past have often been inexpensive, incomplete and occasionally dishonest. They tend to look at individual systems in the home and do not take a whole house approach.
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What does Orca Efficiency Group do?
We are a complete home performance company and we offer an array of energy and home efficiency consulting services and diagnostic services so that you can pick and choose what best suits your needs and your budget. We also bundle these services into valuable, money-saving packages that can help every home owner understand how to:

• Reduce energy use
• Lower utility bills
• Reduce deferred maintenance
• Put your home on a path to greater performance and efficiency

Our approach is based on a combined experience of over 40 years in home construction, home inspection, energy retrofit and building science. Our goal is to help people invest wisely in their homes to reduce energy and resource use and lower deferred maintenance.
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What is the Orca Efficiency Group Survey?
The survey is designed to help us understand what diagnostic services will best suit your needs. This helps us help you. Over the years we have learned that every home is different and every home owner has different needs and desires to make their home more efficient and to reduce deferred maintenance. If you are uncertain which diagnostic services you need from us, try filling out a survey. We can evaluate your answers and give you a free phone consultation.
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How do I know if I need a Home Performance Evaluation?
Unless you live in a home that has been specially designed as a "green home", with above-code standards for home air-tightness, insulation and efficient systems, you can make your home much more efficient.

Most homes can be made 10-25% more energy efficient without substantial capital investment and 25-60% more efficient with capital investments such as efficient heating systems, appliances and insulation. In addition, most homes have regular maintenance issues that, if diagnosed and corrected early, can save thousands of dollars in deferred maintenance costs down the road, thus the need for the Home Maintenance Consultation in conjunction with an energy use evaluation.

So unless you have a home designed specifically for energy efficiency there is a good chance we can help you save money, energy and carbon pollution. Give us a call for a free phone consultation to see what level of service will best suit your needs.
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What types of homes stand to benefit the most from a Home Performance Evaluation?
While virtually every home will benefit, I have made a list below of the types of homes that stand to benefit the most. This is based on our experience inspecting thousands of homes in Western Washington.

• All houses from the 1990's and older. These homes could also benefit the most from a thermal camera scan as there is a good chance that the house is leaky and wall insulation levels are inadequate.
• If your house is older than 15 years and you have heating ductwork or heating equipment outside the conditioned space of your home (in the crawl space, garage or attic), there is a good chance that our evaluation will pay for itself instantly regarding deferred maintenance issues and within two years regarding savings in heating bills. That's two streams of payback for one service.
• If you have trouble making your house comfortable: is it too hot in the summer or too cold in the winter? Does it seem like your utility bills are unusually high?
• If you are about to embark on a remodel. This is an excellent time to have a Home Performance Analysis done. We can help you understand the efficiency shortcomings of your existing house so improved efficiency can be designed and engineered into your remodel. Realizing these shortcomings after an expensive remodel can be a costly mistake.

How much does a Home Performance Analysis Cost?
In order to help you choose the level of diagnostic service that best fits your needs, we have broken down our services into a suite of options. Please click here to view a descripton of different services or click here to view our pricing chart, and feel free to call for a free price quote: (206) 842-3739. It can be tricky choosing the best level of service for your needs; that is why we have starred the combinations of service that typically provide the best value. You should also note that we discount individual services when bundled together to create "best value" packages.
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What is the difference between a Structural Maintenance and Efficiency Plan and a Home Inspection?
A home inspection and report is a diagnostic process and document designed specifically to foster disclosure on a property so that home buyers and sellers can make educated decisions about the current condition of their subject property. In contrast, a maintenance and efficiency plan is an integral part of an overall home performance analysis designed for current home owners to better maintain their home as well as improve the energy and resource efficiency of the home.
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