Audits
AUDITS
A staggering 21% of the all energy used in the United States is used in homes. Where does all of the energy go? Over 40% of the energy consumed in a home is used for heating and cooling. Water heating and lighting uses around 20%. Appliances, including refrigeration, use more than 15%. These energy users can also be areas where energy savings can be achieved. A home energy audit is the first step to determine how much energy a home uses and to identify opportunities where energy can be saved. The home energy audit can discover inefficiencies in a home and provide solutions for increased efficiency.
At Saving Green Energy Audits we offer three categories of energy audits based on the RESNET National Home Energy Audit Standard.
1. Home Energy Survey
2. Diagnostic Home Energy Survey
3. Comprehensive Home Energy Audit
Each of the three audit categories has been developed to meet programs offered by utilities and government agencies, or to meet mortgage industry requirements. A brief description of each audit type is given below.
Home Energy Survey
A Home Energy Survey is not a prerequisite for the Diagnostic Home Energy Survey or Comprehensive Home Energy Audit.
The Home Energy Survey is the basic type audit a homeowner would recieve in a utility sponsored program. The Home Energy Survey will include on-site visual inspection of the energy features of the home, and documentation of its general condition, including envelope features and ages; equipment types, characteristics and ages; and, appliance and lighting characteristics. Where available, the Home Energy Survey will include a review of utility use and billing history. At the conclusion of the audit, the homeowner recieves a report detailing what the Auditor found during his survey. Any health or safety concerns found during the survey would be highlighted in the report. The report gives suggestions for energy improvements and prioritizes which type items would offer the best return on investment.
The Home Energy Survey is a visual inspection only and does not require the use of a blower door, duct leakage test, an infrared camera or other test equipment.
Diagnostic Home Energy Survey
A homeowner may elect to go through this process with or without a prior Home Energy Survey.
Some of the sponsored audit programs require diagnostic testing such as blower door testing, duct testing and/or combustion testing. Saving Green Energy Audits can advise you as to what is, or is not, included in the program you are using.
A Diagnostic Home Energy Survey includes all of the provisions of the Home Energy Survey as well as diagnostic testing with a blower door and basic combustion safety testing. Other diagnostic testing such as duct blower or appliance testing may be required, based on details of the home. (See PRICING Tab for details of these options and others such as HERS Ratings, ENERGY STAR certification, Mortgage and Rebate certificatons)
A more detailed report of specfic improvements to improve the home's energy efficiency, comfort or health and safety is provided. The report will priororitize the improvements and give cost/benifit numbers for each type improvement. The report gives listing of items the homeowner can complete as well as items more likely to be contracted out. The Auditor will supply a list of contractors approved to do this work.
Comprehensive Home Energy Audit
A Comprehensive Home Energy Audit is required if the homeowner is participating in a program which offers financing such as Keystone HELP.
The purpose of the Comprehensive Home Energy Audit is to cause improvement to be made to the audited home. The Comprehensive Home Energy Audit includes an evaluation, performance testing and proposed treatments for energy improvement of an existing home. The evaluation will include a review of the data collected from any previous energy audit or survey, any further required measurement and performance testing, combustion appliance testing, and a computerized simulation analysis of the home's energy performance and a calculation of the energy and environmental savings from improving the energy performance of the home. The performance analysis will determine a scope of work to be completed for the home to provide the proposed savings. The qualified Auditor will guide the homeowner to Certified Contractors elgible to do the work. Programs such as Keystone HELP require a follow up verification audit after completion of all improvements to insure the work meets the standards of energy efficiency used as a basis for the mortgage.
A homeowner may elect to go through this process without a requirement of a prior Home Energy Survey or a Diagnostic Home Energy Survey.
