Home Energy Audits - Do-It-Yourself
A home energy audit is the primary step to assess energy consumption in your home and to make it more efficient.
Conducting your own home energy audit will help you increase energy efficiency, reduce utility costs, and decrease the impact on the environment.
It is very easy to conduct a home energy audit.
You just need to spot the problematic areas in your house.
It is better to make a checklist of these problematic areas and correct them by giving priority to the ones that are most energy inefficient.
Leakage Spots: Firstly, you need to locate leakage spots in your home.
Identify indoor leaks such as gaps along the baseboard of the flooring or at the junctures of walls.
Other places where air flow can be detected are electric outlets, switch plates, window frames, fireplace dampers, and wall mounted air conditioners.
Insulation: Back drafting is caused when various combustion appliances in a building compete for air with exhaust fans.
Exhaust fans have the tendency to pull the combustion gases back into the house and this can create an unhealthy situation in the home.
Save energy by reducing drafts in your house.
If fuels such as natural gas, oil, wood, or propane are burnt in your home for heating, make sure that the specific appliance has the appropriate air supply because a certain amount of vent opening is required for every input of heat.
If insulation levels are not appropriate, then there will be significant heat loss through walls and ceilings.
Make sure that your house does not have too high or too low level of insulation.
Everything in your house, including your basements, water heaters, hot water pipes and furnace ducts should be properly insulated.
Moisture: Moisture will promote molds and mildews.
Identify moisture in roof leaks, un-sealed cracks, uncovered dirt flooring, plumbing fixtures, blocked gutters, and exhaust fans.
Light: You should use fluorescent lamps and energy efficient lamps for lighting.
This will reduce your electricity bills significantly.
By following the above steps, you can reduce your energy bills and help the environment.
Conducting your own home energy audit will help you increase energy efficiency, reduce utility costs, and decrease the impact on the environment.
It is very easy to conduct a home energy audit.
You just need to spot the problematic areas in your house.
It is better to make a checklist of these problematic areas and correct them by giving priority to the ones that are most energy inefficient.
Leakage Spots: Firstly, you need to locate leakage spots in your home.
Identify indoor leaks such as gaps along the baseboard of the flooring or at the junctures of walls.
Other places where air flow can be detected are electric outlets, switch plates, window frames, fireplace dampers, and wall mounted air conditioners.
Insulation: Back drafting is caused when various combustion appliances in a building compete for air with exhaust fans.
Exhaust fans have the tendency to pull the combustion gases back into the house and this can create an unhealthy situation in the home.
Save energy by reducing drafts in your house.
If fuels such as natural gas, oil, wood, or propane are burnt in your home for heating, make sure that the specific appliance has the appropriate air supply because a certain amount of vent opening is required for every input of heat.
If insulation levels are not appropriate, then there will be significant heat loss through walls and ceilings.
Make sure that your house does not have too high or too low level of insulation.
Everything in your house, including your basements, water heaters, hot water pipes and furnace ducts should be properly insulated.
Moisture: Moisture will promote molds and mildews.
Identify moisture in roof leaks, un-sealed cracks, uncovered dirt flooring, plumbing fixtures, blocked gutters, and exhaust fans.
Light: You should use fluorescent lamps and energy efficient lamps for lighting.
This will reduce your electricity bills significantly.
By following the above steps, you can reduce your energy bills and help the environment.
