What to bring to the conversation
- Property, dimensions or quantities you know
- Existing condition and items to retain
- Access, occupancy and scheduling constraints
FREE PREPARATION RESOURCE
Home energy-assessment goals, testing and deliverables workbook
Free fillable worksheets to organize home comfort and energy goals, building context, provider-proposed assessment activities, deliverables and follow-up before comparing assessors.
View the checklist and download the fillable PDF ↗FIND HELP. COMPARE OFFERS. YOU CHOOSE.
Duct-leakage testing
Tell us what you need. Pros can review your request and send you offers. You decide who to hire.
Clarify access and findings.
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What information helps?
Share what you know. You do not need to know every detail.
- The problem or the result you want
- Where you need the service
- When you would like help
- Your budget, if you have one
Do not guess measurements or costs. You can ask a pro to check them.
Want to learn more before you start?
Open the guide for costs, useful questions and planning tools. You can start your request without reading it all.
Home · THE PROJECT GUIDE
Duct-leakage testing.
Get the details right.
Clarify access and findings.
Explain comfort and energy concerns and provide available building information. Compare investigation, testing and prioritized recommendations.
Explore freely · Compare thoughtfully · You choose the professional
THE WORK BEHIND THE WORDS
Make this particular service clear.
Start with the distinction below, then define the deliverables and boundaries. If something is unknown, ask the provider to assess it.
Duct-leakage testing · the key conversation
Clarify access and findings.
What to ask for in return
A written description of duct-leakage testing, the assumptions behind the price and which items need further assessment. Ask the provider to explain building information, concerns, testing, report in the context of your request.
| Detail | Get this in writing | Keep the comparison fair |
|---|---|---|
| Building history and concern map | Record address and building type; age and additions; conditioned area and volume basis; occupancy and schedules; utility records; fuels; equipment; comfort, moisture and odor patterns; known repairs; planned changes; and access limits. Map rooms, attic, crawlspace, basement, garage and mechanical zones included. | Compare the same property facts, concern periods and accessible areas. A proposal based only on square footage is not the same scope as one that reviews use, systems and prior changes. |
| Inspection and diagnostic plan | List visual inspection, bill analysis, infrared conditions, envelope leakage, duct total or outside leakage, pressure diagnostics, ventilation review and combustion-safety checks. State equipment, claimed standard, test pressure, preparation, exclusions, calibration evidence and who may remain in the building. | Compare identical test boundaries and reporting units. Keep total duct leakage distinct from leakage to outdoors, and a whole-building leakage result distinct from locating individual leaks. |
| Analysis and prioritized recommendations | Require findings tied to photos or measurements, baseline and model assumptions, recommended sequence, expected interactions, prerequisites, uncertainty, health-and-safety flags and a distinction between repair, maintenance and capital improvement. Put incentive screening and savings scenarios in separate, dated sections. | Compare the evidence and assumptions behind each recommendation—not just rank, projected payback or product list. Do not treat modeled energy or cost estimates as guaranteed future bills. |
| Report, handoff and verification plan | Define the written report, raw readings, building and duct boundaries, equipment inventory, utility-data period, photos, calculations or score, accessible-area limitations, referral needs, bidder-ready scope notes and proposed post-work tests. Include data ownership and correction process. | Compare whether another qualified provider can understand and use the record. Completion should mean a reviewed report and clear next decisions, not pressure to sign an installation contract during the visit. |
UNDERSTAND THE PRICE
See the parts. Then compare the total.
A useful budget explains what the money covers. Keep these cost areas visible rather than relying on a package name or headline figure.
Preparation and investigation
Products and installation
Access, disposal and reinstatement
Approvals, testing and handover
What changes the scope?
Explain comfort and energy concerns and provide available building information. Compare investigation, testing and prioritized recommendations.
Ask providers to explain how building information and concerns affect their assumptions. Separate confirmed information from items still awaiting assessment.
What does the chart show?
The planning tool compares amounts you enter over the same period. Fixed charges, rate × quantity, monthly charges and extras stay separate. Its cumulative-cost graph makes different upfront and recurring arrangements easier to understand.
Published references, where available below, show their own units, source and period. They remain separate from your calculator inputs. Employee wages and producer-price indexes are context, not the price a provider will charge. Ask for current proposals for your actual scope.
YOUR PLANNING DESK
A clearer brief. A better starting point.
