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A Home Energy Check-Up

By Laurel Kallenbach

Would you like to save energy and money? You can determine the areas where your house may be losing energy by performing a simple energy audit yourself, or you can hire a professional energy auditor to conduct a more thorough inspection. For more details, visit the U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy site: www.EERE.energy.gov. Search for “Home Energy Audit.”

1. Locating possible air leaks
Reducing drafts can result in an annual energy savings of 5 to 30 percent.

Look for gaps and air flow leaks around electrical outlets, windows, baseboards, doors, fireplaces, attic hatches, pipes, foundations and mail slots.
Test for air leaks by closing all exterior doors, windows and fireplace flues and by turning off all combustion appliances (gas furnaces, water heaters). Then turn on all exhaust fans to suck air out of the rooms. Use smoldering incense sticks to locate leaks; moving air causes the smoke to waver.

SOLUTIONS:

Caulk, plug or install weather-stripping around leaks and holes.
Replace old windows with high-performance ones or place plastic sheeting over the windows.

2. Determine insulation needs
You’ll want to ascertain the current insulation’s R-value, thickness or depth. If you live in a newer house, you may ask the builder. For older homes, you’ll have to see what type of insulation is present and determine how thick it is.

Determine whether your attic and basement insulation meets the recommended R-value for your location. Once you know your insulation type and amount, search for “Insulation Fact Sheet” on the Oak Ridge National Lab site: www.ORNL.gov. Click on “Determining the R-Value You Need for an Existing House,” then on “R-Value Recommendations.” Here you can enter your zip code to see what R-values are suggested for your climate.
Inspect your attic for an existing vapor barrier. This may be in the form of tarpaper, a plastic sheet, or kraft paper attached to fiberglass batts under the insulation. This barrier reduces the amount of water vapor that can pass through the ceiling. Since moisture can reduce insulation effectiveness, if a vapor barrier isn’t there, it’s best to install one.
Switch off your electrical breaker and check your wall insulation by removing an electrical outlet cover plate. Poke into the wall with a screwdriver. If you feel resistance, you have some insulation. Unfortunately, this can’t tell you if the entire wall is insulated or whether the insulation has settled. Only infrared scanning, called thermography, performed by a professional using special equipment can achieve this.

SOLUTIONS:

Increase the amount of insulation throughout your house as needed.
Coat attic ceilings with vapor-barrier paint.
Insulate your water heater, hot water pipes and furnace ducts.

3. Examine the equipment: both heating and cooling

Enlist professional maintenance once a year.
Clean or replace filters monthly if you have a forced-air furnace.
Check ductwork for dirt streaks, which may indicate air leaks.

SOLUTIONS:

If your HVAC system is more than 15 years old, consider replacing it. New systems are energy-efficient.
Insulate ducts or pipes in unheated spaces. An R-value of 6 is the recommended minimum.

Energy Savings

A Home Energy Check-Up

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