We’ve received a number of letters lately that have a similar tone: “We need to cut back on our utility bills but where?” “What’s the best way to save energy and, more importantly, dollars?” And, “We’ve just moved into a new house and would like to know how to start reducing our gas and electric bills.”
What most of these writers are asking for is fairly simple: an energy audit.
In basic terms, an energy audit tells you which sections of your home use or lose the most energy. That lets you determine where to best invest your time and money for energy savings and what to expect as a payback.
An audit can be done by a professional or by the homeowner–on paper or, as many people have discovered, via computer.
“An energy audit analyzes your home’s energy-using functions–heating, cooling, electrical and water use,” says Mark Berger, a senior technology specialist with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Chicago Regional Support Office.
The first step is to determine whether you even need an energy audit, Berger says. You do, he says, if your home has an energy problem, such as drafts, ice damming, moisture damage that results from air leakage, stratification (the movement of air inside the home that results in cold drafts) or a lack of insulation.
Another way to determine whether you need an energy audit is to compute how much you’re spending to heat your home. For example, if you have gas heat, you’ll need to come up with a monthly average for your gas bills of the past year, preferably the past three years. You’ll also need to know the square footage of your home.
Then compute the two figures.
“If you have natural gas space heating and it’s costing you 25 to 50 cents per square foot to heat your home, then you have some opportunity for improvement,” says Berger. “If it’s costing you 50 to 75 cents per square foot to heat your home, then you have opportunities for improvement. If it’s costing you more than 75 cents per square foot to heat your home, then you very likely have opportunities for improvement.”
The next step is to run an energy audit. One way of the most efficient ways to do this is to turn to your personal computer.
Berger suggested logging onto the World Wide Web to sites like the Home Energy Saver Web site (http://eande.lbl.gov/hes/). There, you can conduct a comprehensive audit online. Another option is the ComEd On-Line Home Energy Audit page at http://www.ucm.com/ucm/info/hmaudit.htm.
At these sites, the online programs will run you through a number of questions to help you determine where your home may be losing energy and where to save money.
Be prepared to spend as long as an hour conducting the audit (some allow you to come back to the audit). In addition, to successfully conduct an audit, you again will need utility bill information and basic data about your house (square footage, ceiling heights, etc.).
“The audit programs will track your energy consumption and then tell you a number of solutions of sorts to lower your energy bills–maybe putting in more insulation or considering new appliances or new windows,” says Berger.
Another option is to log onto the Department of Energy’s Web site at http://www.eren.doe.gov./buildings/tools–directory. This site features a number of downloadable programs that conduct audits. While some of the programs are free, others are shareware versions (which allow you to try the program before buying it). There are also programs you can order or buy via the Internet.
For those without PCs, you can call the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Clearinghouse at 800-363-3732 and request a list of reference books that will lead you through an audit.
There’s one more option here and that’s hiring a company that does home energy audits for a fee–usually $200-plus. “The benefit here is having someone who is an expert in the field and can explain the difference between blowing in insulation and tearing out walls to install new insulation,” says Berger.
In fact, you can usually make up that $200-plus cost in energy savings after hiring someone to conduct an energy audit. “But whatever the energy consultant recommends, I would suggest hiring another person to carry out the work,” says Berger. “That avoids any conflict of interest.”
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Got a question about home energy or home environmental issues? Write to Energy Q&A, Chicago Tribune, Your Place section, 435 N. Michigan Ave., 4th Floor, Chicago, Ill. 60611.
