The DIY Energy Audit
Do you tremble when you open your monthly utility bills? If so, it's probably time for an energy audit — an assessment of your home's energy efficiency to identify problem areas and help you troubleshoot them. To conduct your own audit, walk through the house and closely examine the areas around outlets, baseboards, window and door frames, fireplace dampers, pipes and attic hatches. If air can flow through these places, they need caulk or weather stripping.
Checking insulation is a bit trickier, but well worth the effort. Consult the U.S. Department of Energy's Consumer's Guide to Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy to learn how to assess your own. A professional auditor will go into greater detail, studying past utility bills and using state-of-the-art technology to examine your house room by room.
Two tests that are used are standard: A calibrated blower door, mounted in an exterior door frame, measures the amount of air able to be pulled out of the house by a fan; a thermographic scan from an infrared camera measures variations in surface temperature, which indicates heat loss. Locate an auditor through Energy Star's Home Performance program, or ask your utility for a recommendation.
Click here for a step-by-step guide to doing your own home energy audit.
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