Home Eco-Energy Assessment

SAEEA is dedicated to accelerating the adoption of cost-effective energy saving products and technologies through education and awareness. A sustainability assessment or home eco-energy audit is a comprehensive review of the exterior and interior of the residential home to determine its level of energy use and whether there is potential for energy efficiency improvements and energy savings.

A home energy audit can be conducted by you, the home owner or it can be performed by a certified professional energy auditor from SAEEA who will spend between two and four hours (depending on size) inspecting your home. The professional energy auditor will collect detailed information on your homes’ energy profile and provide this to you in a comprehensive report that will also include recommendations about home improvements so you can start saving energy.

There are a number of advantages to having an energy audit performed on your home:

  • Learn where your home has problems and receive professional recommendations on how to fix them.
  • The potential to drastically decrease your energy bills with the modifications that are able to pay for themselves as most states have rebates and financial incentives to help you install energy efficient equipment in your home.

 

The following is a basic overview of the home energy audit process conducted by a SAEEA professional so that you can be properly prepared and know what to expect:

Interview

The SAEEA eco-energy auditor will first interview you and get a sense of your past energy usage and learn more about how you use energy in your home. So, to help the auditor, have the house plans available and copies or a summary of your home’s yearly energy bills.

Also, be prepared to answer some of the following questions to help the auditor in their work:

  • Is anyone home during working hours?
  • What is the average thermostat setting for summer and winter?
  • How many people live here?
  • Is every room in use?
  • Planning on expanding or renovating your home?
  • Are there any pre-existing issues/problems with the use of energy in the house?

The Inspection Process

After the auditor understands more about your home and your prior energy usage, he will then conduct a thorough inspection of your home. Typically, the energy auditor will begin on the outside of your home examining your home’s orientation and vegetation to determine windbreaks and shade. The auditor will check all areas outside your home where air leakage and heat loss may occur including air-conditioning units, ceiling space, chimneys, roofing, skylights, windows and doors.

The auditor will then move inside and methodically check every room of your home. For example, on the first floor, the auditor will inspect all weather stripping, thermostats and locking mechanisms of doors and windows. On any upper floors, the auditor will check the attic for insulation and sealing around any fans, ventilation ducts, lighting fixtures, and hatches.

The auditor will inspect your appliances including the hot water service, fridge/freezer, washer, dryer, and entertainment systems to determine if they could be upgraded to more energy efficient models and to determine whether you are losing heating/cooling efficiency due to a lack of insulation and sealing.

Special Equipment Used

SAEEA auditors use very specialized equipment to determine the energy efficiency of your home:

  • Power Meters - auditors will use power meters to give accurate readings on the consumption totals of appliances.
  • Thermal Imaging – auditors will also use an infrared camera that takes a thermal image of your home isolating those areas that need to be sealed or require more insulation.
  • Auditors will also use surface thermometers to determine if your home's heating and cooling systems are working properly and are effectively insulated as well as thermometers when determining the operating temperatures of the fridge/freezer.

The Report

Once the SAEEA auditor has completed his interview and inspection of your home, he will detail all of his findings in a comprehensive report that will include which areas in your home should be sealed, insulated or repaired in order to increase the energy efficiency of your home.

The energy audit report will also include a comprehensive list of additional energy efficiency recommendations such as major/minor repairs, the potential replacement of any inefficient appliances as well as modifications to energy consumption and behaviours.