Energy Evaluation
Assess Your Home’s Efficiency with an Energy Evaluation
You may be wondering how to save money on your energy bills. Having an EnerGuide energy evaluation conducted by a government-licensed certified energy evaluator will let you know how much energy your home consumes and determine what you can do to make your home more energy efficient.
An energy evaluation will show you where your home is losing energy, how efficient your heating and cooling systems are, and ways to conserve electricity. The parts of your home inspected during the evaluation are the insulation, heating and cooling equipment, lighting and whether there are any air leaks.
Blower Door Test
Evaluators use “blower door” test equipment to measure your home’s rate of air leakage. The blower door is a calibrated fan mounted on an adjustable panel that can fit into an exterior door opening of your home for measuring airflow rate, and a pressure-sensing device to measure the air pressure created by the fan flow.
This combination of measurements is used to determine your home’s air tightness which is important when trying to increase energy conservation, decrease indoor air pollution or to control your homes air pressure.
(If you are going with a newly built home, as part of the EnerGuide Rating Service, the blower door test is performed after the house has been built so that the “as built” results of the test are incorporated into the rating and the new house label.)
EnerGuide Label
The EnerGuide rating label shows useful information about your home’s estimated annual energy use and provides you with a record of the name and address of your EnerGuide evaluator. This label can be displayed on your home’s electrical box. The label gives you an energy consumption estimate of the electricity and natural gas that you can expect to consume each year.
Evaluation Report
The evaluation report is prepared by evaluator after the final on-site evaluation of the home is completed. The report provides the home’s rating and an explanation of the rating system; a breakdown of the estimated annual energy used for space heating, lighting and appliances; the estimated annual energy usage of the home for electricity, and gas for a typical family of four, assuming standard heating and cooling, lighting and appliance, and hot water usage; and recommendations for maintaining the efficiency of the home over time.
What is the difference between an EnerGuide Rating System evaluation and a home inspection?
An EnerGuide evaluation does share certain traits with a standard home inspection, each provide a very unique type of home assessment.
A home inspection is generally arranged to assess homes after buyers have made an offer to purchase a property or before closing the deal. Once the home has been inspected, homeowners receive a written report or checklist of all findings.
Home inspectors check the exterior, foundation, basement and above-ground structure for defects, plumbing, electrical, and the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems for mechanical problems.
An EnerGuide evaluation focuses on how a house can be improved in order to reduce energy costs and increase comfort and energy performance.
An evaluation can be a valuable tool when developing plans for a renovation project. It is a great way to find out your home’s energy deficiencies and make improvements that will save you time and money in the long run.
