Why You Should Consider a Professional Home Energy Audit

When you talk to most HVAC contractors, what do they want to sell you?

A new AC system. Or a furnace. Or a maintenance plan.

They want to help you save money.

…There’s nothing technically wrong with that.

But you still might be missing out on amazing energy savings.

How would you even know that anyway?

Well, that’s where professional home energy audits come to the rescue.

You personally can be doing practically every little thing right when it comes to energy savings, but you can still actually be operating in a highly inefficient way.

For example, there’s a natural phenomenon called “stack effect.” It’s where the air in your home rises and wants to escape through your attic door and windows.

It has a huge effect on your efficiency. But not every HVAC contractor (and perhaps most) would catch that. They’d focus too much on upgrading your HVAC system.

Not Every HVAC Contractor Understands Home Energy Audits

To do a thorough home energy audit well, you need experience. And a lot of it. Many newer HVAC contractors with less than ten years of experience don’t necessarily understand “stack effect.” Or, they don’t know how to check your home from top to bottom for every little leak and crevice that lets air seep outside.

Typically, HVAC contractors that offer home energy audits do them well. And even if you have a newly-built home, you should consider having one done. New homes can be built too quickly by contractors to increase profit margins, which can lead them to actually being highly inefficient.

Home energy audits check things like:

• The number of air returns your home has
• The quality of insulation throughout your home
• How well your home’s air envelope is sealed
• Whether your ductwork has any cracks or leaks

You may need a new HVAC system too. Then again, you might not. The contractor doesn’t know until they perform your home energy audit.

But the point is you’ll learn exactly what you need to repair at your home to dramatically increase your energy efficiency. You could experience 20-30% in savings – far more than you’d ever get from installing a new HVAC system (which, when done wrong, can actually make you more inefficient).

Why don’t home energy audits get more attention?

We don’t know. But they certainly exist. And they’re a great way to learn what you need to do, and in what order, to grab more energy savings.