Interpreting A Home Energy Efficiency Report
What is a home energy efficiency report? A home energy report is a summary of the energy that is spent annually in your home, targeting the top major energy expenditures, including air-conditioning, windows, doors, and the installation or quality of electrical units which use the most energy. The purpose of an energy efficiency report is to determine the best avenues for saving money in the long term and what steps should be taken in the short term in order to prevent energy loss.
In short, a home energy efficiency report is necessary in order to provide a plan for moving forward, in terms of home construction. Even if you like your house the way it is, having a game-plan for making energy improvements will change the amount spent annually on utilities. This report consists of a list of potential problems, followed by solutions and their estimated cost. These estimates may determine “go or no-go” in terms of which projects are viable for your home.
Refrigerators, washers and dryers, and other large appliances consume and let off enormous amounts of energy as well. Upgrading a refrigerator can save around $200 per year simply because of advances in energy efficiency, according to a home energy efficiency report. Although the potential savings are less with a washer and dryer, $50 per year will certainly add up over time.
Washers and dryers also use lots of energy. How heat efficient is your dryer, and when was the last time you bought a new one? Although it seems like an unnecessary expense, dryers and refrigerators score poorly on a home energy efficiency report, and keeping a new model does save some home owners the expense of lost heat and kinetic energy.
After the official inspection of your home with a home energy efficiency report, which looks for any known areas of energy improvement, you may have up to twenty new things to do, and you might be able to save thousands of dollars per year with a larger initial investment. Keep an eye out for changing technology as well, since this year’s fad may be next year’s bust.
After a home energy efficiency report is read, and you’ve decided which steps are worth the effort, and you’ve sought a second opinion, go back over your needs and energy goals. Sometimes saving money in the long-term may not be worth the effort in the near future. Other times, the estimated savings may be inaccurate, so think carefully before replacing major installations.
Most problems with a home energy efficiency report, and the recommended projects, have to do with the initial investment. Other problems are related to the structure of work and contractors which surround an auditing agency. Your inspector may be biased toward known service providers, and may also be delivering figures which are higher or lower than the market standard. This is just another reason to seek a second opinion or agency. The inspection itself is cheap compared to the work which may follow.
As always, take your home energy efficiency report with a grain of salt, and don’t be afraid to do your own research. Whatever decisions you make will cause some kind of change, and staying on top of this change is the secret to long-lasting differences in the bottom line, or your electric bill. In the end, being “green” is good, but saving money can be a whole lot better.
