Green Air Duct Club · San Antonio Since 2009
Energy Efficiency Audit in San Antonio — Find Where You’re Losing Money
A home energy audit finds what your CPS Energy bill can’t tell you.
It isn’t a sales call or a visual walkthrough — it’s a measurement exercise. Four systems evaluated independently (duct leakage rate, attic insulation depth, air infiltration, and HVAC equipment efficiency), numbers recorded, and findings ranked by how much energy each failure point is actually costing you. If your bill climbed this summer and nothing obvious explains it, this is the starting point.
- Four Systems Measured
- Priority-Ranked Report
- No Fix-All Pressure
Rarely One Thing
San Antonio’s Energy Loss Problem Is Rarely Just One Thing
Most homes losing significant energy are losing it through more than one pathway at once — which is what makes a high bill so hard to trace without measurement.
The city’s pre-2000 construction was built to insulation standards far below today’s code. A 1988 home in Leon Valley or Converse may have original attic insulation performing at R-11 or R-19 — well below the R-38 minimum now required for Climate Zone 2. Add a duct system with joints separated over 20-plus years of thermal cycling, and air infiltration through unsealed attic penetrations, and the HVAC is working against three separate losses at once.
None of those losses is visible from the thermostat. All three show up in the bill. We’ve evaluated HVAC performance and duct conditions across every construction era in Bexar County since 2009.
From The Field · Ori Tarzi, Founder
What I Actually Find When I Walk Through a San Antonio Home
“A Stone Oak homeowner calls because their July bill was $340 — same thermostat, same household, but it was $210 two years ago. Eight-year-old system, filter changed last month. I start with a CPS Energy bill analysis to establish a consumption baseline before I touch anything, and I can see exactly when the jump happened.
I run a duct leakage rate test — the percentage of conditioned air escaping before it reaches the rooms — and measure 23 percent on the supply side. Then I pull attic access: full depth near the hatch, compacted to roughly half in the far corners where technicians walked the joists over the years, radiant heat pushing straight into the ceiling at peak afternoon. Finally I check equipment efficiency — a unit rated at 16 SEER functioning closer to 11 under the current duct resistance.
Three separate loss points. Any one alone would have raised the bill; together they explained a $130 monthly gap. They left with a priority-ranked report — duct sealing first, then insulation in the compressed zones, then a coil cleaning affecting efficiency. Not all three at once. In order of impact. That’s what the audit does: it tells you where to start.”
Ori Tarzi
Founder, Green Air Duct Club
One Visit, Whole Home
One Audit Covers the Whole Home — No Second Visit Needed
We evaluate all four energy-loss systems in a single visit — no separate contractor for duct testing, no separate contractor for insulation depth. And do you have to fix everything at once? No. The priority-ranked format exists specifically for homeowners working within a budget: you address the highest-impact item first, and the second waits until the budget allows. You’re not committed to all of it on the day — you’re committed to knowing the full picture, in order. The report is reusable too: come back in six months and it gives us the exact starting point, no re-measurement required.
Measured, Not Estimated
Our Standards for Every Energy Efficiency Audit
Every audit follows a documented measurement protocol — not a visual inspection, not an estimate.
Duct Leakage Rate Testing
Measured as a percentage of supply airflow lost through unsealed joints and gaps — not estimated by eye.
Attic Insulation Depth
R-value assessed at multiple points across the attic floor, not just at the access hatch.
Air Infiltration Evaluation
Electrical penetrations, plumbing chases, attic hatches, and wall-to-ceiling junctions — the four places conditioned air most commonly escapes.
Equipment Efficiency Review
Rated SEER or AFUE compared to measured operating performance under actual duct-resistance conditions.
CPS Bill Baseline & Ranked Report
Utility history reviewed before any measurement, then every finding listed by energy-loss magnitude — highest impact first, in plain language.
How It Works
Diagnostics, Evaluation, and Report Delivery
From billing baseline to a priority-ranked findings report you keep.
01
Before We Arrive
You provide two to three months of utility billing history — enough to establish a consumption baseline. That baseline tells us when your energy use increased relative to weather, which shapes where we look first on-site.
02
On-Site Diagnostics
We run the duct leakage test (a system losing 20 percent or more is a primary driver of high bills), take insulation depth readings at a minimum of six points, check air infiltration at the four highest-risk locations, and evaluate equipment efficiency — rated SEER or AFUE against measured performance under real duct resistance and coil condition.
03
Report Delivery
Every finding is delivered as a priority-ranked report — highest-impact item first, each with a plain-language description of what was found, what it means in energy loss, and which service resolves it. If duct sealing addresses 60 percent of the loss and insulation 25 percent, that order is reflected, so your first repair dollar produces the most measurable result.
Where We Audit
Energy Audits Across the San Antonio Metro
We serve established urban-core neighborhoods — where pre-1990 construction creates consistent energy-loss patterns — and newer builds in the far-north Bexar County corridor including Stone Oak, Helotes, and Alamo Ranch, where duct installation quality varies by builder. South Side, West Side, Medical Center corridor, Converse, Schertz, Leon Valley — if it’s in the metro, we’re there.
Bexar County & Surrounding Communities
- Urban Core
- Stone Oak
- Helotes
- Alamo Ranch
- South Side
- West Side
- Medical Center
- Converse
- Schertz
- Leon Valley
- Far North Bexar
- Bexar County
Available 24/7
Schedule Your Home Energy Audit in San Antonio
The audit is the first step — because it tells you which work to do first, and which to skip. You leave knowing where your energy is going, in order of magnitude, in a priority-ranked report specific to your home.
Prefer email? Reach us at gr*****************@***il.com. Available 24/7 across the metro.
Common Questions
Energy Efficiency Audit in San Antonio: FAQ
Most single-family homes in Bexar County take two to three hours on-site. Homes with larger attic footprints — common in Helotes and Alamo Ranch — or more complex duct layouts may run slightly longer. You receive the priority-ranked findings report before we leave.
Four systems: duct leakage rate (a calibrated blower-door-style duct pressure test), attic insulation depth (a minimum of six points across the floor), air infiltration (at electrical boxes, plumbing chases, recessed lights, and attic hatches), and HVAC equipment efficiency (rated SEER or AFUE against measured performance under real duct resistance). Nothing is estimated visually.
No. The priority-ranked report is structured so you can address one item at a time, in order of energy impact. Many homeowners start with duct sealing — typically the highest-impact item — and schedule insulation or infiltration work when the budget allows. The report stays useful for each subsequent step.
Yes. A newer system running against significant duct leakage or insufficient insulation will underperform its rated efficiency regardless of age. Measured SEER under real conditions can fall well below the nameplate when supply-side leakage is above 15 percent — a common finding where duct joints have separated at flex connections.
CPS Energy offers rebates for several efficiency improvements, including insulation upgrades and HVAC enhancements. The report documents current R-value depth and equipment efficiency, which provides the baseline documentation those applications typically require. We recommend confirming current program terms directly with CPS Energy at the time of your audit.
An HVAC inspection evaluates equipment condition — refrigerant charge, electrical connections, coil cleanliness, mechanical function. An energy audit evaluates system performance in the context of the whole home: how much air the ducts lose, how much heat the attic allows in, and where infiltration adds to the load. They’re complementary — the audit tells you why your bill is high; the inspection tells you whether the equipment needs service.