Your DIY Home Energy Audit Guide

Are you looking for ways to save money on your energy bill? One of the best ways to do this is by conducting a home energy audit. A home energy audit can help you identify where your home is losing energy and how you can fix it. Let’s discuss how to perform a DIY home energy audit and key areas to look for when conducting one. A DIY project may sound appealing, but using a professional company like Wattson Home Solutions can improve results.

What is a home energy audit? A home energy audit evaluates how much energy you use in your house and can point out areas of inefficiency. Home energy audits are beneficial for finding places in your home to increase your energy efficiency, lower your utility bills, and even improve your indoor air quality. Can you do a home energy assessment yourself? Sure, but if you aren’t sure what to look for or evaluate your energy usage, you could be missing vital information.

Common areas to check for air leaks include doors, windows, and electrical outlets. How do you check for air leaks? A professional energy audit expert will do a blower door test. They use high-powered fans to depressurize your home’s air and check for air leakage. If you’re like most homeowners and don’t have a blower door machine, there is another way you can check for air leakage. All you need is some masking tape and an incense stick.

First, close all doors, windows, and any other openings to your home, like fireplace doors. Turn off all heat sources, so there isn’t any blowing air in your home. Once everything is shut and turned off, move the incense stick close to vulnerable areas such as doors, windows, light fixtures, and electrical outlets. If you notice the smoke is moving towards a particular area, you may have detected an air leak. Mark the spots with masking tape, so you know to come back to this spot.

One of the best ways to save energy is by making sure your home is properly insulated. Insulation ensures your home stays comfortable and affects your indoor air quality. You can do this by checking your insulation levels and quality. You will need some thermal imaging equipment or an infrared camera to do so. If you don’t have access to either of those, you can use a simple trick: check the insulation in your attic.

To check the insulation in your attic, go into your attic and look for any ice dams on the roof. If you have ice dams, it means that there is a lack of insulation in your home, and you are losing energy through the roof. You should also check to see if the insulation around your pipes is sufficient. If it’s not, you could be losing energy through your pipes as well.

It isn’t easy to check the insulation in your walls without the proper equipment. Enlisting a professional to audit your current insulation is the best route. They then can suggest energy efficiency upgrades to improve or replace your insulation.

Electricity costs can account for a good percentage of your utility bills. Check your lighting fixtures and lamps and see what type of lightbulbs you’re currently using. Replacing older incandescent lightbulbs with LEDs is one of the easiest energy efficiency improvements you can make. Energy.gov provides an excellent guide for making the right LED lightbulb purchase for your home, which can lead to long-term energy savings.

Your HVAC system should be inspected at least once annually. During home energy audits, it’s essential to replace your HVAC air filters to ensure your home is getting the optimal air quality. If your HVAC system is older than 15 years, it may be time to consider replacing your system altogether with an energy star rated system.

You should check another area of your HVAC system, including the ductwork. If you see dust or dirt building up inside your ductwork, that could indicate a leak. Suppose you decide to replace your entire system during your home energy assessments. In that case, you can avoid ductwork entirely and install a Mistubishi Ductless Mini-Split, which can significantly improve your home’s energy efficiency and air quality.

Another way to save on your home energy bill is by evaluating your appliances. Start by checking the Energy Guide label on all of your appliances. This will tell you how much energy each appliance uses. If your appliance doesn’t have the Energy Star label, it may be time to switch.

As tempting as it may be to conduct home energy audits yourself, it’s essential to hire a professional. Here are a few key reasons why hiring a professional is the best option.

If you know that conducting your own energy audit isn’t your cup of tea, give our team at Wattson Home Solutions a call. We are the professionals and experts when it comes to improving your home’s energy. From conducting blower door tests to inspecting your insulation with thermal imaging technology, our team can provide a thorough inspection of your home’s performance. Give us a call today at (855) 627-7674.