06 Jul What Should I Learn from My Home Energy Audit?

What is a quality energy audit?

Quality energy audits provide homeowners with detailed information about existing and potential home comfort problems. As a result, homeowners receive clear recommendations about resolving these potential issues. For example, most (if not all) homeowners want lower energy bills. Therefore, the home energy audit process provides a prioritized list of recommendations regarding specific tasks that lower the utility bills. Additionally, if a home contains very cold or hot rooms, the energy audit provides specific details that reduce temperature swings in those areas of your home.

What should a homeowner learn?

Homeowners should learn about their home comfort. In addition to energy efficiency, quality energy audits provide information about health and safety concerns. Generally, many homeowners remain completely unaware of health/safety problems that exist in their own home. As a result, during energy audits, experienced energy auditors routinely uncover health/safety problems in areas, such as:

• attics.
• crawl spaces.
• basements.
• bathrooms.  

Quality audits and auditors documents these conditions and inform homeowner. For example, the audit results provide details on items such as:

• moisture problems.
• mold.
• asbestos.
• ambient carbon monoxide levels.

However, to get the most out of an audit, homeowners should set expectations. As the homeowner, be clear with the energy auditor upfront about your goals and expectations. For example, tell the energy auditor about any high priority home comfort or health problems. As a result, the auditor will prioritize recommendations that resolve those problems. Plus, experienced auditors provide details on the cost and benefit of each recommendation. Additionally, many homeowners are interested in any utility incentive programs or low cost financing. For the best result, inform the auditor of your expectations.

Clear communication between the energy auditor and the homeowner is the key to a quality home energy audit. The results of the audit provide a roadmap, which helps homeowners implement recommendations. As a result, homeowners have realistic expectations to move forward and improve their home’s efficiency, comfort and livability.