Start your Virtual Home Energy Audit
As an Energy Star Partner, EnerWisely offers 100% online, Virtual Home Energy Audits to Texas homes.
A Home Energy Audit is a great way to save energy and save money while helping the planet. There are many ways to get one and start saving today.
If you, like many Texans, are experiencing the effects of inflation, energy efficiency can help save money. Read this guide and learn what they are and how to benefit from improving your home’s energy efficiency.
What Is a Home Energy Audit?
Did you know that energy audits are a great way to assess energy use and energy flow in a home or workplace?
An energy audit is an analysis of the energy efficiency of a residential or commercial building: It provides information about energy use, energy waste, and potential energy use improvements.
If you want to identify important energy-saving opportunities and reduce your energy costs while helping the environment, an energy audit is the best way to do it. Learn more with these energy audit basics.
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Energy Efficiency
Whenever a job is being executed energy is required… However, the amount of energy needed to perform a job can vary based on many factors.
Simply put, energy efficiency means accomplishing a task using the least amount of energy possible. It can also mean reducing or lowering the energy needed to perform the same job.
Energy efficiency is often described as using less electricity while maintaining the same conditions. This is important because achieving home energy efficiency can help lower energy bills and reduce the impact of climate change without sacrificing comfort or performance.
Energy Conservation
Energy conservation and energy efficiency are often mistaken as being the same, but in reality they are different.
Energy conservation is an effort to use less energy by simply replacing it with actions that don’t consume energy. An excellent example of an energy conservation measure is turning off the lights in an empty room or putting on a sweater when it’s cold.
Energy efficiency aims to reduce the energy needed to perform the same task. Replacing light bulbs with smart bulbs is a good example of energy efficiency.
Using energy more efficiently has many benefits: it can help reduce your carbon footprint and its impact on the environment, increase your comfort, and save energy and money at the same time.
If you’re thinking about how to make your household more energy efficient, a home energy audit may be the next best step you can take.
Home Energy Audit
Let’s start by saying that being efficient meant doing more with less.
So, if you are looking for ways to minimize energy waste and make your household eco-friendlier, we can help.
For the money and environmentally conscious alike, a home energy audit can help you save money and reduce your carbon footprint.
A home energy audit is an energy efficiency assessment that looks at how energy is used, lost, or wasted in your home.
An energy efficiency inspection helps you identify the areas where you can reduce your energy usage to make it more efficient.
With a residential energy audit, you’ll learn how much energy your home uses, and you’ll be able to identify and fix energy problems.
The most common home energy problems are gaps, leaks, and openings in the insulation system, energy hogs, such as old appliances, and light bulbs that use a lot of electricity.
Types of Home Energy Audits
There are three ways to conduct a home energy audit: the DIY method, hiring a professional energy auditor, and EnerWisely online energy efficiency quiz.
Performing a DIY energy assessment of your home can reveal your energy costs and help you lower your household energy bills…
This is a great home project if you are into do-it-yourself activities. However, you’ll need to spend some money and a lot of time to do it.
When you have a tight schedule, or don’t have the patience for it, it’s a good idea to pay for a professional energy audit.
This will give you a thorough examination of your home and an in-depth analysis of your energy usage.
Professional auditors use blower doors and infrared cameras to conduct special inspections including blower door test.
However, keep in mind that this takes a lot of time and, most importantly, a great deal of money.
If you want to have a home energy audit done, but don’t want to spend unnecessary time and money, EnerWisley’s Free Energy Quiz is the right tool for you.
A smart digital solution like EnerWisely helps you take advantage of your own data to audit the energy efficiency of your home.
EnerWisely’s home energy efficiency audit is that it is done 100% online. You don’t need to buy any equipment to do it, and it is quick, easy and best of all, free.
At the end, you will get your EnerWisely Home Energy Score. It shows you how efficient your home is in a simple 1 to 10 scale.
The higher the score, the most efficient your home is. It also tells you how much you you could save by improving. And you get personalized recommendations to improve.
Taking EnerWisely’s Free Energy Quiz is quick and easy. Here is all you have to do:
- Sign up to EnerWisely for free. It works for customers of all electricity companies in deregulated energy markets in Texas.
- Link your electricity meter data to automatically analyze your energy consumption. All you will need is your home address, your meter number, and the name of your light company. This process keeps your data safe.
- Answer a few easy questions
In just minutes you will get your home energy score to start saving energy and money right away.
Are curious of how your home energy efficiency compares to others in your area? EnerWisely’s home energy score tells you that. So go ahead and not only get your score, but also invite your friends to get theirs. See how your scores compare and challenge each other to improve.
As you take action and improve, EnerWisely will recognize you with points, badges and prizes.
Traditional Home Energy Audit Process
Energy audits for homes can uncover potential problems in your home and help you avoid expensive upgrades. It can also help in finding minor issues like air leaks and faulty appliances. It will reveal other major issues like problems with insulation or the heating or cooling systems too.
An energy efficiency inspection can help you determine if you need to take action to improve your home’s energy use. It’ll also help you take better energy conservation measures and make your home more energy efficient.
Here are some important points if you want to know how does a home energy audit works:
- First, if you want to have a professional energy audit done, you’ll need to find a certified energy auditor. Call an make an appointment to visit your house and do a home evaluation.
- Then, the expert will do an assessment of your home inside and out. You can also do this yourself. This step involves a walk-through and an inspection of different areas of your home.
- If you hire an energy auditor, you may be asked to explain your concerns, that is why you decided to have an energy audit. If you’re doing the audit yourself, you should list any issues you discovered earlier and address them.
