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If you're aiming to reduce your home's energy usage, consider a home energy audit to identify problem areas. Check out more insights on sustainable living.
Martin Barraud/Iconica/Getty ImagesAs oil prices soar and environmental concerns reach new heights, it's no surprise that people are eager to conserve energy. Improving your home's energy efficiency not only helps lower its carbon footprint but can also save you significant money – potentially cutting your energy bills by up to 30% or more [source: DIY Network].
Your home may seem like a solid, secure space surrounded by sturdy walls, but it's not a perfect barrier. Cracks and gaps in windows, doors, walls, chimneys, and pipes can lead to drafts, forcing your heating and cooling systems to work harder. Insulation works like a warm sweater to trap heat inside, but if it’s too thin (a common issue in older homes), it won’t be effective in keeping your home cozy. Moreover, outdated or overused appliances can significantly drain energy.
A home energy audit is a simple yet effective way to assess how much energy your house is consuming – and losing – daily. It helps you identify issues and take appropriate action to enhance your home's energy efficiency. Depending on your preferences and budget, you can either perform the audit yourself or hire a professional to do it for you.
Ready to audit your home? Let’s find out where to begin in the next section.
DIY Home Energy Audits
To begin any home energy audit, start by reviewing your past energy bills.
Tara Moore/Taxi/Getty ImagesBefore diving into a DIY home energy audit, it’s useful to understand the patterns in your energy use. Collect your energy bills from the past few years and compare them monthly to identify any trends. Look for noticeable spikes in energy consumption at certain times of the year, which could reveal insights about your usage habits.
Here’s what you need to do.
Locate the air leaks: Walk through your home and check for drafts in the following areas:
- Spaces in the baseboard and the seams where the walls meet the ceiling
- Frames of windows and doors, including weather stripping and caulking
- Mail slots and pet doors
- Fireplace dampers
- Window-mounted air conditioners
- Electrical outlets and switch covers
- Pipes
- Joints where different building materials meet (such as in corners, around chimneys, and along your home’s foundation)
If you’re struggling to detect leaks, close all windows, doors, and fireplace dampers. Turn off any appliances that burn fuel, like your water heater and furnace. Then, activate exhaust fans to draw in outside air and make the leaks more apparent. You can either dampen your hand and wave it near suspected areas (you should feel the draft) or use incense smoke to observe the air’s movement.
Examine the insulation: Ensure your attic insulation meets the recommended thickness. There should also be a vapor barrier beneath the insulation. The insulation should cover any gaps in ductwork, pipes, and chimneys.
After inspecting the attic, go downstairs and check the basement. Unheated basements should have insulation under the floor of the living space. Heated basements need insulation in the foundation walls, as well as around the water heater, hot water pipes, and furnace ducts.
Don't forget to check crawl spaces, ceilings, and exterior walls to ensure they are adequately insulated. To determine if your walls are insulated, turn off the circuit breakers to cut the electricity, remove the outlet cover, and insert a long, slender wooden stick into the wall (or drill a hole behind a closet). If you feel resistance, it indicates that insulation is present.
Inspect heating and cooling systems: Your furnace and air conditioner can significantly impact your home’s energy consumption. If these units are over 15 years old, consider upgrading to more energy-efficient models.
Have a professional inspect your heating and cooling systems annually. Replace the furnace filters as recommended by the manufacturer (usually once every month or two, especially during the winter when it's in regular use). If you have central air, clean the coils if they’ve accumulated dirt.
Evaluate your lighting: Using the wrong type of lighting can lead to high energy bills. If you're using 100-watt bulbs, consider switching to 60 or 75-watt bulbs instead. Alternatively, switch to compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs), which consume about 75 percent less energy than traditional bulbs. You might even qualify for a rebate from your utility company for using energy-efficient lighting. Additionally, you can conserve energy by installing dimmer switches and motion sensors that turn off lights when no one is present.
