Contractors & Home Builders

Austin Auditors has been doing 3rd party testing on behalf of contractors in Austin and surrounding areas for years. Our auditors are certified in three different major certifications for 3rd Party testing, including Air Diagnostics & Balancing from the National Comfort Institute, as well as BPI and Resnet Certifications.

• Envelope Leakage
• HVAC System Air Leakage – Duct Leakage
• System Static Pressure
• Supply Airflow Verification – Requires a Manual J
• Room Pressure Differential
• Pressure Differential to Outside

In calculating the ACCA approved Manual-J load calculation, we assess the building to determine how much cooling or heat each room will require to provide comfort. The calculations factor in all construction components of the building envelope – we give each wall its proper orientation and input the walls’ building materials, i.e. windows, doors, insulation level, etc. The results of the Manual-J specify the per room BTUH of heat gain in the summer and heat loss in the winter.

The resulting Manual J provides the necessary airflow requirements to complete the third party testing requirement for Supply Air Flow Verification. It also helps to provide the HVAC contractor with information so that he can properly size the HVAC system.

We will need the below information to best complete your Manual-J. You can submit it in our contact form when you place your order or you can email it to us at info@austinauditors.com if ordering by phone.

If you do not have all of the below information, we will assume code minimum.

• Building plans.
• Accurate insulation type (blown or spray foam) and r-values.
• Windows’ SHGC and u-values, which can affect the load significantly.

• Plans – We prefer PDFs. They will need to be drawn to scale. Simple paper drawings are acceptable, as long as they are to scale or have dimensions noted.
• Envelope – What materials are your floor, walls, and ceiling/roof made of?
• Insulation – the attic/roof, walls, and floor insulation levels of the house.
• Windows – the U-value and SHGC of the windows.
• Doors – Describe the solid doors to us (example: solid wood, insulated steel).
• Internal loads – If you know of specific internal loads that are out of the ordinary, let us know what they are and the room in which they will be.
• Orientation – What direction does the front door face?
• Infiltration – What is the estimated air-change rate of your project? You can give this to us in ACH50, a target blower door result, or qualitatively (super-tight, kinda-tight, etc.). The more specific you are, the more accurate the result.
• Ventilation – Do you have an active ventilation system? If so, please describe it to us.
• Duct location – Give a description of the area in which you plan on installing the ductwork for each system (attic, crawl space, between floors, etc.).
• Duct leakage – How tight will the ducts be? Will they be pressure tested after installation?

To order your Manual-J calculations, simply fill out the contact form at the bottom of this page with the information in the bulleted list above. You can also email us at info@austinauditors.com.

Be sure to include the street address of the home, as well as your contact information, just in case we need to contact you for additional details. We will email you back to confirm receipt of your order and let you know when you can expect to have your resulting calculations back.

For any questions regarding Manual-J calculations, please call us at 512-879-3567.

Interested in installing one of the following using Austin Energy rebates? For many of these Austin Energy rebates there must be an ECAD energy assessment on file for the home before the rebates will be approved.

• High efficiency lighting installation at multifamily and commercial properties
• Duct diagnostics and improvement at multifamily properties
• Custom energy saving technology installation
• Solar shading installation at commercial properties

Please Email Us or give us a call for more information on pricing and scheduling for rebate testing.