Using an energy evaluation to determine how energy efficient your home is can help curb your monthly utility bills, and who doesn’t want that with the continued rise in energy costs.
Did you know that you can find out how energy efficient your home is by comparing your home’s yearly energy use against other homes around the country? Using the Energy Star program’s easy, online energy evaluation tool to plug in the total yearly kilowatts of energy and dollars spent, plus your home’s square footage and the type of fuel your home uses, produces a score that can help determine the kinds of improvements needed to make your home as energy efficient and comfortable year-round as possible. The suggested improvements can lead to long-term savings on utility bills and help save our natural resources too.
To get started on your home’s energy evaluation, collect:
- One year’s worth of utility bills or a 12-month summary statement
- Your home’s total square footage of all interior spaces, including basement, attic, garage, extra room over garage, etc.
- A list of all types of energy your home uses: electric, natural gas, fuel oil, propane, wood, coal or kerosene
If you don’t know your home’s square footage, the online energy evaluation tool has a link that will help you determine this. You can also call your local utility company to see if they provide free or discounted home energy audits.
Once you have your score your next move is to decide if you want to make the improvements yourself or hire a qualified HVAC professional to implement the suggestions. The Home Energy Advisor is a good guide for DIYers, but because California has such strict building and environmental codes, professional help might be a smarter solution.