Budgeting for Next Year with a Home Energy Audit

How a Home Energy Audit Can Help Your Budget in 2021

The new year is almost here! With 2021 just around the corner, it is important to start thinking about your goals for the coming year.

Saving money is one of the most popular new year’s resolutions. Your home is one of the biggest investment opportunities, with energy efficiency representing a major opportunity to add value. The best way to determine how you can add value in 2021 is a home energy audit.

REenergizeCO performs energy audits for homeowners in Denver, Fort Collins, and throughout the Front Range. Please contact our team to get started.

How Can a Home Energy Audit Help Me Save Money?

You get a home energy bill every month, but you probably only pay attention to the total amount you have to pay. You might notice fluctuations in some of the individual line items, but the meaning behind them isn’t always clear.

A home energy audit gives you the knowledge to read and understand your energy bill. It gives you insights on what you’re paying for and why, empowering you to make smarter decisions on your home energy spending.

The home energy audit also identifies issues that may be costing you money on each month’s bill, as well as potential solutions for improving the energy efficiency of your home.

4 Ways an Energy Audit Can Help Your Home Budget in 2021

The energy audit is a comprehensive process of evaluating the efficiency of your home. It is performed by an energy auditor who assesses the overall performance of your home through a series of diagnostic tests.

Insights from your home energy audit can help you address a number of efficiency issues, saving you money long-term:

1. Air Leaks in the Attic

The leading cause of air leaks is open chases and top plates in the attic that are hidden from view. These penetrations are how plumbers and electricians cut into the internal wall cavities to run pipes and wires.

The blower door test measures how much connectivity the attic has to the house. After installing attic insulation (foaming and capping all penetrations), air leakage is reduced by an average of 15 percent to 35 percent. This is like closing a whole 2’x2’ window that was open to the attic!

2. Poor Insulation

Inadequate and degraded insulation can result in air leaks in multiple areas of your home, resulting in greater energy usage and higher bills. During your home energy audit, thermal imaging can identify areas that are poorly insulated or leaking air.

The home energy audit will assess insulation in all areas of the house, including:

Air leakage is not confined to these large areas. Smaller air leaks may also form around lighting and plumbing fixtures, electrical outlets, and more.

Comprehensive assessment of how well your home retains heated and cool air will enable you to make decisions about home insulation. Some areas may need new insulation, while others may require removal and replacement of old insulation to maximize efficiency.

3. Air Infiltration

In addition to air leaking out of your home, it is important to consider the outside air that may be getting inside the house. This is known as air infiltration.

The blower door test performed as part of the home energy audit will reveal areas of the house that are not airtight. Adding insulation (or removing and replacing insulation) in these areas can cut down on air infiltration and reduce your energy bill.

4. Inefficient Lighting

Although you can still find incandescent light bulbs, you may want to think twice about buying them on your next trip to the hardware store. Incandescent bulbs are much less efficient than other lighting options on the market. The more incandescent light bulbs you have in your home, the higher your electric bill generally is.

The home energy audit can assess the impact of the lighting in your house and yield insights on how to improve efficiency. You may be able to achieve significant energy savings by investing in LED lighting. These bulbs last much longer than incandescents and other lighting options, and they reduce home energy consumption.

Read More: Why Are LEDs More Efficient?

How an Energy Audit Helps You Prepare for Solar

A home energy audit identifies opportunities as well as problems. While the diagnostics performed as part of the audit can isolate issues that drive up your energy bills, these tests can also assess the suitability of your home for energy-efficient improvements.

If you are considering solar power, the home energy audit is a crucial first step. Becoming energy-independent through solar will have minimal impact on your bills if you don’t first correct the issues that cause high electric bills in the first place.

By effectively addressing energy inefficiency issues in the home, you may be able to invest in a smaller solar panel system. This reduces upfront cost while enabling you to save money long-term as well.

Get Your Home Energy Audit Today

At REenergizeCO, we take a holistic approach to assessing the performance of your home and providing targeted recommendations for improving efficiency. We gather comprehensive data through home energy audits to ensure our suggestions save you money and result in a healthier, more comfortable home.

Energy auditors at REenergizeCO are certified by the Building Performance Institute (BPI). Professionals with BPI certification have completed advanced training in building sciences and know how to educate homeowners on the best ways to improve their homes.

Celebrate the start of 2021 by taking the first step toward lower energy bills. Schedule your home energy audit by calling REenergizeCO in Denver at (303) 227-1000 or in Fort Collins at (970) 323-3191 today. Our team serves homeowners throughout the Colorado Front Range.