Ever wonder how you can reduce the amount of energy you use and reduce your utility bills? Sure, you can find all sorts of tips online that are helpful. But another way to that is a lot more effective is to have a home energy audit.

A home energy audit is a personalized assessment of your home energy usage. During your home energy audit, a professional energy auditor will examine your entire home to help find ways that you can improve your energy consumption and lower your usage. Which will help you save money by lowering your energy bills.

We recently had a home energy audit performed in our home. I was unsure of what all the home energy auditor would need to look at  and how long it would take.  So I’d like to share what you can expect the energy auditor to do while performing the audit. So you can be prepared for your home energy audit.

What will happen during your Energy Audit

• The energy auditor will look around the outside of your home to determine the size of your home.
• During the home energy audit, the auditor will count the number of windows in your home. While also noting the condition of the windows. The energy auditor will also check for any air leaks in your windows.
• The doors in your home’s will also be inspected for air leakage and to determine if the doors have the appropriate weather stripping applied to reduce air leaks.
• The energy auditor will evaluate the condition of your heating and air units to determine if they are suitable for your home and identify any improvements that can reduce your energy usage. Along with checking  the thermostats inside your home.
• The insulation in your attic, walls, and crawl space will be evaluated to determine if they are at appropriate levels.
• The energy auditor will also check for any unsealed holes around plumbing pipes that are allowing outside air in.
• Appliances will also be inspected to determine if it is beneficial to invest in more energy efficient appliances
• The energy auditor will also check fireplaces to ensure they are closed off when they are not being used.
• The duct system for your home will be evaluated.  Because the duct system can be a big area for air leaks in your home.
• The energy auditor will also review electrical outlets to ensure they are sealed properly.
• The time of the audit will vary based on the size of your home. Our home is around 1800 square feet and our home energy audit took around an hour to complete.

After the Audit

After the audit is complete the energy auditor will compile the results into a report, which is usually mailed to you a few days after the audit. The report will identify any improvements that you can make to your home to increase your energy efficiency.

What we Learned

Luckily, we don’t need any major improvements to increase our energy efficiency. However, there were a lot of small things that we need to do to improve our homes energy efficiency.

• We need to add weather stripping to our front door.
• We need to have our air conditioning unit cleaned, which will help it to use less energy.
• Caulking around the light fixtures will also help with air leakage.
• Installing switch and outlet sealers around the light switches and electrical outlets.

How to Get an Energy Audit

You can start by calling your local energy provider to see if they perform free energy audits. Where I live our energy provider does provide FREE audits, so I was happy to take advantage of this free benefit. However, if your local energy provider does not provide free audits you can look online for companies in your area that perform energy audits. Or you perform a DIY Energy Audit by using this link from the Department of Energy.

Have you had an energy audit for your home?