We could all use a little help lowering our energy bills, but knowing where to start can be overwhelming. Luckily, there are ways to identify weaknesses in your own home, but the best is a home energy audit. These low-cost assessments will give you a full picture of how to improve your home’s efficiency. Plus, there are also federal tax credits available for your efforts. Here’s what you need to know to get started.
What is a Home Energy Audit?
A home energy audit is an assessment of how much energy your home uses, where it’s inefficient, and what improvements you should prioritize to fill in those gaps. Although you can DIY this process, a professional assessor is better able to identify problem areas—and is necessary if you want to receive a federal tax credit for getting a home audit done.
A proper audit will guide you on how to lower your home’s planet-warming potential, save you money in the long-term, and boost the comfort of your home by finding drafty spots in need of sealing.
How does it work?
The process has three phases: exploratory, inspection, and reporting. The examination usually takes between 30 minutes and four hours, and it can take up to a week or more to receive the report.
The auditor starts by reviewing your energy bills from years past to assess your baseline energy consumption, and they’ll also ask you questions to learn more about your home energy use and comfort issues, like whether any areas are drafty. Then they inspect the exterior and interior of the home for health and safety, check combustion appliances (stoves, hot water heaters, clothes dryers, etc.), and inspect the electrical system. They may also do a what’s called a blower door test, which checks for air leaks from doors, windows, and other cracks. Finally, the auditor analyzes their findings and gives you a comprehensive home energy report.
During the inspection, you may see the auditor use a handful of specialized tools. The blower door test, for one, requires a fan powerful enough to pull air out of the house to lower the overall pressure, so that higher pressure air from the outside will push its way into the house through any cracks. The auditor may use a device called a manometer, an infrared camera, or a nontoxic smoke pencil to spy leaks. The assessor will also use a Watt meter to measure electrical energy use throughout the home, soap bubbles to find fuel leaks in combustion appliances, a digital probe thermometer to test heating equipment, a draft gauge to check for chimney leaks, and a moisture meter, among other tools.
How does a home energy audit cost?
The average price for a home energy audit is $425, though they can be as low as about $100 and as much as $1,000 or more. The cost will generally vary based on size of the home, with prices typically $0.08 to $0.15 per square foot.
Some people are eligible for free home energy audits, such as many Massachusetts and New York homeowners, but check with your state and local governments to see if you’re eligible.
Are there any financial incentives available for home energy audits?
The Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit, funded as part of the Inflation Reduction Act, provides a tax credit for home energy audits. The credit can cover 30% of the cost of a home energy audit up to $150. To qualify for the tax credit, the auditor must be certified by one of the certification programs approved by the Department of Energy. The auditor also must provide a written audit report. Local tax rebates or credits may also be available in your area.
Benefits of a home energy audit
Any efficiency improvements you make to your home stand to reduce your household’s reliance on fossil fuels—all while saving you money on your energy bill. Implementing the recommendations of a home energy audit may save you between 5% and 30% on your energy bill, according to the Department of Energy, and fixing drafts alone can save you 10% to 20% per year. Your report will likely estimate how much you can save by making certain fixes, and audits often find that the most expensive upgrades, such as replacing windows, are unnecessary. Not to mention, Making your home more energy efficient can increase its resale value by 2% to 8%.
What recommendations might a home energy audit make?
Getting an audit does very little on its own. What’s important is putting the recommendations from the assessment into place. The auditor’s report might suggest a range of improvements—some that are simpler DIY fixes and others that could be more involved upgrades. Common recommendations include:
- Improving the thermal envelope of your home by sealing air leaks throughout the home, dealing and insulating ducts in rooms that aren’t cooled or heated, adding insulation to the attic, foundation, or walls, and installing ventilation
- Technological upgrades such as switching to LEDs, applying smart power strips, installing low-flow water fixtures, and replacing appliances with energy efficient ones
- Improving the efficiency of heating, cooling, and hot water equipment, such as by changing the filter regularly, using smart thermostats, and sometimes replacing inefficient equipment
How can homeowners monitor and track energy consumption post-audit?
The results of any post-audit upgrades should be evident on your utility bills, specifically electricity and gas bills, which report your monthly kilowatt hour (kWh) of electricity and hundreds of cubic feet (CCF) of gas consumption. Compare these values to those of the same month in previous years to determine how much energy you’re saving post-audit. Be sure to compare these usage and not price because costs may fluctuate over time.
What are some DIY energy-saving projects homeowners can undertake?
Not all renovations that came up during an audit need to be done by professionals. Two of the easiest projects you can do yourself are swapping incandescent lights for LEDs, and caulking or weather stripping to seal leaks. This list of renter-friendly efficiency updates is a good place to mine for ideas.
How often should homeowners conduct follow-up energy assessments?
There’s no hard and fast rule for follow-ups, but homeowners should consider doing a fresh energy audit every couple of years. If there are any significant changes to your home, such as new construction, you should especially consider getting another assessment.