How to Do Energy Audits at Home and Save Money Every Month
Waste energy in the house is like throwing away money. You can spend thousands of dollars on heaters, air conditioners, and new windows, but poor insulation and outdated appliances can undermine any savings and create an uncomfortable home. Here’s how to do your own energy audit and save some money.
If you are not already familiar with your home’s systems, including heating and cooling, water and electricity, now is a great time to learn.
Make sure everything is isolated
Poor insulation is the worst offender for energy loss in a home. It is not uncommon for home builders to take shortcuts to install insulation and often set the minimum required.
Start in the attic and check for gaps around pipes and ducts and fill them with expanding foam. If you have crevices around your fireplace, make sure you use non-flammable foam. Make sure the attic floor is insulated, but do not block the vents in the attic. You need to maintain air circulation in the attic so that ice dams do not form in winter and hot air escapes in summer.
Then check your basement for insulation. Wall insulation is better than ceiling insulation. This makes the living space more comfortable and adds value to your home. Here are some more tips for insulating basement walls .
If you’re really interested in finding cool spots on floors and walls, get a thermal leak detector. It uses infrared sensors to measure surface temperature. This one from Black & Decker costs $ 32 on Amazon. A step forward is a thermal imaging camera that is much more accurate and provides a visual hot and cold look.
Check for air leaks
Checkers are obvious drains on your home energy system, but you can seal them with caulk and weather stripping .
Check for air leaks around doors and windows. If the leak is not obvious from the inside, inspect the outside of the window. Replace your worn-out door sweepers or install automatic sweepers that will last longer.
Air leaks are also common along baseboards and along the edges of the floor. This may indicate that the outer wall is not fully insulated. Thermographic or infrared inspection will show you if the insulation is installed correctly, and if not, you may need to insulate the wall with blown insulation .
Replace heating and cooling filters
Replace filters regularly in air conditioning systems and forced air ovens. Dirty filters put unnecessary strain on these appliances and consume more energy.
If your AC unit and oven are more than 15-20 years old, consider replacing them with Energy Star rated units. Save your tax receipt!
Buy energy efficient appliances
Outdated washing machines, dryers, refrigerators and dishwashers use more energy and are less efficient than newer models. As with your heating and cooling system, upgrade to Energy Star rated appliances that will save you a significant amount of money in the long run.
Pay attention to the “vampire” electronics. These are electronics that consume electricity even when they appear to be off or on standby. This Forbes article lists the best home power facilities and the digital cable box is number one. Other offenders include computers and home office equipment. Put these devices on a power strip and unplug them all at once at the end of the day. This tool helps you calculate how much you pay for “energy vampires”.
Switch to CFL or LED lights
The government has set new lighting standards, according to which light bulbs consume 25% less energy. CFLs and LEDs meet this requirement and are now much more affordable, which will instantly impact your electricity bill. They are also more convenient to use as they last much longer than incandescent bulbs.
The only downside to these alternative bulbs is the color. New bulbs from Cree and Phillips offer a soft white color very similar to traditional incandescent bulbs.
You can move far enough alone, but if you want a professional to conduct a more thorough energy audit at home, look in the network services of household energy to find a professional in the field of energy for homes in your area. The long term savings are likely to pay off.