Why You Need a Home Energy Inspection

With growing concerns about the environment and rising energy costs, more and more people are looking for ways to make their homes more energy efficient, while saving money in the process.

Also called a home energy audit, this inspection diagnoses the energy deficiencies in the home, and identifies ways to improve the house's energy consumption.

If the recommendations for improvement are carried out, the result is big energy savings for the homeowner.

What Happens During a Home Energy Inspection?

There are different levels of home energy audits.

The basic audit is typically a visual inspection of things such as insulation, appliances, windows, and the HVAC system.

It's more of an assessment of what types of products are used in the home as opposed to how well they are performing.

The auditor usually takes pictures and records information about the size of the building and the assumed efficiencies of the items above.

The more thorough audit involves using diagnostic equipment such as blower-door testers and air duct blasters.

These tools measure air filtration in the home and identify air leaks in the duct work.

Infrared thermographs are also often used to determine if a wall or attic floor is insulated and how well that insulation is performing.

The more thorough, scientific audit is beneficial because it gives a big picture, balanced assessment, and takes into account how each element affects another.

Another important benefit to the scientific audit is that you are able to re-test after you've made the recommended improvements. This allows you to measure the success of the improvements that you've made.

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