What is an Energy Audit?

In previous posts I have discussed Energy Audits and encouraged the readers to have one done on their homes.  The big question though is … What is an Energy Audit?  Most homeowners and the general public have never heard of an energy audit.  When I say I am an energy auditor I am usually met with a blank stare.  When I explain that I help people find ways to save energy the typical comment has something to do with windows and drafts.  As I have alluded to before, there is so much more to the process than this.

An energy audit is an inspection of your home to determine its energy efficiency and discover opportunities to improve that efficiency.  It is also an inspection of the quality of your homes indoor air general condition of your homes utilities. 

Though each auditor has a slightly different procedure and approach to the audit, a typical audit should start with a discussion with the homeowner to learn about issues that they are aware of,  and concerns that they have with their house.  It makes no sense to do a bunch of tests and deliver a report to the homeowner that does not address the issues that they have.  Based on the homeowners input the auditor will probably do a quick walk around of the house and make note of areas of concern and items to look into further with later tests.

With the preliminaries taken care of the next item that the auditor should do, and I would question one that doesn’t, is a testing of the combustion appliances (Furnace, Water heater, Oven) to determine if there are gas leaks or backdrafting concerns that could allow carbon monoxide to enter the home or flame rollout to occur.  Should these tests fail there is an indication of the possibility of carbon monoxide poisoning or fire.  This is a large component of the homes indoor air quality and perhaps the most important thing that the auditor can do in your home.

After the combustion appliance test the auditor will probably perform a blower door test.  This is a method of determining the air leakage in your home, finding where the leaks are (typically not the windows) and developing an action plan to improve the situation.  During a blower door test the auditor will put a large fan in the front door of your home and pull air out of the home.  As the air is taken out the pressure caused pulls air into the home wherever it finds leaks.  Meters on the fan tell the auditor the amount of air being pulled out which helps them determine the severity of leakage in the home.  Based on the size of the home the auditor can also determine whether the home has proper ventilation.  This is another indication of the homes air quality along with the amount of leakage that goes through building materials which contain VOC’s which are harmful to your families health.  The audit should also include an analysis of your homes insulation and other indications of problems.  Some auditors also perform infrared testing of the homes walls and other components.  This is a good method of finding gaps in the insulation and hot spots which is very helpful if you intend to do major retrofitting for maximum benefit.  The problem is that much of this retrofit work requires work behind the walls which can get expensive.

Upon completion of the audit your Auditor should, within a week or so, provide you with a detailed report of the measurements of your home along with recommendations for retrofits with some form of estimate on the economic benefits of the recommended actions.

Now the big question – What does an energy audit cost?  A good energy audit can cost anywhere from $300 - $500 or more depending on the size of the home, the types of tests being performed.  Typically things like infrared testing and full ratings as are needed for energy rebated mortgages cost more due to the cost of the equipment and the effort involved.  You may question why you would spend this much money just for the information to tell you how to spend your money.  The answer is fairly simple.  This expense will tell you:

1. If you home is energy efficient and doesn’t even need improvement.
2. The most economical way to spend your money so that you are getting the biggest bang for your buck.
3. If there are issues in your home that are affecting your families air quality.

Though I know of some ethical companies that do both audits and retrofit work, I would be leary of having the two combined.  If you see ads for free energy audits or $49.00 audits you can bet that they are selling their retrofit services and you may find it coincidental that the work needed on your home happens to be the thing they are selling.  As in all construction work, you need to do your homework and know what you are getting.

As I really want the public to learn more about energy audits and building science, I welcome your questions and comments.  I will try to answer them to the best of my ability.