Identify energy wasters: Refrigerators, dishwashers, and other appliances can waste energy if not properly maintained or adjusted. To track the energy usage of your appliances, use a Kill-A-Watt Electric Usage Monitor, which provides detailed information on energy consumption and shows you how much you’re spending. Minor adjustments, such as tweaking the temperature on your fridge, can help lower energy use. Also, unplug devices like DVD players and computers when not in use.
Expert Home Energy Audits
The test involves attaching a fan to an exterior door. The fan extracts air from the house, lowering the indoor air pressure. This creates a vacuum effect, pulling outside air through any leaks. As the air is drawn out, the auditor can identify the locations of the leaks.
HSW 2008Short on time or patience for a DIY energy audit? Consider hiring a professional energy auditor. They will conduct a thorough room-by-room inspection to ensure your home runs efficiently. While there is a fee (usually no more than $200), your utility company might cover part or all of the cost. Plus, the savings you'll enjoy in the long run will easily outweigh the expense of the audit.
Even if you hire an expert, preparation is key. Make a list of any issues you suspect, and gather your energy bills from the past year (if you don't have them, contact your utility provider for copies). This will help the auditor focus on areas where problems may exist.
To find an energy auditor nearby, ask friends or neighbors for recommendations, check the Yellow Pages under "energy," or contact your local government energy office or utility company. When selecting an auditor, ensure they are licensed and insured. Request references and verify them. Check with the Better Business Bureau to see if any complaints have been lodged against the company.
During the audit, the contractor should perform a calibrated blower door test to assess how effectively your home is sealed from outside drafts, and use a thermographic inspection to identify any leaks. A professional audit should also include an examination of the ductwork for leaks and a check of the heating and air conditioning units.
Thermographic inspections use infrared cameras to pinpoint areas where heat is escaping from your home. These areas appear in white, yellow, and red on the camera. This test is sometimes combined with the calibrated blower door test.
HSW 2008The audit is complete and you've discovered the issues. What should you do next?
After the Audit -- What Comes Next?
Long before the rise of energy audits, cost-conscious homeowners understood the importance of caulking.
Harold M. Lambert/Lambert/Getty ImagesAt the conclusion of the audit -- if a professional conducted it -- the contractor should provide you with a list of suggestions for improving your home's energy efficiency. Some auditors may even estimate how much you can save by replacing your current systems with more energy-efficient alternatives. If you completed the audit yourself, you should have compiled a list of problem areas that need attention.
However, resist the urge to immediately spend a large sum on a new furnace or air conditioning system. Instead, begin by implementing simple, cost-effective solutions like adding insulation or sealing cracks. These measures may be sufficient to resolve the issues.
Here are some of the most frequent problem areas and their solutions:
- Seal all sources of air leaks and cracks, including those in windows. For small leaks (under 0.25 inch, or 0.63 cm), caulking is generally the best option. For larger gaps, expanding foam is often more effective. For larger openings (such as attic hatch covers), use insulation (rigid foam or fiberglass). Fill any gaps in insulation found in the attic, basement, crawl spaces, and walls.
- Install weather stripping around the tops, sides, and bottoms of doors and around window sashes. Repair or replace any broken or damaged windows. If they’re beyond repair, upgrading to energy-efficient windows may be worthwhile. You could even qualify for a tax incentive. Additionally, consider adding storm windows and thick curtains or blinds to minimize heat and cold loss.
- Replace high-wattage lightbulbs with lower-wattage or compact fluorescent bulbs, particularly in frequently used lamps such as those in your den or office.
- When purchasing new appliances (especially if yours are over 10 years old), look for the Energy Star label. These appliances use 10 to 50 percent less energy than traditional models [source: Energy Star]. You can also enhance the efficiency of your existing appliances. For example, regularly vacuum the coils on your refrigerator and air conditioning units to keep them running smoothly.
If significant upgrades are necessary, consider hiring a professional to assist you. There are companies, such as Clean Power Finance, that offer financing options to help cover the costs of improvements.
For more information on home energy audits and other related topics, be sure to explore the links provided on the following page.
