Save Energy with a home audit: Finding a Pro to do the job

Following up on a previous post about how you can effectively save energy via a home energy audit I feel it is worth bringing up that there are professional services that can do this for you. (This was also pointed out by a kind Justmeans reader in a comment and I wanted to give those interested in finding a pro auditor a few tips!) While you can on your own pinpoint a myriad of energy suckers around the home a company that specializes in these services going to be able to utilize more advanced technology and they are also more in tune with what to look for being that it is their job and they do this regularly. They then are able to be more thorough and while they will be charging you for their work you will inevitably be making any of that money spent back and then some in the cuts you will get in your utility bills.

In fact you can find companies that offer discounts, rebates, and other coupons in their services to helping you to save energy. You can actually contact your utility company and find out if they offer this and some of them have been known to do this for freewe pay them enough each month that we should be entitled to some perks! The Energy Star website also has a locator for such businesses, but whether you go that route or another as with anything you want to do a little background checking and comparisons between your options. Ask your friends or acquaintances if they have had a home energy audit and then see if you might be able to get some references; you then want to call multiple companies and speak with them, you can find a lot out by a phone call. If they aren't courteous or willing to explain in detail all of what you ask then you will do well to move on. You can also inquire to the Better Business Bureau and find out if there have been any complaints filed against any of them.

When you find the right fit for you, you can then be prepared for the auditor by doing a once over and making a list of anything that you come across as an obvious problem. Things like air leaks around the windows and doors or if you experience a room being particularly drafty and even if you see condensation; you want to bring all of these things up. Once the auditor does get to your home they will ask you some questions about your own habits; how often someone is always at home, how many people reside in your home, which rooms you use the most, etc. They will then move on to bringing out the 'big guns' and equipment such as blower doors and infrared cameras to detect what your own naked eye could not. When these are put into use you should feel more than comfortable asking them how they work and what they find; also be certain that the blower door used by the auditor is calibrated.

To save energy a home energy audit is a powerful tool; but whether you are just too busy to do it yourself or are aiming to really give your entire house an extensive make-over selecting a professional to do the job is just the ticket. Be sure to check back later to find out how you can monitor just how much of an impact your changes have made.

Photo credit: Green4all