Build your request, compare entered costs and download a branded planning pack. Your selections stay here until you choose to continue.
Start with the details that matter.
No account needed to plan. Keep private documents, account numbers, credentials and sensitive case details out of this brief.
Also consider: Access, occupancy and scheduling constraints. Leave unknown details for the provider to assess.
Review your starting brief
Review before continuing. You can edit the wording below. Manual edits stay in place until you choose to regenerate from your answers.
322 characters
PickYourPro.ai does not yet have a dedicated request category for this service. Keep or download your brief, or continue to review the available request categories yourself.
Next, review the request in PickYourPro.ai. An account is required to complete it. This step does not send invitations or commit you to a provider. Service availability and provider participation vary.
Opt-in saves form answers only. Manual brief edits, comparison values and checklist selections are not saved. Download a copy to keep them; avoid saving on shared devices.
FROM FIRST QUESTION TO HANDOVER
Know what happens next.
- 1
Define
Describe the outcome and current condition. Mark unknown measurements rather than guessing.
- 2
Assess
Agree any visit or diagnostic fee. Ask what must be checked before the price can be final.
- 3
Compare
Use the same drawings, selections and boundaries for each proposal.
- 4
Complete
Approve changes in writing and collect the agreed completion records.
A planning sequence, not a promised duration. Actual timing depends on the service, the information available and the provider's agreed scope.
WHEN YOU WANT THE DEEPER VIEW
The details worth resolving early.
Treat an energy assessment as an investigation with a defined question, test boundary and written result—not as a sales visit for whichever upgrade a contractor happens to install. Start with comfort patterns, moisture or ventilation concerns, recent utility records, occupancy and operating schedules, known renovations, fuel types and the parts of the building that can actually be accessed. Ask the assessor to distinguish observations, measured results, modeled estimates and assumptions. A blower-door number, duct-leakage number or projected saving is not a diagnosis by itself; useful recommendations connect the evidence to a prioritized scope, explain interactions with combustion safety and ventilation, and state what must be verified before work begins.
For this particular project
Map every forced-air system, air handler, supply and return path, duct zone and accessible register before booking. Ask whether the scope measures total duct leakage or leakage to outdoors, whether a blower door is also required, which system boundary is sealed, the reference pressure and units, and how multiple systems, building cavities used as returns, ventilation connections, filters and dampers are handled. Total leakage and outside leakage answer different questions, and neither alone locates all defects or proves an energy-loss amount. Request setup photos, equipment and calibration status, raw readings, normalization basis, inaccessible sections and interpretation tied to duct location and airflow concerns. If repairs are contemplated, compare a separate repair scope and require repeat testing under the same documented boundary; do not assume a diagnostic visit includes sealing, balancing or HVAC design.
Use these questions to write my brief ↗- 01Frame concerns and collect building records
- 02Confirm assessor scope, qualifications and test limits
- 03Inspect and test under documented conditions
- 04Review evidence, assumptions and measure interactions
- 05Choose next work and define post-retrofit verification
What question should the assessment answer?
Write down whether the main concern is uneven comfort, drafts, high or changing use, moisture, planned equipment replacement, incentive eligibility, a pre-purchase comparison or a whole-home retrofit plan. Ask the provider which inspection, interview, bill review and diagnostic tests answer that question, which areas and systems are included, and what cannot be concluded. A walkthrough, a formal program score and a diagnostic assessment can produce different deliverables; compare them only after the purpose and boundary match.
Which tests are appropriate and safe?
Ask who will operate the blower door, duct tester, infrared camera or combustion-analysis equipment; what calibration, credential or test standard they claim; and how the building is prepared and restored. Identify fireplaces, fuel-burning appliances, exhaust fans, attached garages, suspected asbestos or lead, fragile finishes, pets, occupants and areas that must not be depressurized or disturbed. Require the provider to explain combustion-safety and pressure-boundary limits before testing. Testing should stop or change when site conditions make the planned procedure unsuitable.
How will results become a coordinated retrofit plan?
Require each recommendation to name the observed or measured basis, affected building system, dependencies, sequencing and a method for confirming completion. Air sealing can interact with ventilation and natural-draft combustion equipment; insulation can interact with roof moisture and electrical clearances; HVAC replacement can change airflow and loads. Ask which measures can stand alone, which require qualified design or trade review, and which should be bundled. Savings estimates are scenarios based on stated inputs—not measured outcomes or guarantees.
