As your energy bills continuously creep up over the years, you may decide to make some changes to your home to conserve energy. Getting an energy audit is a great first step to take for this because it will help you determine where your home is losing energy. While it is often through the windows, energy loss can also occur for other reasons. Here are two ways energy audits help homeowners reduce energy costs in their homes.
It Detects Leaks and Problems
The walls and roof of your home separate the inside of your house from the outside air, and the area within the walls and roof is called the building envelope. In this area, you will find insulation, which is the main instrument used to stop airflow.
Insulation is usually made of fiberglass and it always comes rated with an R-value. This value lets you know how well the insulation will stop airflow and higher R-values represent better protection. If your house is old, the insulation might not have a high rating, or it might have settled a lot, causing it to lose its ability to stop the flow of air.
Another source of energy loss is through the windows. Newer windows are built to stop heat from escaping through them, whereas older windows are often leaky and drafty. An energy audit will reveal if the windows are leaking a significant amount of air and heat.
During an energy audit, there are several other factors considered, including:
During the inspection, an auditor will examine each of these areas and factors, and this often includes the use of an infrared camera. This is a device that detects heat loss, and is almost always used in energy audits. In addition to this, the auditor may also perform a blower door test to help find the troubled areas. After the auditor is finished inspecting each of these things, he or she will make recommendations designed to help you improve your energy efficiency in your home.
It Provides Solutions for the Problems
The energy auditor will give you a report when the inspection is complete. This report will contain a list of the problems discovered, and it will also have a list of recommendations. You will not be obligated to make the recommended improvements to your home, but making some or all of them will help you reduce the amount of money you spend on energy costs.
The recommendations on the report may include:
There are many ways to improve the energy efficiency of a home, but it often begins by analyzing the windows and insulation. You can click here for more info, or contact a local company that offers home energy audits.
Share23 January 2015
When was the last time you really looked at your roof? I had no idea how important yearly inspections of my roof was until I found myself footing the bill for a full roof replacement and interior ceiling replacement. Since then, I have learned how to inspect my own roof twice each year. I always inspect it each spring after the harsh winter elements have gone away and again in the fall before winter weather sets in. You can use the information compiled on my website to inspect the roof on your home and make the small repairs that will save you from full roof replacement.