Ask the Expert: Should I hire a home energy auditor?

By Ken Sheinkopf

Q: Someone told me I ought to call a "house doctor" to check out our home and see if it is operating efficiently or not. What do these people do?

A: A whole new industry has grown up in recent years with people who conduct thorough energy audits of homes and commercial buildings. Calling themselves "house doctors," "energy auditors" or other names, they usually use high-tech equipment to study and analyze air flow, heat loss, appliance efficiency and temperatures. They hook blower doors up to the home, light candles and see where the wind blows. They set up infrared cameras and look for hot spots, temperature differences and other conditions. They use other equipment to find conditions in your home that will not be visible upon normal inspection.

Part of the work of a good energy auditor is to carefully analyze your utility bill for the past year or two. This can pinpoint trends in energy use and energy wastage, and help see how weather conditions affect the efficiencies of your homeâs appliances and heating and cooling equipment.

Check out the yellow pages of your phone book and you'll probably find several companies listed. Your utility company may offer a free or low-cost energy audit, but these private energy companies usually go far beyond a basic audit and can give you a great deal of valuable information. I always advise people buying a new home to get an energy audit done along with a typical home inspection. Itâs an investment that will be repaid quickly if you take action to repair and replace the problem areas that are identified.

More information:
If you're a home owner and don't have the resources to hire an expert, there are some immediate steps you can take to evaluate your own home. To learn more about what you can do today to save money, energy and the environment, check out the Home Energy Checklist from the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy.

If you're a home energy auditor and want to promote your efforts, visit our Global Energy Marketplace and submit an electronic profile about your company, for free!


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Editor's Note: Ken Sheinkopf is Associate Director of the Florida Solar Energy Center. Write to him at 1679 Clearlake Road, Cocoa, FL 32922, or e-mail Sheinkopf@fsec.ucf.edu

REPP does not endorse products and this is not to serve as a scientific or comprehensive analysis of any product.