The world is embracing a more sustainable lifestyle and minimizing energy usage and carbon footprint. More and more people are making conscious choices to reduce their energy consumption for various reasons, including lower utility expenses. An energy audit is one of the best ways homeowners can ensure their household’s energy efficiency and get the best electricity rates in Ohio.
There are various reasons or benefits to conducting an energy audit of your household, which extends far beyond saving on your electricity bills. A comprehensive assessment of your household’s energy usage helps you identify gaps and enhance energy efficiency. This article explains the role of energy audits and how you can make the most out of them as a homeowner.
What is an Energy Audit?
Before we tell you how you can conduct an energy audit or its numerous benefits, let us briefly explain what is an energy audit. An energy audit systematically assesses a home’s energy consumption habits. Typically, the energy audit focuses on factors impacting energy efficiencies, such as insulation, lighting, heating/cooling systems, electric appliances, and more.
Ultimately, the energy audit aims to identify inefficiencies in your home energy system and usage habits. You may then use the findings from the audit and get recommendations on making your home more energy-efficient. Doing so enables you to find your energy-wasting habits and gives you a better understanding of your household energy needs.
Reveal Hidden Energy Inefficiencies
One of the most common reasons homeowners get an energy audit is to discover or unravel any hidden energy inefficiencies. Every home loses energy in various forms due to unnecessary energy consumption, and realistically, you can never bring this consumption down to zero. Occasionally, a family member will leave the heater on or forget to turn off the lights.
Besides that, you must also consider energy loss due to poor insulation and drafty windows of the building. Similarly, using ancient electronic appliances can also lead to unnecessary energy consumption. As you can see, the scope for inefficiencies in household energy consumption is vast and complex. A comprehensive energy audit is the only way to reveal these hidden energy inefficiencies.
A typical energy audit involves using multiple advanced tools and techniques to identify inefficiencies in your home energy consumption. A detailed audit uses thermal imaging and blower door tests to determine specific areas where the energy escapes. You may then utilize the findings from the audit to address issues or concerns effectively, minimizing energy waste and lowering your utility bills.
Minimize Energy Bills and Save on Utility
While revealing energy inefficiencies is the prime function of an energy audit, its ultimate goal is to save money on your household utility expenses. It is the most compelling reason to invest your hard-earned money in an energy audit. A holistic energy audit can substantially improve utility expenses and save significant money, especially in the long run.
With an in-depth energy audit of your home, you can identify and rectify energy-consuming habits that lead to energy inefficiencies. Even if you have to make an initial investment for the audit, it makes up for it with long-term savings via reduced periodic energy costs.
It is also worth noting that the U.S. government and leading utility companies in the country offer several incentives and rebates for homeowners. However, to access these benefits, you must use the findings from the energy audit and undertake energy-efficient upgrades. If the authorities deem your efforts align with the energy audit, you may access these incentives, offsetting initial costs and accelerating returns.
Environmental Impact and Sustainability
In many cases, the purpose of the energy audit is beyond financial benefits. An energy audit can contribute significantly to meeting the environmental sustainability goals you set for yourself and your household. With an energy audit, you can optimize your household electricity usage and lower your carbon footprint, contributing to the fight against climate change.
It is worth noting that an energy-efficient home requires relatively little energy from power plants or energy sources. Hence, such homes produce less greenhouse gas emissions and pave the way for a better and greener future. Of course, the energy savings are hardly adequate if you look at energy-optimized homes individually. However, these individual houses build a more robust community, significantly impacting the environment.
When protecting our environment and ensuring the next generation has clean air and water, no role is ever too insignificant. Besides, the cumulative impact of a community of energy-efficient homes and communities is significant on a large scale. You can also consider aligning your energy optimization methods with global initiatives to go the extra step.
Improve Comfort and Indoor Air Quality
Optimizing energy usage involves operations and benefits that go beyond reducing energy consumption. If you do it right, an energy audit can help you enhance the overall comfort of your home. How? Let us explain this with an example. The energy audit sheds light on various aspects of your life, including the quality of your home heating/cooling system.
As you know, the healing/cooling system usage can significantly impact your home electricity bills. The energy audit assesses leaky windows and inadequate insulation to show you how to minimize household energy usage. Assuming that you heed the information from the audit and make necessary changes to your home, it automatically enhances your home’s comfort and air quality.
In other words, the energy audit can assess your lifestyle and suggest improvements to build a more cozy home for you and your family. You can maintain clean and consistent temperatures across your home with proper insulation and an upgraded HVAC system.
Increase Your Home’s Real Estate Value
Another significant advantage of running an energy audit for your home is that it can help you boost the real estate value of your home. Investing in energy-efficient homes can raise the resale value of your home should you decide to move in the next few years. Moreover, your home’s value climbs even further if you invest in renewable and sustainable energy.
Any home in the U.S. with an energy-efficient upgrade based on a quality energy audit can bring in a higher real estate value. Potential home buyers are much more likely to make an offer on your house if they see they stand to gain the long-term cost benefits of an energy-optimized home. Hence, as a homeowner, you must conduct an energy audit of your house.