5.2: Post-Installation "Test-Out" Procedures

To ensure that the “test-out” is performed properly, Program Sponsors shall adopt test-out requirements in their program policies and procedures that meet or exceed the guidance in this document. Participating contractors commonly conduct their own post-testing, but some Sponsors use a third-party for the final test-out. While it may include a similar set of tests and inspections, this process is not the same as inspections that are conducted for quality assurance purposes (see Section 6: Quality Assurance). The test-out process is a standard element of every home performance project. Documentation of test-out results may be used to quantify final energy savings projections as well as verify that systems are performing within specifications.

The following are minimum requirements for HPwES test-out procedures on all projects: 

• Installation of measures as specified in the SOW shall be verified via visual inspection, review of commissioning reports or mechanical system performance testing documentation, and other diagnostic tests as necessary to confirm that the manufacturers’ specifications and industry-accepted standards have been satisfied and systems are performing at least as efficiently as specified in the contracted SOW. 
• Combustion safety checks are required for all homes with combustion appliances following industry-accepted protocols. At a minimum, this evaluation shall include a check for fuel leaks, carbon monoxide, and confirmation that flue gases are exiting the building as required by the equipment manufacturers’ specifications. If original manufacturer performance data is unavailable, industry-accepted standards such as DOE’s Guidelines for Home Energy Professionals: Standard Work Specifications for Single-Family Home Energy Upgrades (Sections 2.0111.4- 2.0301.2) shall be used. 
• Post-installation blower door tests are required when measures impacting the building’s natural air exchange rates are installed. Final air exchange rates (either natural or mechanically driven) must be within industry-accepted tolerances5 to ensure indoor air quality.

Special Requirements for Multifamily Buildings

Types of Improvements

Whole Building Improvements: Whole building improvements are defined as measures which impact the energy-related performance of the overall building. Examples include air sealing and insulation of roof or attic spaces covering multiple dwelling units, upgrades to a central heating system serving multiple apartments, and building-wide replacement of windows.

Unit-by-Unit Improvements: Unit-by-unit improvements are defined as measures with impact limited to the energy-related performance of individual dwelling units. Examples include in-unit lighting and appliance upgrades and replacement of in-unit heating, cooling, and DHW equipment.

Performance Testing and Quality Assurance

Test-in and test-out requirements for installed measures are the same as for single family detached buildings described in Section 4: The Assessment and Section 5: The Project Installation of the Sponsor Guide with the following modifications. Sampling should follow RESNET Standard (Sections 603.7.1 through 603.7.8 and Section 603.8) or include a minimum of 10% of the total number of dwelling units treated that are fully representative of the variation in exposed surfaces (for envelope measures) and mechanical equipment (for mechanical measures) across the entire population of improved dwelling units. 

• Combustion safety testing must be completed for all combustion appliances located within the building that may be impacted by improvements. Sampling protocols may not be applied to combustion safety testing requirements. 
• Whole building blower door tests are not required for whole building attic treatments. In-unit blower door testing should be used to verify unit-level air exchange rates for ventilation purposes whenever shell-tightening measures are part of the scope of work at the dwelling unit or whole building level. A sampling approach may be used for in-unit blower door tests to determine ventilation rates if there are no other health and safety-related issues. 
• A sampling approach may be used for test-in/test-out of in-unit improvements unless they are health and safety related (for the purposes of this provision, blower door tests are exempt from the health and safety related category unless there is a specific health and safety concern unique to the building or project). 
• Guarded blower door tests (i.e., using multiple blower doors simultaneously in adjacent spaces) may be used to isolate leakage paths for diagnostic purposes but are not required.

Minimum required Quality Assurance (QA) inspection sampling rates are the same as for single family detached dwellings based on the total number of dwelling units improved under the HPwES Program as described in Section 6: Quality Assurance of the Sponsor Guide.

Project Oversight

All HPwES projects and test-out diagnostics must be physically overseen by a qualified technician to complete pre/post diagnostic tests and ensure compliance with all Program rules. A building owner or management company may act as their own contractor if they have the in-house capacity to install HPwES project measures. Sponsors may elect to establish their own rules for third-party oversight of HPwES projects.