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Having your BPI Certification means you are rolling several trades into one and becoming a whole-house energy auditor or home performance contractor.  I know many of my peers come from backgrounds as home inspectors, HVAC, framing, general contracting, electrical, plumbing, handymen, engineering, roofing and painting.  Having such a diverse background of people means some terms you may be an expert in and other terms you may not be as familiar.  Personally, I had to overcome huge hurdles and spend lots of time crawling through attics and inventing new yoga positions to fit into return plenums to get up to speed on this stuff.  To make it easier for you, I want to attempt spelling everything out and get you on your feet ASAP.  If you find something is missing that you would like shown here, feel free to email me above and I will be sure to include it in this guide.  Good luck!
Access a return plenum
Oh the places you'll go as an energy auditor / retrofitter!  I have amazed myself and my crew at the places I have squeezed into in the name of home performance.  There are several ways to access a return plenum if you ever come across one, just be sure you bid the job out correctly.
 
1. Removing the fan.  
1a. Turn off the thermostat and power to the unit at the breaker.  I do this because I hate blowing those little 2-5 amp fuses by bmping into something the wrong way and I want the unti to come back on when I'm done.

1b. Remove the panel.

1c. Always take a picture with your camera of the electrical connections in case you disconnect one or two. 

1d. From here there are two ways to do this.  One is draw yourself a diagram or connection map (color coded) then disconnect all the electrical connections before unscrewing the fan and sliding it out of its housing. The second way is to leave all the electrical connections and unscrew the nuts holding the fan in place and slide the fan out.  The second way is what I prefer if there is a close spot I can set the fan.  I usually will have help when removing the fan because it is bulky and heavy.  

1e. Cut away any studs so you can crawl into the return plenum. Place all materials you need, 2 gallons of mastic, foam board and gloves by the access point so you do not have to go in and out. Having another crew member by their phone is also helpful if you need more materials.

1f. Crawl into the return plenum being careful not to disconnect the wires.  Your clothes will likely get mastic on them since it is a very tight spot but start sealing at the back and work your way out.

Duct seal a wye splitter

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Install a new register box
Seal flex duct work
Seal rigid duct work

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