The Value of a Home Energy Audit

Can a home energy audit really help?

Have you ever met someone who bought a new, high-efficiency furnace and air conditioner only to find their utility bills wouldn't budge? Did that person also find their home was no more comfortable than before they put in the new system? How about someone who replaced all their windows only to realize no dollar savings and no improved comfort?

We find the scenarios above all too often as we work every day in the St. Louis area. People often assume they know why their home is so uncomfortable or why their bills for electricity and gas are too high. Then, acting on those assumptions, they spend money making home improvements that don’t pay off.

A leading consumer magazine recently published a cover story on ways to reduce your home energy bills. One of the recommendations suggested having an energy audit completed. The story mentioned that such an audit usually costs $250 to $800 depending on the size of your home.

Energy audits leave no stone unturned

A professional energy auditor will do a thorough analysis of how your home is performing as a system. The auditor will take into account all the individual parts of your home such as the furnace, water heater, air conditioner, windows, insulation, ventilation, lighting, appliances and others. Going a step farther, the auditor will then consider how those parts of the house work and if they are working together (or not).

The auditor will make recommendations and prioritize them according to which ones will make the most difference in accomplishing your goals. The auditor will also take into account comfort issues. Sometimes fixing a comfort issue may be more important to you than the energy savings. Often one home improvement will fix both.

Each home is different. What is most important for one home and to one homeowner may be entirely different from the house and the neighbor next door. Most homes have a long list of things that could be done to make the home more energy efficient and comfortable. The question is, which ones to make?

An energy audit will take the guess work out of knowing which home improvements to make. Spending the money up front for an energy audit can prevent the waste of many thousands of dollars on making home improvements that don’t work.