|
Phone: 215-793-9783 Fax: 215-793-9784 E-mail: dougsmithman@gmail.com |
|
|
|
Old Chinese proverb: No single raindrop considers itself responsible for the flood. |
|
Do I need to be home? The short answer is - YES! A home energy audit is an interactive experience. Compare it to a visit to the doctor. The doctor can apply the latest in medical science but if you sit there and say nothing or don’t take part in the examination then you miss valuable information. We encourage our clients to be fully involved in the home energy process. Look over our shoulders and please ask questions. Your knowledge of your home is invaluable in helping us to help you.
How do I prepare for an audit? Proper preparation will help both of us. 1. Have at least one years worth of energy bills ready. Electronic or hard copy work equally well. We want to know your seasonally usage of electricity, natural or propane gas, wood, pellets and oil. Anything that you use to heat and cool your home and use to make your life a little easier. 2. Clean out all fireplaces and close the dampers. This will avoid a mess when we perform the blower door test. 3. Close all windows, pull back curtains and clean up small items like toys around walls and in corners. This will allow an unobstructed infrared inspection of cracks and recesses in your home. 4. Write down your concerns about your home. Where do you feel drafts? Does it smell musty after work? Where do you see condensation? Is the bedroom hot at night? These things are often forgotten during the audit and we encourage you to write them down ahead of time. Discuss the upcoming audit with other family members and get their input too. 5. Prepare your home and it’s occupants to have us in every nook and cranny. We need to see every part of your house. We will operate the thermostats, kitchen appliances and dryer. We will be in every room and closet, usually more than once. We will be in the attic, the basement and the crawl spaces. We will look through every window. While we try our best to respect your privacy, we need to see everything to do our job properly.
How long does an audit take? A typical audit will take 4 to 5 hours. This will depend on how large your house is, how many questions you have and which elements of the audit you choose to include.
Can’t I just weatherize the house myself? Sure you can. This is a valuable first step in home energy improvement. However, we find many customers that weatherize their homes only to find that the steps they took didn’t produce the benefit they expected. Worse, sometimes they perform work that has to be undone in order to address the real problems. A home energy audit will provide you with the insight to do it right the first time.
What is a HERS index? In addition to an audit, you may need a HERS index. To quote the Energy Star website: “The HERS Index is a scoring system established by the Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET) in which a home built to the specifications of the HERS Reference Home (based on the 2006 International Energy Conservation Code) scores a HERS Index of 100, while a net zero energy home scores a HERS Index of 0. The lower a home’s HERS Index, the more energy efficient it is in comparison to the HERS Reference Home. Each 1-point decrease in the HERS Index corresponds to a 1% reduction in energy consumption compared to the HERS Reference Home. Thus a home with a HERS Index of 85 is 15% more energy efficient than the HERS Reference Home and a home with a HERS Index of 80 is 20% more energy efficient.” A HERS Index is required for many forms of Energy Efficient Mortgages, low interest loans and grants. We have RESNET certified HERS raters on staff.
How much does this cost? The most basic home energy audit will cost about $400 and provide you with valuable insight into how your home uses and misuses energy. However, home energy audits that qualify for tax breaks and grants require more work including appliance safety and indoor air quality testing and will cost anywhere from $600 to $1,200. The protocols for these audits are laid out by the Building Performance Institute (BPI) and recognized by both the EPA and PA Home Energy, as well as Keystone HELP. These audits can also qualify for a rebate of the audit cost up to $375.
What makes Green Energy audits special? Most home energy audits simply provide you with a list of recommendations. We do not use your audit as a ‘loss leader’ to sell you insulation, or windows, or caulking or a furnace. We provide you with solid, cost-justified, energy improvements and help you to get them done right at a reasonable cost because they make economic sense and they work for you. OUR CUSTOMER IS YOU! |
|
ANSWERS TO COMMONLY ASKED QUESTIONS |
|
Green living begins at home
215-793-9783
|
