While often overlooked, home energy audits can bring a number of benefits to homeowners. During these, the auditor prepares a detailed report that not only identifies areas of energy inefficiency but also recommends solutions to address these problems.
If you are interested in scheduling an audit or learning more about having an energy audit conducted in your home, you can contact the local St. Louis HVAC professionals at Galmiche & Sons today.
Benefits of a Home Energy Audit
- Lower electricity bills: Your home energy audit report will recommend measures that you can take to improve your home’s energy efficiency. These measures will result in electricity savings and lower energy bills.
- Improve the value of your home: If you plan to resell your house, conducting a home energy audit can increase its market value. According to an Appraisal Journal study, your home’s market value goes up by $20 for every $1 decrease in yearly electricity costs.
- Make a more comfortable home: Air leaks can make the atmosphere inside your home uncomfortable. A home energy audit can identify areas where these leakages are taking place and recommend affordable sealing options.
- Identify hidden problems: An audit can also identify problem areas and issues such as improper ventilation, that can lead to the growth of mildew, mold, and other fungal growths and negatively affect the quality of air in your home.
How Home Energy Audits are Conducted
To ensure that your home energy audit is conducted smoothly, you should prepare a list of issues that you may have noticed, such as drafty rooms or condensation, as well as copies of your electricity bills. The auditor will assess these to identify potential problem areas, starting with an interview with the homeowner. He will also use the energy bills to determine base consumption and to identify spikes in electricity use that may indicate leakages so that problems can be identified.
He then conducts an inspection of the exterior of the house to get an idea of its size and features such as the number and size of the windows as well as the wall area. He will also perform a safety and health inspection. Some home energy auditors may use thermographic scanning to identify leakages by looking at variations in temperature on the outside of the house.
The auditor will then inspect the inside of the house to identify energy leakages and problem areas. The HVAC system and the ventilation are areas that the auditor will pay particular attention to since they make up nearly half a home’s total energy use. He will carefully examine the system for cracks and gaps where leakages may occur, as well as recommending upgrades that can improve the system efficiency, such as a programmable thermostat and new pipe insulation.
Other tests that a home energy auditor may conduct include a blower door test to check the house’s airtightness, inspecting combustion appliances such as gas ovens and ranges, furnaces, and space heaters to determine if they are producing pollutants that can cause indoor air pollution, and checking the electrical system for safety issues. He will then analyze the results of all these tests and use them to write a comprehensive report.
Hire Home Energy Audit Professionals in St. Louis
When it comes to scheduling your home energy audit, make sure that you choose a trustworthy St. Louis HVAC professional who is experienced in conducting home energy audits to ensure that you get the most from the recommendations. In the greater St. Louis area, you can reach the heating & air conditioning experts at Galmiche & Sons by calling us today at 314-993-1110!
