Drafty rooms, moisture around the windows, inconsistent home temperature between rooms, excessive dust and high energy bills. If these sound familiar, your home loses energy. But there is no reason to lose heart for I got good news for you too. Because we care not only for your comfort but also for the comfort of all your near and dear ones.
All homes – old, new as well as refurbished – lose energy. And Home Energy Audits are a boon for all sorts of homes. But what exactly is a Home Energy Audit? “A home energy audit, also known as a home energy assessment, 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.” To begin with, there are two types of home energy audits, viz Self Assessment and In Home Audits. Self Assessments are free and can be done online via local, state and government energy websites. But the result invariably depends upon how accurately the owner enters the information. However, In Home Audits tend to provide more personalized and accurate information. It is administered by a professional who employs the likes of Blower Doors, Duct Blasters and Infrared Cameras. After a series of diagnostics, he or she will tell you where exactly the energy leaks are located. Specific Home Audit softwares are used for this purpose. This way, you will know where you are actually losing energy. It saves you the trouble of trial and error since you will detect what is wrong the very first time itself and thereby, fix it. You will be furnished with a detailed report that highlights where your home is inefficient. Now is that a ’yes’ to Home Energy Audits? What say?
There are, however, a couple of things to keep in mind before you go for Home Energy Audits. The Energy Auditor at work should be approved either by the RESNET (Residential Energy Service Network) or the BPI (Building Performance Institute). These agencies boast of a partnership with the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Agency. A “weekend” home improvement specialist would surely not be fit for this kind of a job. No matter how expensive the audit is, I assure you that it will completely be worth it. The cost is usually in sync with the size of your home and the precise information that you are seeking. Therefore, a professional home energy audit is never a bad idea. Ever. As you do your bit for energy conservation, the world will inevitably be a greener and a better place to live in for the future generations.
RESNET lists a host of benefits that accompany Home Energy Audits. It states how these audits do away with homes that are too hot in summer and too cold in winter, homes that have moisture problems or air leakage, homes that cost too much to run. Wikipedia further claims that Home Energy Audits are “often used to identify cost effective ways to improve the comfort and efficiency of buildings. In addition, homes may qualify for energy efficiency grants from central government.” So, what are you waiting for?