Reducing Your Carbon Footprint: Do An Energy Audit

SUSTAINABLE LIVING | by CELESTE TELL

IT’S FALL, AND IN MOST PARTS OF THE COUNTRY it is just about time to crank up the heat. Which means it’s also a great time to do an energy audit of your home.

If you’ve already got the furnace cooking for the season, it is a good bet that you are losing energy somewhere that can be easily saved. A good energy audit will show you where your house is leaking energy, measure the performance of your heating and cooling systems, and provide you with new strategies for improving overall energy efficiency.

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You can do it yourself or hire a professional. A professional audit will run you in the neighborhood of $300 to $500.

A good audit should include:

1. Your family’s daily behavior and usage patterns
2. History of the house
3. List of known problems, such as drafty rooms, condensation or dampness
4. Review of one year’s worth of utility bills
5. Note of all obvious air leaks, such as windows, doors, electrical outlets, baseboards, chimney dampers, skylights and attic hatches
6. Survey of location and types of insulation in both walls and floors/ceilings
7. Inspection of heating and cooling systems
8. Evaluation of all lighting

A professional audit may use thermography (to visually map out energy leaks via infrared technology), and a blower door test (which will assess your home’s airtightness). Both of these tests result in very specific recommendations.

The professional audit should also provide you with a prioritized action plan — including estimated costs — explaining what specific steps you need to take to increase energy efficiency, improve comfort and indoor air quality in your home.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency provides more information on how to do your own energy audit, as well as how to find a professional.

Remember, any energy saved translates into money in your pocket and a savings on monthly utility bills.