A Home Energy Efficiency Audit Helps You Reduce Waste And Save Money On Your Power Bill
Posted on: 15 April 2021
You can buy the most energy-efficient HVAC unit on the market and still waste energy if your home has air leaks or poor insulation. Before you invest in home upgrades to improve energy efficiency, consider having a home energy efficiency audit done. Here are some things you may find out when you get the results.
Where Drafts Come From
Insulating your home is important for energy efficiency, but so is sealing off drafts and air leaks. An auditor uses tools, such as smoke pens, that find air leaks. Once you know where the gaps and leaks are, you can seal them so your home is more comfortable and your HVAC doesn't have to work as hard.
There might be leaks under your doors, around old windows, or around pipes that vent to the outdoors. All these leaks can be sealed so you don't lose heat in the winter or let hot air inside during the summer.
If You Need New Windows
If your home has its original windows, you might need to get replacement windows for the best energy efficiency. New windows have better frames and insulated glass that reduce heat transfer. However, you don't necessarily have to invest in new windows. You could put film on the windows you have and add weatherstripping. That might not be as good as new windows, but it's better than losing a lot of heat through old drafty windows.
Where Insulation Is Lacking
Your energy auditor might use an infrared camera to look at your house from the outside to spot hot and cold areas. This can let you know where you need to add insulation.
If your home is old, it may not have as much insulation as newer homes are built with, or the old insulation might be compacted and no longer effective. You might find out you need to add insulation to the attic or exterior walls to keep your home more energy-efficient.
What Habits You Need To Change
When you have a home energy efficiency audit, the auditor asks questions about your lifestyle habits and tours your house to look for things you can change to reduce your energy costs. This might include changing the light bulbs you use, unplugging appliances and electronics that don't get much use, upgrading major appliances to energy-efficiency models, and adjusting your thermostat so you don't waste energy heating an empty house.
You might even install a smart home system and add on to it with each new upgrade or appliance you buy. That way you can monitor your energy use, find out when you waste energy, and learn how to run a more energy-efficient household. Paying for a home energy efficiency audit is the first step in lowering your monthly power bills and reducing energy waste in your home.
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