Did you know? About 30 percent of the energy used in homes is wasted. This means that if you become more energy efficiency just bills will drop big time.
You may have heard about energy audits and how beneficial they can be for your home… and it’s true!
A home energy audit involves analyzing your energy usage. It uncovers energy waste, loss and leakage to improve your home’s energy efficiency.
While a home energy assessment helps you understand your home’s energy use and flows, it can also help you achieve your energy-saving or energy-conservation goals.
This will help you improve energy efficiency, lower your energy costs and your utility bill. Not to mention, you’ll be helping the environment by reducing your carbon footprint.
Sounds great, right? Now you just need to know how to do an energy audit of your home. Here’s a quick guide for you.
Learn How to Energy Audit your Home
If you’re looking to lower your electric bill, reduce your energy use, and shrink your carbon footprint, a home energy audit might be just what you need.
There are three ways to get an energy assessment of your home:
1. Do it yourself.
2. Hire an expert to do a professional energy audit for you.
3. Use EnerWisely’s free online home energy test.
Do-It-Yourself Home Energy Assessments
A home energy audit is a relatively straightforward process. As a cost effective solution, you can do it yourself. You’ll spend a few dollars on some tools and invest many hours of your time and effort.
Here are some important points if you want to know how to conduct a DIY home energy audit.
The first thing you need to do a DIY home energy audit is to walk through all areas of your house. Start looking for potential energy problems. Also look for energy efficiency improvements that you can implement.
Insulation, also known as weatherization
Poor insulation or a low insulation level is one of the main problems that affect a home’s energy efficiency. You need to find all potential air leakages: Check your doors, windows, and other cold and drafty areas. Pay extra attention to those areas that aren’t adequately insulated and sealed. This could lead to energy waste or energy loss.
Cooling and Heating Systems
It’s also important to make sure your space heater and air conditioner are working properly. All heating and cooling systems need to be serviced at least once a year. This will help lower your energy bill and increase your energy savings.
Electricity and Lights
Your electric power system is an important aspect to examine during your home energy audit. You need to check all light fixtures, light bulbs, and outlets for leaks and malfunctions. Pay attention to energy conservation opportunities.
Appliances
Another essential part of an energy audit is to inspect all appliances
- major appliances include refrigerator, dishwasher, washing machine
- small appliances include TV, coffee maker, blender
Check each appliance to make sure that they are operating properly. A faulty appliance might be using too much energy.
A great way to reduce your energy consumption and increase your energy efficiency is to make your home a smart home.
Here are some examples of other things to check during an audit of your home’s energy system:
- Electrical outlets and power strips
- Windows and doors – to ensure that they are weather stripped and locate air leaks
- Renewable energy content of your electricity
- Water Heater
- Exhaust fans
Professional Home Energy Audit
As you can see, a DIY residential energy audit is usually time consuming. However, if you’re on a tight schedule, you can have a professional energy assessment done.
A professional energy inspection is usually performed by energy auditors. Even though it’s a non-invasive process, you’ve to keep in mind this is an in-person energy consultation. It also costs a lot of time and, more importantly, money.
If you’re wondering how much is a home energy audit, unfortunately, there’s no clear answer to that. The costs can vary greatly due to many factors. Overall the price of a professional home energy audit is in the hundreds or even thousands of dollars.
You can also energy audit your home for free with EnerWisely’s online home energy test.
How to Get an Energy Audit for Free
You can conduct a DIY home energy audit without wasting valuable time and money. The key is to use a trustable Energy Star partner. That’s wy, EnerWisely Free, 100% Online Energy Audit is the right tool for you.
EnerWisely’s Home Energy Score shows you how efficient your home is.
Taking Enerwisely’s Free Energy Quiz is quick and easy. All you’ve to do is sign up and answer a few questions to get your Home Energy Score.
The home energy score is equivalent to the gas mileage of a car and a way to compare with other homes in your area.
EnerWisely’s home energy audit also calculates the environmental impact of your electricity use. You will also get a personalized savings roadmap.
Most importantly see the estimated savings you could obtain. And get personalized recommendations to know what to do.
Take advantage of the free smart resource. Improve your home’s efficiency to save energy and save money while helping the planet. Start your home energy savings quiz right now.
