Should I have an energy audit performed on my home?

As Vermonters, we are no strangers to drafts, rooms that are too hot or too cold, and high energy bills. There are several ways to evaluate the energy efficiency of your home and to identify improvements you can make to lower your energy use and save money. 

Efficiency Vermont offers the following tools to help you evaluate whether your home is a good candidate for a comprehensive energy audit through Home Performance with ENERGY STAR, Vermont Gas, or the Vermont Weatherization Program. 

Home Energy Evaluation Form:
Efficiency Vermont Customer Service Specialists, trained in home energy evaluation, are available to assist you in completing a Home Energy Evaluation Form. This form will help you to identify inefficient electrical appliances and key areas of heat loss in your home. Call Efficiency Vermont at 888-921-5990 to begin your evaluation. 

How Energy Efficient is Your Home Worksheet:
You can easily estimate the relative energy efficiency of your home just by knowing the square footage of your home and how much fuel you consumed last year. Although this is not a precise account of your home's energy efficiency, the worksheet calculations do provide a rough gauge of whether there are important opportunities to improve its efficiency. Find out how energy efficient your home is.

Professional Energy Audits and Improvements:

If your house, like most Vermont homes, has room for improvement, a certified contractor can help you take the next steps. Professional energy audit and improvement services will help you get the most for your money and save up to 20-40% of home energy use.

• If you are a lower-income household, you may be eligible for a free audit and free home weatherization services through the Vermont Weatherization Program. Find the weatherization office nearest to you and see if you qualify.
  
  
• If you are a customer of Vermont Gas, you may be eligible for a free audit and cash incentives for follow-up weatherization services. See if you qualify
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• Get a professional energy audit and energy efficiency improvements with a certified Home Performance with ENERGY STAR® contractor. Efficiency Vermont supports a network of independent, certified contractors who are certified by the Building Performance Institute to perform energy audits, diagnose building problems such as moisture, mold and ice dams, and prioritize and install the recommended energy efficiency improvements.

Energy audits typically include:

• Evaluation of your building tightness and insulation effectiveness using a blower door to measure air leaks
• Assessment of your heating system efficiency and safety and recommendations for energy-saving lighting and appliances
• Professional advice on ways to improve the comfort and durability of your home as well as solve moisture and ventilation problems
• Assistance in prioritizing energy-saving home improvements
• Access to financing for energy-efficient home improvement loans

If you choose to go forward with the recommended work, your contractor can also make the improvements and test-out the project to assure real energy savings and a safe and healthy home. Learn more about Home Performance with ENERGY STAR and find a contractor near you.

Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Energy Assessment and Improvement:

The DIY approach can be a good solution for the handy homeowner who is not afraid to crawl around in attics and basements, work with insulation, or use tools of the trade (hammer, sheetrock knife, etc). Most DIY projects are less comprehensive and cheaper to implement than professional projects, with typical energy savings in the range of 5-10%.

If you have five minutes and your last 12 months of energy bills, you can use the ENERGY STAR Home Energy Yardstick to compare your home's energy efficiency to similar homes across the country and get some general recommendations for energy-saving home improvements from ENERGY STAR. You will also need to enter some basic information about your home (such as zip code, age, square footage, and number of occupants). If you don't have your bills, contact your energy suppliers for a 12-month summary.

Two of the measures with the greatest typical savings are sealing air leaks and adding insulation. For a well-illustrated and helpful DIY guide, you can view or download A DIY Guide to ENERGY STAR Home Sealing.