Energy Audits to Decrease Home Energy Consumption

An article from a friend of mine:

All homes, new and old, stand to benefit greatly from conservation and energy efficiency measures. The first step is an energy audit.

Homeowners and building professionals can do much of the audit themselves. King County has produced an excellent Do-It-Yourself guide that can be accessed here:

http://your.kingcounty.gov/solidwaste/greenbuilding/ (Look on the right-hand column under Green Building Guides)

The Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory has also developed a basic online questionnaire that helps homeowners calculate potential savings in their home: http://hes.lbl.gov/hes/vh.shtml

While a Do-It-Yourself energy audit is good, an audit performed by a certified HERS or BPI professional energy auditor ensures the house is inspected thoroughly. Professional auditors have tools such as blower doors and infrared cameras that gather a lot of valuable information about the home's performance. Professional auditors are also trained to ensure measures enhance safety and health in homes. For this reason, homeowners with gas or oil furnaces should especially consider hiring a certified auditor.

Homeowners can check with their local utility to see if they offer a subsidized audit program. Otherwise, many independent, professional auditors offer these services in our area. One place homeowners can find help is Home Performance Washington, which is a guild of private auditors and home performance contractors. http://www.homeperformancewashington.org/

Charlie Rogers
BPI Certified Building Analyst