Why Shouldn't You Conduct Your Own Energy Efficiency Audit?

Let's face it: many homeowners also like to see themselves as do-it-yourselfers. There's plenty of satisfaction in handling repairs and upgrades on your own, but some problems require the skills and experience of experts. If you're the kind of person that likes to tackle things on your own, you might want to reconsider when it comes to auditing your home's energy efficiency.

Should You Even Care?

If you need to spend time and money hiring a professional, you may also wonder whether an audit is even worth it. The answer, of course, is that audits are undoubtedly beneficial to most homeowners. Energy audits can do much more than just help you save a few dollars on your utility bill or make your home greener.

By tightening up energy losses in your home, you can accomplish everything from creating a more comfortable interior environment to extending the lifespan of your HVAC system. You'll also enjoy many incidental benefits, such as reduced problems with pests due to fewer potential entry points. Over the long run, you may even be able to increase your home's value!

Why Can't You Perform the Work Yourself?

If you're just looking to make some minor improvements, then you can perform a quick walkthrough on your own. You can look for problems such as electronics that sit on standby needlessly, blocked vents, and other similar issues. While none of these problems are earth-shattering, they can have a significant impact on your home's overall efficiency.

Beyond these simple tasks, you'll usually need the help of an expert. Professional energy auditing services can perform a much more thorough evaluation of energy losses. For example, experts will check for thermal losses through walls and even determine if your home has leaky ductwork. If you've never performed these tests before, you may be losing up to 30% of your home's HVAC energy to leaks!

You'll also get a more in-depth analysis of your home's envelope through the use of a blower test, a specialized method to find leaks from walls, windows, and doors. This test can provide you with valuable information by identifying the most significant areas where your home is losing energy. You may find that you're dumping much of your HVAC's energy right back into the environment!

Finally, don't neglect the importance of receiving professional advice on the steps you can take to improve your overall energy efficiency. After completing your evaluation, your auditor will discuss options to remedy significant problems while working within your budget. Once you have an actionable list, you can work on improving your home's energy efficiency as your time and budget allow.

Talk to a professional to schedule a home energy-efficiency audit.


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