|
A leaky house costs money. A residential energy audit pinpoints these areas of waste and determines how to make a home more efficient. The resulting savings can put anywhere from 5 to 30 percent of wasted money directly back into the pocket of the homeowner. While there is a cost to having a professional assessment performed, the investment is well worth the money when we consider the return that the homeowner is sure to receive in the form of savings that accrue over time.
A basic energy assessment can be done by the homeowner. It involves locating air leaks within the home interior. It also involves looking for gaps in caulking in the exterior areas where building parts meet. This type of assessment is something every homeowner should do on a routine basis.
However, to get the best savings possible, sophisticated tests done by a professional home energy technician are the only certain way to pinpoint certain issues that only trained professionals and special equipment can readily spot. Overlooking just one area of waste can cost the homeowner a great deal of money, so it is always better to let an expert handle a residential energy audit.
For those worried about costs, there are government rebates that will reimburse the majority of the cost. The marginal difference in expenditure will be quickly offset by the savings one accumulates when the job is done right the first time.
A residential energy audit begins with a basic inspection of the home exterior. This involves more than looking for faulty caulking. It is actually an assessment of the relationship of the home itself to the occupants of the residents. Factors such as the architecture of the home, whether it is a single story or multi-story dwelling, and the size and number of windows are weighed against specific human activities that occur within the home.
Homeowners should actively dialogue with the technician who is conducting the residential energy audit in order to answer key questions about energy usage. For example, if someone is home during working hours, that has a major bearing on energy costs. The number of people that live in the house daily also plays a role in energy consumption. Asking the homeowner what the preferred thermostat settings are for summer and winter gives the auditor a good idea of average daily use.
Finally, determining which rooms are used the most, and how much demand each of these rooms place on climate control and lighting, also plays a major role in determining just how much energy is being wasted on an annual basis.
The auditor will also conduct a detailed examination of outlets, attic doors, basement areas, insulation, water heaters, and HVAC systems. Many of these systems are far removed from the daily life of the homeowner, and even the smallest of malfunctions in any of them can begin to cost the resident money without him or her ever knowing that a slow and steady drain is being put on the budget.
To conclude the residential energy audit, the home energy technician will use special equipment to conduct a series of tests to pinpoint leaks that are undetectable to the human eye. The specialist will seal off the home, and then blow air out of it with a special fan mounted in a door called a blower door. Using an infrared camera, the auditor then can find streams of cold air rushing in from leaks too tiny to notice through visual inspection.
An online search for “energy auditors” or “residential energy audits” in your area is the best way to find possible experts to employ for this service. Make sure you check their BBB rating, and also make certain that they use a calibrated blower door and include a thermographic inspection.
|
