Why Should You Consider a Home Energy Assessment?

While there are certain efficiency upgrades and weatherization techniques that every homeowner should take on, there are projects that should be left to a professional. A home energy audit is much more in-depth than most homeowners realize. We dig into every corner of the building and assess it with proven techniques. This level of detail is well worth the investment, and it’s beyond the scope of the average homeowner.

A further justification for a home energy audit is that you have quantitative results and analyses on which to base your (and your contractor’s) decisions.  Don’t let an HVAC or insulation contractor take “educated guesses” and then sell you “upgrades”. Let a home performance professional provide a report with detailed analysis and quantitative results that PROVE what the contractors should be doing. This then allows the homeowner to take the same project scope and bid it out to more than one contractor. This saves the homeowner time and money.

What is a HERS rating?

• Projected Ratings – Ratings performed prior to the construction of a home or prior to the installation of energy improvements to an existing home.
• Confirmed Ratings – Ratings completed using data gathered from an on-site inspection, which could include performance testing of the home.

Based on the home’s plans, the Home Energy Rater uses an energy efficiency software package to perform an energy analysis of the home’s design. This analysis yields a projected, pre-construction HERS Index. Upon completion of the plan review, the rater will work with the builder to identify the energy efficiency improvements needed to ensure the house will meet ENERGY STAR performance guidelines. The rater then conducts on-site inspections, typically including a blower door test (to test the leakiness of the house) and a duct test (to test the leakiness of the ducts). Results of these tests, along with inputs derived from the plan review, are used to generate the HERS Index score for the home.