When Your Air Conditioner Won't Work

A Home Energy Efficiency Audit Shows You Where Your Home Has Leaks And Is Wasting Energy

17 January 2023 by Clara Fernandez

It helps to save money when you can, and there may be things you can do to lower your power bills. However, you first have to pinpoint where your home has problems with energy efficiency. You can do that by having a home energy efficiency audit done. Here's why having an energy efficiency audit is a good idea and how it's done.

Why You Should Have An Energy Efficiency Audit

You may have no idea where your home is wasting energy until you have an audit done. Once you know where your home has air leaks, poor insulation, or other problems, you can take steps to fix the situation. The more energy efficient your home is, the lower your power bills will be.

You can have a home energy efficiency audit any time to want to lower your power bills or when you're planning a renovation and want to make changes that result in improved efficiency and lower energy bills when the work is complete.

How A Home Energy Efficiency Audit Is Done

The auditor may start by going to each room in your home, including the basement and attic to look for air leaks. This might include cracks and gaps around windows and doors, outdated windows, and a lack of proper insulation.

They may also look at your appliances, since an old water heater or air conditioner may not be very energy efficient. They may also look at your lighting to see what kind of lights and bulbs you use.

The audit might include doing various tests, such as looking for temperature differences and leaks with a thermal camera with or without a blower test. A blower test involves closing all your windows and doors and then putting a blower in a door that pulls air inside from the outside through leaks in your home. This identifies areas that need to be sealed.

What To Do With The Results From The Audit

Since some of the fixes may cost a lot of money, you should prioritize things you can do that will make the most difference and the things you can do for a low cost. For instance, getting a new HVAC could make a difference in your power bill, but you may not be ready to invest in one yet.

You could start by sealing all the gaps where air leaks in or out of your house. If new energy-efficient windows aren't in your budget, you might do things like cover the windows with insulating plastic during extremely hot or cold seasons. You might gradually start replacing light bulbs with LED bulbs and choose energy-efficient appliances every time you need a new refrigerator, stove, or window air conditioner.

Sealing up leaks in your home, adding adequate insulation, switching to energy-efficient lights, and getting new energy-efficient appliances should make a difference in your power bill with each change you make. 

For more info about home energy audits, contact a local company. 

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