Who is independent, and who is selling the work?
It can be reasonable for one company to assess and improve a home, but make the commercial relationship explicit. Ask whether the assessor receives installation revenue, referrals or incentive payments; whether the report is usable by other bidders; and whether testing, modeling, design, installation and post-work verification are separate line items. For program, financing or tax purposes, verify the current eligibility rules, provider qualifications and required report language directly with the administering authority before relying on a credit or rebate.
What changes with location and conditions?
- Climate zone, humidity, seasonal temperature difference, wildfire smoke, radon potential and local construction practices affect which tests are informative and how enclosure, ventilation and moisture recommendations interact. Ask the assessor to explain the site-specific basis rather than applying one national package.
- Attached homes, apartments, manufactured homes, historic buildings and mixed-use properties may have shared pressure boundaries, common systems, access rights or preservation constraints. Confirm ownership and testing boundaries before a result is labeled whole-home.
- Utility programs, state rebates, federal tax provisions and qualified-provider lists change over time and can impose their own test, product, income, timing or documentation rules. Verify the current official program terms before contracting; an assessment recommendation does not establish eligibility.
- Local adopted energy, mechanical, fuel-gas, electrical and building rules—and the authority's interpretation—control permitted work. An audit report can inform a project but does not replace design, permits, utility coordination or trade-specific commissioning where those are required.
Documents to collect at completion
- Signed report with property and assessment date, assessor and claimed credentials, building and test boundaries, inaccessible areas, equipment inventory and utility-data period
- Raw and normalized test readings with units, reference pressures, equipment identification or calibration status, setup notes, photos and as-found/as-left equipment or control settings
- Prioritized recommendation matrix showing evidence, assumptions, prerequisites, measure interactions, implementation responsibility, uncertainty and a clear separation of modeled estimates from measured results
- Bidder-ready next-step scopes, safety or specialist referrals, current official incentive links, data files where promised, and a post-work verification plan with the records to retain
Compare these promised records before choosing a provider. Keep the originals alongside your planning pack.
PICKYOURPRO.AI · YOUR NEXT STEP
Explain it once.
Compare with more clarity.
Turn what you have learned into a focused request. Give providers the same starting information, review their responses and ask questions about differences in scope, timing and fees.
- 1
Build a clear brief
Describe the service, your priorities and what needs assessment.
- 2
Review responses
Compare what each provider proposes and clarify open questions.
- 3
Choose your provider
Consider relevant experience, scope and terms—not just the lowest number.
Requesting and comparing proposals is free for clients. Provider participation, availability and response times vary. Confirm any separate consultation or inspection charge. Review project unlock terms for later project stages.
GOOD QUESTIONS, CLEARER CHOICES
Before you choose.
What should I include in a duct-leakage testing request?
Clarify access and findings. Include building information, concerns, testing, report where known. Leave unknowns for the professional to assess.
Can I compare prices before an assessment?
You can compare the stated assumptions, scope and fee basis. Ask what must be checked before an offer is final and whether a consultation, inspection or diagnostic visit has a separate charge. For this service, start by clarifying building information.
How should I handle a lower price?
Ask which tasks, deliverables and terms differ. Use the cost tool to compare the same period and quantities, then review exclusions and professional fit. The smallest calculated number is not a recommendation.
Does the planning pack create an agreement?
No. It records your brief and entered scenarios. You still need to review and agree the provider’s actual proposal and terms. Keep original documents and approvals.
What happens after I continue to my request?
Your reviewed brief enters the existing PickYourPro.ai request process. You will need an account and can confirm the remaining details before completing the request. Provider participation and availability vary.
Are these live market prices?
The planning calculator uses your entered figures. Published references elsewhere on the page are separate, dated observations with their own sources and limitations. Neither is a live provider quote. Employee wages are not billable labor rates, and a producer-price index is not an installed project price.
TRANSPARENT BY DESIGN
Sources and editorial notes.
Prepared by PickYourPro.ai with AI assistance · Framework published October 7, 2026. Expanded research review: October 8, 2026. These service-planning questions have not been independently reviewed by a licensed specialist. Local requirements and professional suitability need individual verification.
- FTC: hiring a contractor ↗
Background on written estimates and checking a contractor. This resource does not endorse PickYourPro.ai. See any price-reference chart for the exact unit, scope and observation date.