- You or the inspector will be looking for potential sources of energy loss, leaks, and other issues that are affecting your home’s efficiency.
- Because, the core of an energy audit is a review of the heating and cooling systems, insulation, lighting, appliances, electronics, and furnace. This phase may require measuring and verifying home’s energy efficiency with specialized tools or equipment.
- As a result, the process can take up to 4-8 hours depending on the size of your home and how many problem areas are found.
- If you have a professional energy assessment done, the auditor will prepare an energy audit report with the results of your home efficiency test.
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- Alternatively, you might want to audit your home yourself. It’s a good idea to review any issues and look for reasonable solutions.
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What Is an Energy Audit Report?
In a professional energy audit, after inspecting a building, the auditor does prepares an energy audit report. This is the result of the analysis and tests performed during the energy efficiency assessment. It contains the main issues found during the inspection, as well as some recommendations. It will include things like upgrades or improvements to help make your home energy usage more efficient.
An energy audit report can also be produced in a variety of formats, including a paper document, a digital document, an online database, or a spreadsheet.
Here are the key elements that an energy audit report should contain:
● The scope of the energy audit
● The cost of the energy audit
● A set of energy efficiency measures to be implemented
● A list of recommendations for improvements
How Much Does a Home Energy Audit Cost?
If you’re thinking about making your home more energy efficient, you’ll want to know, first and foremost, how much does an energy audit cost.
Unfortunately, there’s no clear answer to this. The cost of a home energy audit can vary widely depending on where you live, the size of your home and how you want to do your home energy efficiency audit. The age of your power, cooling and heating systems can also make a difference. This might help you decide whether you choose to have a professional energy audit or do it yourself.
Paying a certified auditor or professional to perform an energy assessment of your home can cost you hundreds or even thousands of dollars. A do-it-yourself home energy audit might cost you less money but, more importantly, a lot of time.
Since not everyone can afford or wants an in-person analysis, EnerWisely offers a 100% online energy efficiency audit. Consequently, it is easy to do and only takes a few minutes.
EnerWisely’s online quiz will tell you how your energy use compares to similar households and where and how you can improve your energy efficiency. At the end of the process, you’ll receive a personalized savings roadmap including the actions you can take to optimize your energy use and save money.
Why Should I Do An Energy Audit In My Home?
To this point, the question might arise: Is a home energy audit worth it? Let’s just say there are many good reasons to do a home energy audit. Whether to lower your bills, save energy, or help the environment, a home energy audit is a great start.
Save the Planet
Are you wondering how does a home energy audit help the environment? Well, having an energy efficient home is one of the easiest ways to positively impact the planet.
When you reduce your energy consumption by making your energy usage more efficient, you also reduce your carbon footprint. By producing less carbon monoxide, you contribute less to pollution and global warming. So, an energy audit helps make your home greener, cleaner, and more energy efficient.
Your EnerWisely’s free online home energy audit, gives you the assessment of your carbon footprint. At this is an important first step to reduce your environmental impact.
Save Money
If you want to save money or lower your electric bill, a home energy audit is a good place to start.
An energy audit will show you many ways to save energy. Implementing energy conservation and energy efficiency measures in your home will have a positive impact on your wallet.
Saving energy means using less energy. Using less energy means spending less money. That’s a simple fact!
5 Simple Energy Conservation Measures
If you’re interested in reducing energy consumption in your daily life, you’re looking for energy conservation. You can attain energy conservation by using less of each energy service. Here are 5 energy saving tips you can take in your everyday life to save energy and improve:
Turn off the lights you don’t use
Even if think it’s a waste of time to turn the lights off and on every time you walk in and out of a room, especially if you won’t be gone for long. Leaving the lights on when you’re not there it’s a waste of energy and money.
Renew your old appliances
Off course, we all keep some old appliances because they still work, and it would be a shame to throw them away. However, replacing them with new energy-efficient models might be smart. When you start replacing your old appliances with energy-efficient and eco-friendly ones, you’ll be surprised at how much energy you’ll save.
Use the thermostat wisely
Surely, some people leave the AC or heater on all day while you’re at work to get that comforting perfect-temperature feeling when you open the door. However, this can be an actual waste of energy and money.
Instead, setting up your thermostat to start cooling or heating when you’re heading home can be a pretty intelligent decision. And of course, it can save energy and save your wallet.
Unplug the appliances you’re not using
This is basic, but unfortunately many households fail to do this.
What can be easier than simply unplugging things you’re not using? This energy-saving measure can help reduce energy consumption in your household. It also protects the appliances you’re not using from unwanted power surges.
Use natural resources instead of electrical ones
It’s a beautiful day outside…why not open the curtains and let the sunshine in? On most days, you won’t need to turn on the lights for several hours if you use the natural light.
In conclusion, an energy efficiency audit could help you save a lot
Energy conservation is essential, but to get all your potential savings, you want to make your home truly energy efficient. So to know if you’re wasting energy, why, how to fix it, get a home energy assessment.
Take advantage and do it quickly and easy using a smart online tool like EnerWisley’s Free Energy Audit. As an Energy Star Partner, EnerWisely has pledge to promote energy efficiency. And as a good neighbor, EnerWisely empowers everyone in the community to take action.
EnerWisely’s Energy Efficiency Quiz is free to take. It analyzes the characteristics of your home, your historical energy consumption trends, and your habits.
You will get personalized recommendations including energy efficiency upgrades and renewable energy options.
Learn many ways to save money and reduce your climate impact based on the things that are important to you.
In short, the Energy Efficiency Quiz can help you save energy and money while also reducing your carbon footprint. Take action and start saving now.