A comprehensive home energy assessment, also known as a home energy audit, is the first step to assess how much energy your home consumes and to evaluate what measures you can take to make your home more energy efficient. An assessment will show you problems that may, when corrected, save you significant amounts of money over time.

During the assessment, a professional auditor can pinpoint areas where your house is losing energy. Energy assessments also determine the efficiency of your home’s heating and cooling systems. An assessment may also show you ways to conserve hot water and electricity.

A professional auditor uses a variety of techniques and equipment to determine the energy efficiency of a structure. Comprehensive assessments often include the use of equipment such as a blower door, which measures the extent of air leaks into the building envelope, and infrared cameras which reveal hard-to-detect areas of air infiltration and missing insulation.

A home owner can perform a simple energy assessment themselves or contract with a professional energy auditor to carry out a more comprehensive assessment.

Do-It-Yourself Audits

If you have five minutes and 12 months of utility bills, use the ENERGY STAR Home Energy Yardstick to compare your home’s energy efficiency to similar homes across the country and get recommendations for energy-saving home improvements from ENERGY STAR. You will also have to enter some basic information about your home (zip code, age, square footage and number of occupants.) If you don’t have your bills, contact your utility for a 12 month summary.

Hire a Professional Home Energy Auditor:

If you are interested in getting specific recommendations for improving the efficiency of your home, consider contacting a professional home energy Auditor.  A professional auditor can use a variety of techniques and equipment to determine the energy efficiency of your home.  Thorough audits often use equipment such as blower doors, which measure the extent of leaks in the building envelope and infrared cameras, which reveal hard-to-detect areas of air infiltration and missing insulation.

It is strongly suggested that when hiring a professional, that the individual or firm hired possess the necessary licensing and accreditations required for the homeowner to realize any available utility rebates.