What is a Home Energy Audit?

Energy Audit 

What is a Home Energy Audit?

An Energy Audit (sometimes called energy assessment) is a thorough assessment of a home's energy consumption. It determines how much energy your home uses, finds key areas of energy losses, and provides the homeowner with detailed solutions to make the home more energy efficient and comfortable, all while keeping your budget in mind. The key words here are prioritize and budget! Anyone can perform an energy audit, but not many will know how to properly interpret the results because not all energy leaks are equally important.

A home energy audit is a whole home assessment used to evaluate your homes energy usage, efficiency, and needs. 

an Energy Audit typically involves two parts: 

1.) Whole Home Assessment   2.) Analysis

Part 1.) Whole Home Assessment

• a certified professional Energy Expert inspects all areas of the home. 
• This includes: 
• attic
• basement
• crawlspace
• bedrooms
• living spaces
• bathrooms
• ductwork
• heating and cooling equipment 

This thorough assessment requires a considerate amount of home construction knowledge and expertise. You may have heard the terms “Blower Door Test” and “infrared gun” used when talking about energy assessments. That is because they are crucial tools used to evaluate the unseen. (see Fig. 1)

(Fig. 1) Blower Door Test

A Blower Door Test is a specialized calibrated fan that is connected to a home’s exterior door. Using an advanced computer system that is connected to the fan, a professional Energy Advisor depressurizes the home and uses industry standard formulas and tests to properly assess a homes’ total air leakage.

Additionally, an infrared gun is used in collaboration with the blower door test to pinpoint the exact location of these problematic air leakage spots.

It truly is the best way to see what is going on in your home! 

As you know, seeing air move throughout the home isn’t easy. In fact, its almost impossible with the naked eye. However, using these tools, your Energy Advisor will be able to capture and detect the unseen. 



Part 2.) Analysis

This time is used to decide what solutions should be done and in what order. It’s crucial that you are working with a certified professional because, as we mentioned before, not all leaks are equally important! The last thing you want is a company providing an estimate of work they don't do themselves or telling you that a lot of work needs to be done, when it really doesn't. That just smells of pocket profits. 

You need solutions that coincide with your budget, help cut back on energy costs, and yield the most bang for your buck! Not only that, you want a trusted advisor who is honest and will give you proper advice on DIY solutions, if they are needed. Because, as a homeowner, there are some things YOU can do on your own.

The important "big stuff" however, needs to be done by someone who has completed ample training and has lots of experience. Some of the solutions provided may be costly, and unfortunately, that is just part of it. But if you are going to invest in making your home more energy efficient (which is totally worth it) then you need someone you can trust!

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