Reasons To Get A Home Energy Audit

Performing a home energy audit is often a worthwhile first step in increasing your home’s energy efficiency. An energy audit will help you identify how much energy you are using and how you save money on energy bills and protect the environment. Once you determine how the energy you purchase is being used – and being wasted – you will need to implement the necessary steps to start saving money.

You can learn a lot about your home and habits by doing your own assessment of your energy use or hire a professional to perform a comprehensive energy audit. You are the most qualified person to create a list of conditions within your home that may be causing your energy bills to escalate. If your home is cold and drafty, you have moisture in the basement, experience excessive dust, mold, mildew or a musty odor, if there is peeling paint, moisture on window or low humidity in your home during colder months, inefficient energy use may be the cause.

Many homes, particularly older homes, lack the proper amount of insulation. A money-saving step is to add insulation to your home’s outer walls, ceilings, floors, attic and crawl spaces. Creating a thick layer of insulation will prevent warm air leaks in the winter and cool air from escaping during the warmer months. Sealing is the natural partner of insulating. Once you have gone to the time, trouble and expense of installing insulation you will want to keep the good air in by sealing those cracks and holes with caulk, weather stripping or spray foam. If your budget allows, replacing old drafty windows and doors with ones that are energy efficient.

Heating and cooling represent the bulk of household energy consumption so carefully auditing these systems is the best way to reduce energy costs. Nothing beats adjusting the temperature in your home for increased savings. Once your home is properly insulated and sealed you should be able to lower the thermostat in the winter and raise it in the summer while still feeling comfortable. Without all that expensive heated and cooled air escaping, your home will retain heat better and stay cooler longer.

Investing in Energy Star heating and cooling equipment will make your home more energy efficient. Whatever system you currently own, proper maintenance is critical to maximum efficiency. Change air filters regularly and season tune-ups will make your system work efficiently.

A professional energy audit will reveal even more detail about your energy use and efficiency. This type of energy audit uses special equipment and techniques including infrared cameras and blowers to locate the leaks and hot spots in your home. Many utility companies offer free or discounted professional home energy audits. A qualified home energy auditing company will offer you recommendations for improved efficiency and assist you in prioritizing the home improvement projects that will garner the best results.