Health & Safety Issues

Whenever an assessment uncovers health and safety issues, it is the responsibility of the energy auditor to provide guidance and make recommendations to the customer. The energy auditor will inform both the customer and the program if health and safety conditions will have an effect on or prevent the customer from receiving rebates in the program. We recommend performing a thorough walkthrough of the home before beginning the assessment process. If the home has health and safety concerns that will affect how the energy audit is performed or may put you or the occupants at risk, you may want to postpone the audit until the concern has been resolved. The Energize Delaware program does not provide documentation that addresses health and safety issues that are discovered during the assessment or at test-out inspection.

Gas Leak Detection

As we have seen more heating equipment installed in the winter months, we have also noticed an increase of gas leak detection by our field staff. This is a friendly reminder that ambient level testing should be observed in addition to testing the gas lines. The contractor operations manual (COM) requires contractors to use gas leak test equipment with a digital display of the lower explosive limit (LEL)) and/or provide an alarm when the LEL exceeds 10%. Remember to zero out the test equipment outside the home to get a clear baseline reading. Test the exterior gas lines before moving to the interior of the home. If new equipment was installed, it is a best practice to test all accessible gas lines in the home—not just the lines that connect to the new unit. If a leak is discovered with the tester “gas sniffer,” verify the leak with a bubble solution whenever possible. Any leaks found on the interior of the home are the homeowner’s responsibility to repair. Exterior lines are usually the responsibility of the service company. If leaks are discovered, you must alert the homeowner to the issue. A form of documentation may be required for the customer’s file, stating that elevated levels of gas were detected and the homeowner has been notified and provided proper guidance for remediation.