This diagram shows the areas in a home where air most commonly leaks in and out of the structure. Photo courtesy US EPA.
With energy costs continuing to rise, you may be wondering how to staunch the flow of money out of your pocketbook. The answer probably lies in your own home. According to the most recent data from U.S. Energy Information Administration, more than $200 billion is spent in residential energy use in the U.S. each year.
It might be time to take a hard look at possible energy waste in your own home. One of the easiest ways to do this is to schedule a home energy audit with a certified professional. “There’s potential to save significant dollars,” says Chris Walls, program manager with BGE. “An energy audit looks at the idea that you shouldn’t be letting conditioned air outside your home because you’re paying for that air.”
In addition to helping you save on home energy costs, a home energy audit can also help you decrease your home’s environmental footprint, and you don’t have to spend a fortune to make an impact either.A typical home energy audit ranges in cost from $250 to $500, and more often than not, the auditor’s recommended fixes don’t cost a bundle either.
“Most remedies are not that expensive,” says Building Analyst Richard Andrews, who performs home energy audits for Wheatley Associates in Monkton, Maryland. He says an auditor is not going to recommend replacing major appliances, HVAC systems, or windows and doors if the ones the homeowner has are in good shape and not in need of replacing. “It’s just not a cost effective way to address energy problems,” he points out. Instead, a home energy auditor will likely recommend smaller fixes that make big impacts like sealing up leaky ductwork, which can account for up to 30 percent of a home’s heating and cooling loss.
A blower door test is used to measure and locate air leaks in a home.
Terry Logee, technology development manager with the U.S. Department of Energy, agrees, noting that the biggest problems in most homes are air infiltration or outdated, inefficient HVAC systems. Other big draws on energy, often overlooked, include old appliances. “If you have a refrigerator that’s more than 10 years old, you’ll see a significant reduction on your energy bill if you update,” says Thomas Thompson, manager of the Virginia Energy Management Program with the Department of Mines, Minerals, and Energy.
Fridges and freezers can use up to 20 percent of a home’s electricity.Peter Van Buren, president of Terralogos Green Home Services in Baltimore, a firm that offers home energy audits, says the process only takes two to three hours. An auditor will examine a home’s basement, crawlspaces, and attics, looking for potential air infiltration problems and also review the home’s HVAC system, water heater, and major home appliances. Then the auditor will conduct a blower door test, which essentially measures air leakage in a home and identifies where the leaks are. They might be in easily overlooked places like around receptacles or recessed lights.
After the audit is complete, the auditor provides the homeowner a written report of his or her findings and recommendations for improving the home’s energy efficiency. Many firms will also help the homeowner find contractors who can help them with the work, though there are plenty of fixes that homeowners can do themselves for little to no cost. Van Buren says his firm puts most homeowners on a five-year plan so if major fixes are necessary, such as replacing an inefficient HVAC system, they can make smaller changes right away and then gradually save for bigger ones.
Thompson agrees that small steps can make a difference, even something as simple as turning off the hot water heater when you go on vacation. He’s been involved in helping the Commonwealth of Virginia work on energy improvements at state facilities over the course of the last three years. “As a result,” he says, “we’re seeing millions of dollars of savings a year.”
Andrews says most homeowners will see the changes they make on behalf of energy efficiency offer a payback in as little as a few months. “Keep in mind that you’ll probably be paying utility bills for 40 to 45 years,” he says. “That’s a lot of savings in the long-term.”
Deborah Huso is a frequent contributor to ChesapeakeHome.
Resources For More Information:
Energy Star Home Improvement Guidelines are available online at energstar.gov. To find a certified home energy auditor in your area, check out the “Home Performance” section of energystar.gov.
Empower Maryland: energy.maryland.gov
BGE also offers energy saving tips online at bge.com under “Save Money.”
Visit the Virginia, Maryland, & Delaware Association of Electric Cooperatives online at vmdaec.com for access to your member cooperative and ideas for saving energy and protecting the environment.
The Virginia Energy Savers Handbook Available online at dmme.virginia.gov.
Contacts:
BGE: bge.com or 800-685-0123
Sentech, Inc.: sentech.org or 240-223-5500
Terralogos Green Home Services: terralogos.com or 443-451-7130
U.S. Department of Energy: energy.gov or 800-DIAL-DOE
Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy: dmme.virginia.gov
Wheatley Associates: wheatleyassociates.com or 410-329-2500
