A professional energy auditor can help homeowners evaluate efficiency upgrades and prioritize improvements that will show the greatest return on investment.
Photo by Piedmont Electric Cooperative
Q: I recently moved into an older home that’s definitely not as efficient as my last residence. I want to make some upgrades, but I’m not sure how to get started. Can you offer any advice?
A: Making your home more energy efficient can be a big task, and it’s helpful to have a plan in place before you dive in. Here’s a six-step checklist we’ve compiled to help you get organized.
Step 1: Set goals and constraints. Start by setting your primary goal. Are you mainly looking to save money on your home’s energy bills, make it more comfortable, increase the resale value or help the environment? Then, set a deadline for when you need the project completed. This may affect whether you do some of the work yourself and which contractor you choose. Last but not least, set your budget. How much is it worth to you to live in an energy-efficient home?
One way to look at this is to review your annual energy bills. If they’re around $2,000 per year, you might ask yourself how much you’d be willing to spend if you could cut that expense in half. For example, $10,000 spent to save $1,000 each year would be a 10% rate of return on your investment.
Step 2: Educate yourself. Consider the costs and benefits of each potential improvement. There are many helpful lists of small and large energy-efficiency upgrades available online. There are also some great resources like the Department of Energy (energy.gov), the Energy Star program (energystar.gov) and Consumer Reports (consumerreports.org). Your electric co-op may have a home energy advisor on staff or literature that can help.
Step 3: Schedule an energy audit. An energy audit will help you prioritize so you can spend your money on the measures that will bring you the most benefit. And an energy auditor can help in other ways. My neighbors hired a contractor to do some major energy-efficiency upgrades. They asked an energy auditor to take a look at the work before they paid for it, and the auditor found it wasn’t even close to the level agreed to in the contract. It took three or four return visits for the contractor to get the work up to the promised level of efficiency.
Step 4: Plan your projects. Now that you have set your budget and priorities and have a sense of the work and costs involved, make a list of the items you want to include in your energy-efficiency upgrades. Some work, like caulking windows or adding weather stripping to doors, can easily be done by the homeowner, especially with the help of online tutorials. Other work, like insulating an attic, can be dangerous and may require special equipment or know-how.
Step 5: Identify and select contractors. This can be challenging. You want a contractor who really knows how to do energy-efficiency work. And you may need two or more contractors, such as one for your heating system and another for insulation. Be sure to get several quotes if possible, as well as references from past clients. Create and sign a contract with guaranteed work and completion dates, with payments due only as work is completed and inspected.
Step 6: Oversee the work. The quality of the work makes a big difference in the amount of energy savings and added comfort you desire. Keep an eye on the project and don’t be afraid to ask questions—lots of questions. Remember, it’s your home, and you’re the one paying the bills.
Send questions to Energy Q&A, South Carolina Living, 808 Knox Abbott Drive, Cayce, SC 29033, or email energyqa@scliving.coop.