You can hire someone to run a home energy audit for you, or with the help of Home Energy Saver, you can actually do an energy audit easily by yourself.
At Home Energy Saver, you enter your zip code, and what shoots out is a typical round up of energy costs in your area. For example, after I enter my zip code, it shows that the average home’s energy costs are $1395 a year, while an energy efficient home in the same area costs about $737 a year.
There’s also a graph that shows which appliances typically drain the most energy in your area.
Next there are some questions to answer – all were pretty easy, so you don’t need technical know-how for this audit. Questions like…
- Does your house have foundation or floor insulation?
- Do you have a clothes washer?
- How many freezers do you have?
- What kind of heating equipment do you have?
- And so on.
After filling out all the answers, the site will show you where you can make changes, cut costs, and save more energy. It’s a really nice site, and even if you aren’t planning on making any immediate changes, it’s cool to know your options.
