The short answer is yes. And here is why:
Introduction:
Until fairly recently builders considered each part of a house – walls, roof, windows, doors, plumbing and electrical systems, etc – independently. Over the last two decades experts have gained a lot of experience with energy-efficient building, resulting to an understanding that the house works best as a system, and that changes in one part of the house affect other parts.
A home energy audit by a certified professional will test your home’s energy performance based on the principles of the house as a system. The results can save you 30-50% on your energy bills and improve the comfort, energy efficiency, and air quality of your home.
What does a Home Energy Audit entail?
A home energy audit conducted by a professional certified HERS Rater is a comprehensive analysis that includes a Blower Door Test, which measures the extent of air leaks in your home, an Infrared Camera Scan, which reveals hard-to-detect areas of air infiltration and missing insulation, and a visual Airflow Evaluation, which checks your duct work for visible signs of leakage.
A home energy audit takes anywhere between 2-4 hours to complete, and costs an average of $300-$500, depending on the size of the house. The energy auditor will provide you with a report listing the issues observed and their recommended fixes.
What are the benefits of a Home Energy Audit?
Almost all homes can benefit from a home energy audit and almost all homes could be more energy efficient. As a general rule, the older the home, the less efficient it is.
Do you feel cold or drafty places in your home? Do you feel big temperature differences from room to room? Would you like to know what changes to can make your home as energy efficient as possible? Do you want to reduce your utility bills?
Energy efficiency. Save in utility bills:
Even if you implement some of the auditor’s recommendations, you will see significant savings in your utility bills. Depending on the extent of the issues identified and repairs that you do, it is possible that you see as much as 50% savings.
Better health. Improve your indoor air quality:
By sealing your home’s envelope (walls, windows, roof, etc), you’re improving indoor air quality. When the warm air rises, it escapes out of various gaps in your home. This creates low pressure in the lower part of your home, drawing cold, unconditioned air into the house. Often this air increases moisture levels and might result to mold growth, or bring in otherwise poor quality air.
Comfort. Improve heating/cooling levels throughout the house:
Through a combination of air sealing, duct sealing and air balancing, you can get rid of drafts and cold spots in your house and achieve the right amount of heating or cooling making all rooms equally comfortable.
Contribute to the environment:
Based upon your potential energy savings, you could reduce green house gas emissions, thus helping the environment. By improving home efficiency by 30%-50% (which is a realistically achievable goal), we could achieve a 5-10% reduction in total U.S. emissions.
Bonus: If you are planning to re-finance or sell your home there are Energy Efficient Mortgages (EEM) that you, or the prospective buyer, might qualify for, which take into consideration the home’s reduced energy costs, therefore making the home more affordable. Furthermore, there are tax incentives to improve the energy efficiency of your home which can significantly reduce the cost of any energy efficiency upgrades.
Can I do a Home Energy Audit myself?
Yes and no. You can certainly follow certain basic guidelines and identify major air leaks in your home. You can use weatherstripping to seal air leaks around movable joints, such as windows or doors, or caulk some of the cavities in the walls.
However, you won’t be able to perform a proper energy audit of your home the way a professional energy auditor can, since auditors use expensive equipment that can identify many more issues in places where you wouldn’t even think of looking.
In conclusion
A home energy audit can save you much more than it costs to perform one and it is definitely worth it. Beyond just the savings, think of the potential improvements in comfort and air quality. Many people have gotten rid of, or minimized their allergies due to a healthier indoor environment. If you have questions or are interested in an audit, please contact me and I’ll be happy to refer you to a certified home energy auditor.
