A home energy audit gives you suggestions for how to make your home more energy efficient. During a home energy audit, a trained professional will come to your home and conduct a series of tests to discover the areas of your home that can be made more energy efficient. There are many benefits to having a home energy audit in Phoenix. An energy audit can help you create an energy efficient home but can also save you money and make your home a healthier, safer, more comfortable environment for you and your family. Following are the top five reasons for Phoenix residents to have an energy audit.
During an energy audit, your home’s safety level will be inspected. The emissions of harmful gases like carbon monoxide are tested during an energy audit in Phoenix. For example, the auditor will inspect your hot water heater. A hot water tank that is not working properly can emit carbon monoxide, an odorless gas that can be deadly. An auditor will check for dangerous levels of carbon monoxide throughout your home, particularly around appliances that have the potential to emit the harmful gas. Gas leaks in and around your home can cause an explosion if they are ignited. Something seemingly benign, like static electricity, can ignite a gas leak. An energy auditor will check for gas leaks in your home during your home energy audit.
Your home’s energy deficiencies are checked during an energy audit in Phoenix. An energy audit includes the inspection of your home’s insulation, attic ventilation, major electrical appliances (refrigerator, water heater, clothes dryer, etc.), heating and cooling systems, and even your home’s light bulbs. The auditor may also perform thermal testing to detect places where there is little insulation, water leaks, damaged electrical wires, and air leaks in your home. A blower door test may also be conducted to locate air leaks throughout your home. This is important to determine what areas, appliances, and systems in your home are contribution to energy inefficiency. For example, refrigerators can account for up to 15% of your home’s energy costs. An energy auditor will make recommendations for appliances you need to replace and systems you need to update. A recommendation as small as replacing your older light bulbs with CFL bulbs can make your home more energy efficient.
An energy audit in Phoenix can help you figure out how to make every room in your home more comfortable. By testing your home for solar heat gain, drafts, or humidity, an energy auditor can make recommendations for you to not only increase the efficiency of your home but make it a more comfortable place to live. An auditor may recommend you update your attic’s ventilation or insulation or add film coatings to your windows in order to improve the comfort of your home.
An energy audit in Phoenix can help to clean up the air inside your home. An energy auditor will check the air ducts in your home and may recommend that you clean and repair them in order to improve energy efficiency. Clean ducts contribute to better air quality inside your home. In addition, testing for carbon monoxide and natural gas leaks can make the air in your home more breathable.
There are many utility companies that provide rebates for having an energy audit in Phoenix and for making energy efficient improvements to your home. There are also rebates from the federal and state governments, including rebates in Arizona. For more information about these rebates, visit your utility company’s website and the state and federal energy department websites.