The Magic, The Mystery, The Energy Audit
by Meer
Raise your hand if you hired a professional home inspector to examine your house-to-be before you signed the deed. Now, raise the other hand if you have since hired a home energy auditor to search for efficiency and air quality problems.
If you’ve got two hands in the air, you may look silly, but if you’ve only got one hand in the air, you ARE silly.
There are probably a few people out there who would not benefit from an audit: their houses are sealed tightly, every room is a comfortable temperature all the time, and energy bills are low. For the rest of us, musty basements, scorching second stories, and unpredictable utility bills mean that we have some room for improvement.
So why don’t more people call on professional energy auditors? I can think of a few reasons.
1. They don’t know there’s a problem, or a solution
In my house, there was a 20 degree difference between the ground floor and the second floor where my bedroom is. I could keep the AC cranked and freeze out the ground floor, while still trying to sleep sheet-less and sweaty. It was miserable. But I didn’t realize at the time that this comfort problem could be solved by an energy audit.
2. Price
Energy audits can cost a couple hundred dollars, and all you get out of them is information. That can seem like a steep price for a first step, before any of the actual work gets done, but some of the improvements will likely be low-cost or no-cost, so in this case, knowledge really is power. Plus, the audit will save you from chasing down false leads or low-impact projects.
3. Mystery
What the heck IS an energy audit? I mean, what do auditors know that I don’t? Turns out they know plenty, and an energy auditor is a cross between a home inspector and a medical doctor. Like a home inspector, auditors inspect your house from crawl-space to attic, getting into all the dirty, musty, creepy places you would sell your first born child to avoid. But like a doctor, they see your home as a system of interlocking parts, and they know that tweaking something over here will have effects over there. For example, we’re always told to seal our houses more tightly, and it’s good advice, but if you don’t compensate with other types of ventilation, you’ll get sick building syndrome. Your house is more complex than it looks, and it’s nice to have expert advice.
To dispel some of the mystery and myth, check out this video of an energy audit from Home Performance NC. They take you through the tools and techniques of a typical audit of a historical home in Raleigh, NC, and explain what they’re looking for and how to improve the home.
See? It’s not so scary! Now put your hands down – you’re probably starting to cramp up and people are staring…
To locate an Energy Auditor near you, go to http://resnet.us/
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