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The first step to taking a whole-house energy efficiency
approach is to find out which parts of your house use the most
energy.
home energy audit will show you where these are and
suggest the most effective measures for reducing your energy
costs. You can conduct a simple home energy audit yourself,
you can contact your local utility, or you can call an
independent energy auditor for a more comprehensive
examination.
Energy Auditing Tips
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Check the level of insulation in your exterior and
basement walls, ceilings, attic, floors, and crawl spaces.
Contact your local contractor for advice on how to check
your insulation levels.
- Check for holes or cracks around your walls, ceilings,
windows, doors, light and plumbing fixtures, switches,
and electrical outlets that can leak air into or out of
your home.
- Check for open fireplace dampers.
- Make sure your appliances and heating and cooling
systems are
properly maintained.
- Study your family's lighting needs and use patterns,
paying special attention to high-use areas such as the
living room, kitchen, and exterior lighting. Look for
ways to use daylighting, reduce the time the lights are
on, and replace incandescent bulbs and fixtures with
compact fluorescent lamps (CFL's) or standard
fluorescent lamps.
Formulating Your Plan
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How We Use Energy
in our Home
(based on national averages)
The largest portion of a utility bill for a typical
house is for heating and cooling.
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After you have identified places where your home is losing
energy, assign priorities to your energy needs by asking
yourself a few important questions:
- How much money do you
spend
on energy?
- Where are your greatest
energy losses?
- How long will it take for an investment in energy
efficiency to pay for itself in
energy savings?
- Can you do the job yourself, or will you need to hire
a contractor?
- What is your budget and how much time do you have to
spend on maintenance and repair?
Once you assign priorities to your energy needs, you can form
a whole-house efficiency plan. Your plan will provide you with
a strategy for making smart purchases and home improvements that
maximize energy efficiency and save the most money.
Another option is to get the advice of a professional. Many
utilities conduct energy audits for free or for a nominal
charge. For a fee, a professional contractor will analyze how
your home's energy systems work together as a system and
compare the analysis against your utility bills. He or she
will use a variety of equipment such as
blower doors,
infrared cameras, and surface thermometers to find
inefficiencies that cannot be detected by a visual inspection.
Finally, they will give you a list of recommendations for
cost-effective energy improvements and enhanced comfort and
safety.
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