- DOE Energy Saver: Consumer Guide to Home Energy Assessments ↗
Federal consumer overview of do-it-yourself and professional assessments, including blower-door and infrared methods. Source checked October 11, 2026. This resource does not endorse PickYourPro.ai. See any price-reference chart for the exact unit, scope and observation date.
- ENERGY STAR: Home Performance Assessment ↗
Federal program page describing the homeowner interview, bill review, building and system evaluation, safety testing and prioritized recommendations. Source checked October 11, 2026. This resource does not endorse PickYourPro.ai. See any price-reference chart for the exact unit, scope and observation date.
- DOE: Home Energy Score ↗
Explains the DOE score, estimated energy-use comparison and improvement recommendations; a score is a defined program product, not every form of audit. Source checked October 11, 2026. This resource does not endorse PickYourPro.ai. See any price-reference chart for the exact unit, scope and observation date.
- DOE: Home Energy Score Assessor Resources ↗
Official assessor materials show program data collection, reports, training and quality-assurance context. Source checked October 11, 2026. This resource does not endorse PickYourPro.ai. See any price-reference chart for the exact unit, scope and observation date.
- DOE: Home Energy Score Quality Assurance ↗
Describes DOE training, mentoring and sample quality review for this specific score program. Source checked October 11, 2026. This resource does not endorse PickYourPro.ai. See any price-reference chart for the exact unit, scope and observation date.
- DOE Building America: Home Diagnostics ↗
Federal building-science resource linking blower-door, duct-leakage, combustion and infrared diagnostics to defined building questions. Source checked October 11, 2026. This resource does not endorse PickYourPro.ai. See any price-reference chart for the exact unit, scope and observation date.
- DOE Building America: Enclosure Leakage Test ↗
Explains blower-door setup, test boundaries, reporting and existing-home safety considerations. Source checked October 11, 2026. This resource does not endorse PickYourPro.ai. See any price-reference chart for the exact unit, scope and observation date.
- DOE Building America: Duct Leakage Tests ↗
Explains calibrated duct testing, total versus outside leakage, reference pressure, preparation and reporting distinctions. Source checked October 11, 2026. This resource does not endorse PickYourPro.ai. See any price-reference chart for the exact unit, scope and observation date.
- DOE Building America: Combustion Appliance Zone Testing ↗
Federal technical resource on pressure interactions and safety assessment around certain fuel-burning appliances. Source checked October 11, 2026. This resource does not endorse PickYourPro.ai. See any price-reference chart for the exact unit, scope and observation date.
- DOE Building America: Home Air Sealing Checklist ↗
Connects pre/post blower-door testing with ventilation and combustion-safety review for air-sealing work. Source checked October 11, 2026. This resource does not endorse PickYourPro.ai. See any price-reference chart for the exact unit, scope and observation date.
- DOE: Recognized Home Energy Auditor Certification Programs ↗
Current federal list used for a specific federal tax-credit qualification; it does not establish every local or program requirement. Source checked October 11, 2026. This resource does not endorse PickYourPro.ai. See any price-reference chart for the exact unit, scope and observation date.
- IRS: Claiming a Home Energy Audit Credit ↗
Current federal tax guidance on property, auditor and written-report documentation; eligibility and tax treatment must be rechecked for the applicable tax year. Source checked October 11, 2026. This resource does not endorse PickYourPro.ai. See any price-reference chart for the exact unit, scope and observation date.
- IRS: Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit FAQs ↗
Current official answers on audit-report and incentive questions; use dated rules rather than assuming recommendations qualify. Source checked October 11, 2026. This resource does not endorse PickYourPro.ai. See any price-reference chart for the exact unit, scope and observation date.
- DOE Weatherization Assistance Program: Whole-House Weatherization ↗
Describes a federal program context that includes energy audit, combustion-safety and blower-door work; it is not a universal private-market scope. Source checked October 11, 2026. This resource does not endorse PickYourPro.ai. See any price-reference chart for the exact unit, scope and observation date.
Methodology and updates
Scope questions are organized by service and buying process. The planning calculator uses only entered values. Separately labelled reference charts use public source observations; no private PickYourPro project history is used. A permanent page address does not make a dated reference permanently current. Substantive changes should update the editorial record.
October 7, 2026: initial guide, service-specific scope, planning worksheet and cost-comparison tools published.
October 8, 2026: expanded option comparisons, project-specific buying questions, regional considerations and completion records.
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