How to do energy audit

An analysis of energy flows, for energy conservation in a building, process or system to reduce the amount of energy input into the system without negatively affecting the output(s) is called an energy audit. Identifying opportunities to reduce energy expense and carbon footprints by energy audit is the first step in residential, commercial and industrial real estate. An energy audit can identify the areas of energy waste in your home so you can make repairs and upgrades as needed.

Professional home energy assessors use specialized equipment and infrared cameras to analyze your home’s energy use, but you can still perform some energy auditing steps without a lot of equipment. To do your own energy audit, following steps need to be followed:

First Step: Inspecting Heating and Cooling Systems

Your electricity bill can be reduced significantly by improving your home’s heating and cooling efficiency. Following steps need to be followed to identify possible problems:

• Checking appliances: Check your cooling appliances or central air conditioning system annually for any issues. If your system is more than fifteen years old, an upgrade to a newer energy-efficient system could reduce your energy costs significantly.
• Inspect windows and doors: Inspect air leaks around doors and windows. Small gaps can allow warm or cold air in from the outdoors, forcing your air conditioner or heater to work tougher.
• Inspect your ducts: If you use central air, examine for any air leaks in duct seams and joints. Dirt streaks around ducting can indicate air leaks, which can be sealed up with duct mastic or professional-grade duct tape.
• Checking hot water usage: Measure how much hot water you use on a daily basis and minimize your usage as much as you can. Low-flow shower-heads help and water-saving habits like running only full loads through washing machines and dishwashers can also reduce energy use.

Second Step: Checking Sealing and Insulation

Sealing and insulation of your home can increase your cost per year due to cooling inefficiency and heat loss. You should check your home for potential insulation gaps and poor sealing. Check following common areas for heat loss and energy waste during your energy audit:

• Check uninsulated spaces: Gaps in your insulation allow air movement from the outside which causes heat loss. Examine air leaks wherever two different building materials meet and at the intersection between walls, floors and ceilings. Electrical outlets, light switches and plumbing fixtures, can also let in cold air if not sealed appropriately.
• Examine your attic insulation: Now a days, the standards for insulation are higher than several decades ago. Older homes often have insufficient insulation, which can significantly expand your energy use. Examine insulation gaps around pipes, chimneys, ducts and entrances or hatches. Empty spaces can be sealed up by using expanding foam.
• Wall insulation checking: Assessing the insulation in your walls is difficult to do without professional thermal imaging equipment. Drilling a small hole where it won’t be noticed is one way to check for insulation, or you could investigate through the holes behind electric sockets just be sure to turn off the electricity for safety. Use a crochet hook, a long stick, or a screwdriver to see if you can feel or pull at any insulation. While this can help you to determine if insulation exists, it won’t tell you if the insulation has settled or if the whole wall is insulated.
• Floor insulation: Any home with uninsulated basements or crawlspaces is recommended for floor insulation. Check if your floors are guarded effectively against heat loss with a minimum insulation rating.

Third Step: Checking Electricity Waste:

A major contributor to residential energy inefficiency is electricity waste. A home energy audit is the perfect time to consider your usage habits and identify potential sources of electricity waste in appliances, lighting, and other items. You can minimize your energy use significantly by changing lifestyle. In order to mitigate electricity waste, following steps need to be followed:

• Check your light usage: Lighting contributes 5% of all home electricity. Simply turning out your lights before leaving a room can contribute to minimize your costs significantly, so take note how many lights you leave on whole day and night. Consider using timers or automatic lights to minimize waste.
• Evaluate your light bulbs: LED bulbs consume less energy in comparison to traditional incandescent bulbs. Upgrading your light bulbs can minimize your electricity use significantly.
• Check television and computer settings: Most modern entertainment systems and computers have a sleep function mode. Enable sleep function mode so your TV and computer turn themselves off when not in use.
• Inspect for outdated appliances: Inspect out-of-date appliances like old refrigerators, dryers, and dishwashers. Outdated large appliances can waste quite a bit of electricity compared to newer ENERGY STAR–rated models. An upgrade can save you a lot in the long run.
• Unplug unnecessary appliances: Many small appliances scattered throughout your homes can continually draw energy, even when they’re switched off. Unplug stereos, phone chargers, hair dryers, and fans when they’re not being used to minimize waste.
• Check if solar works for your home: A solar system can balance your energy use with every hour of full sunlight. Check your home for the appropriate setup of efficient solar panels.

Safety Precautions

Following safety precautions should be considered while conducting home energy audit to keep yourself and your family safe:

• Many older homes pose hazards to your health and it’s not always obvious when there’s danger. Ventilation is important, especially in homes that use a explosive heating source like natural gas or oil. 
• Make sure your furnace is ventilated effectively, there should be about one square inch of ventilation per 1,000 Btu of appliance input heat. 
• All vents and exhaust ducts in your home must be unhindered.
• Wear a ventilator and all proper safety equipment to avoid exposure to fiberglass or asbestos while checking your insulation. 
• Any electrical sockets must be fully disconnected and tested before using them as access points to check insulation.