Save Money and the Planet with an Energy Audit

A professional energy audit is a great way to reduce your consumption of heating fuel, water, and electricity. Lowering your usage allows you to save money and lower your carbon footprint. Audits are often made available through your local public or private utility company, or potentially through your state or county government. While private companies do offer energy audits, I encourage you to consider publicly funded programs first as they are often subsidized.

What is an Energy Audit?

An energy audit is an assessment of your home's energy use. This includes your use of heating fuel, electricity (including appliances and lighting), and how well your home is insulated or sealed. Energy audits can be performed on apartments and multi-unit buildings as well as on single-family houses.

What Happens During an Energy Audit?

The process can vary based on the company administering the audit, but there are some common processes that you can expect. 

  • The audit crew will go around your home and look at what light bulbs you are using. If you have incandescent or CFL bulbs still in use, these will be replaced with highly efficient LED bulbs. There is sometimes a limit on the number of bulbs the provider will replace (for me, it was 12 bulbs).



















  • Your thermostat will be examined. If you have an analog thermostat (looks like a dial), you will likely be offered a new thermostat or a voucher to purchase one at a discounted rate.

This is the warmest my house ever gets.
  • The auditors will check your appliances for energy efficiency. While it is possible that they will test the energy use through a Kill-a-Watt meter, they may just look up the efficiency and year of manufacture using a national database. If your appliances are more than 20 years old, you may receive a coupon toward the purchase of an energy-efficient model.
  • You will be asked some questions about your house - how old it is, what kind of insulation it has, etc. The audit company will use this information to make recommendations on home improvements such as adding attic insulation.
  • Your boiler, furnace, and hot water heater will be inspected (not tuned up) and your hot water pipes may be wrapped or insulated. Wall openings around your hot water pipes will be sealed with spray foam.
  • The crew will conduct a blower door test. This measures how well your house is sealed by revealing air leaks. The crew will open one of your exterior doors and install a piece of sheeting with a large cutout for a powerful fan. This plastic sheet will fill the doorway and be sealed around the edges. When the fan is turned on, the air inside your house will be forced out; this lowers the air pressure inside. This forces air from outside, which has a higher air pressure, to flow through any unsealed cracks and openings in your home. These areas of leakage will be addressed by the audit crew. Some common sources of leaks:
    • Windows and doors - if you have large gaps on the side or bottom of your doors, weather-stripping will be installed.
    • Unsealed molding - these areas will be caulked.
    • Fireplace - the perimeter of the fireplace will be caulked
    • Bathroom vent fans (caulked)
    • Outlets and light switches (caulked)
    • Heating/cooling vents or baseboard heaters (caulked)
This clear caulking at the bottom of my fireplace is
barely visible, but it prevents a lot of airflow!

All of the above can be yours following a brief call or email to your local utility company or department. The cost of the audit will be greatly outweighed by the savings to the planet and your pocketbook.

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