Aside from your mortgage, the biggest bills you have to pay are probably for energy. This includes electricity as well as natural gas or perhaps propane or heating oil. Unfortunately, people often pay much more than they should have to for these sources of energy. Why? Because the energy is being wasted due to inefficiency in their homes.
It can be hard to imagine how to save energy without sacrificing anything you need, like heating, cooling, lighting, and functional appliances. After all, you probably don’t even know which parts of your house are allowing energy to be wasted. That’s where we come in! With a home energy audit, you can find out exactly where you’re wasting energy, so you can easily make your home more efficient.
How Energy Is Wasted
The main sources of wasted energy in residential buildings have to do with heating and cooling. First, there’s the ductwork, which is—on average!—allowing 30% of homeowners’ expensive heated and cooled air to be lost through leakage. Then there’s the rest of the HVAC system, your heater or furnace, and your air conditioner.
But even if the heating and cooling appliances and the ductwork are in great condition, there’s the factor of whether your home is keeping that heated and cooled air in, or allowing it out through drafts. Things like the tightness of the envelope (the sealing of your home) and the effectiveness of your attic insulation are big factors.
Finally, there are other sources: your other appliances, such as your washer and dryer, as well as fixtures like lightbulbs. Any one of these won’t be the main source of energy loss, but since there are many appliances and lights in your home, the waste adds up.
How Home Energy Audits Work
Experts in home energy usage have a wide variety of tests they can perform to determine where your home is losing the most energy. This will give you a clear map to making your home much more efficient.
A blower door test uses a powerful fan to suck air out your door, causing air pressure to drop inside your home. This pulls air in from outside, through any available gaps. These are often around windows and doors. During the test, your home energy auditors can precisely pinpoint these gaps so they can be closed up.
Other factors, like insulation, the condition of your ductwork, and the efficiency of appliances are assessed. This includes everything from your air conditioner to your water heater, washer, dryer, and more. Light fixtures are assessed to determine whether more efficient options are possible.
Benefits of Home Energy Audits
Information is priceless. Once you know what’s wrong, you have the power to make things right. With the assessment provided during your home energy audit, you’ll be empowered to reduce your energy usage. You’ll have absolute clarity about which changes will have the biggest impact, so your effort and investment won’t be wasted.
If you’d like more information about energy audits for homes in Covington, LA, we’d love to talk with you.
When you need a home energy audit, contact Gowland’s Heating & A/C today! Relationship over revenue!