Home Solar Power

Private solar installations are really taking off nationwide. In just two years, (about the same length of time it takes to get a pair of 250 MW solar power plants approved in California, for example), homeowners and businesses have added that much power to the Californian grid, just from individual rooftops throughout the state. Read More….

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What Is An Energy Audit

Do you know how your home is using (or losing) energy? Every single home loses energy, but with the power of a simple energy audit, you can save energy by limiting your home’s energy loss.

An energy audit, typically done by a trained energy professional, looks at your home and how it uses and loses heat to electrical usage and waste. It involves walking through your home, and carefully looking for energy problems, some of which even can’t be seen!

Do It Yourself Energy Audit

One of the best and easiest things to do is to switch to energy saving lights, but there is much more that you can do. Before you spend another dime on the latest energy gadget think about this, you can find out how your home uses energy in just a couple of  hours by doing your own home energy audit.

A do it yourself energy audit is the single best way to save energy because it shows you exactly how your home uses energy. When you add the numbers up, you’ll understand how your home uses energy, and once you understand how your home uses energy, you can effectively target and reduce your energy usage.

It is a proven and effective way to lower energy bills and save energy in any house.

And the best part is, if you do it yourself, it is free. You don’t have to pay a professional a couple hundred dollars to come in and give you their opinion, or ‘recommend’ expensive repairs. When done correctly, an energy audit is 100% effective. It is an absolutely indispensable tool for saving energy.

Easy To Do

Energy audits are simple. There isn’t much to them, so there isn’t a lot that can go wrong! Typically, when a process involves many steps, there is greater risk for error. Energy audits don’t have a lot of complicated steps, so chances are the results you get are accurate.and its repeatable.

This means that every season, every year, you can repeat the process and track or monitor your energy usage and correct any new problems.

Once an energy audit is done, the results are unmistakably clear. You will see what uses the most energy, the potential areas for saving, and even a cost/benefits analysis of major home repairs like adding insulation or replacing windows versus savings.

Every home is different and I’m not just talking structurally. Every single homeowner is different too, in both their habits and energy usage. So, everyone uses energy differently and every home uses energy differently.

The techniques of an energy audit are generic and can be adapted for any home, but because an energy audit tracks and inspects a single home’s energy usage, the results are very specific and custom tailored to your own home.

Savings

Once you know where the problems are, you can put forth an energy savings plan that will work for your home because it attacks the causes of your energy loses.

For example should you replace your windows because it will save energy?  Some homes might need new windows or maybe not, an energy audit will tell you what you need to do, and how to save energy in other parts of your home.

The amount you can save varies by home and location. By doing an energy audit yourself, you are already saving $100 to $200 because you’re not paying someone to conduct the audit. A lot of people get results of 15-40% savings in energy costs by actually finding and reducing energy usage.

The do it yourself audit kit was put together by a former audit professional Dave Andersen. It is a collection of pdf guides and excel workbooks that estimate and predict energy usage and calculate energy loss, it is easy  to use, yet it gives you a wealth information about your homes energy.

To learn more about this diy energy audit Click Here