So You've Had A Home Energy Audit. Now What?

We live in an old New England farmhouse. It was probably built around the turn of the century -- the last century -- and many of the materials used to build the house were salvaged from a previous structure. We can tell from the creosote on the outside of the chimney bricks, and the timbers in the basement that were sawn with Civil War era blades -- something our house inspection revealed before we bought it. Those old farmers, they knew recycling, but they didn't know about energy efficiency

We had our first energy audit done in the late summer of 2003. It is key to be there when the inspection is being done, both to hear all the peripheral thinking of the auditor, and also to make sure s/he checks all those nooks and crannies you suspect are problem zones. Ask questions! The report then comes as no surprise. Ours had a list of recommendations, prioritized by "most bang for our buck". Number 1 had several imbedded actions dealing with increased insulation over our kitchen where we have had chronic ice dams. They included replacing recessed can lights with zero clearance units, and blowing dense-packed cellulose insulation into the ceiling and soffit/facia areas. Number 2 was sealing around wall openings where plumbing, wiring and the chimney moved through the living space, and number 3 dealt with basement insulation. The last major recommendation was to replace the tankless coil with a 40 gallon indirect hot water storage tank zoned off the boiler. Then there were the miscellaneous recommendations...

It was really helpful that the list of recommendations was prioritized. We jumped right in and addressed number 1 and most of 2. The only thing we didn't do was eliminate the recessed cans. I'm not sure why. There are some things you get hung up on. Number 3, which was basement insulation, has additional complications of water running through the basement at certain times of the year, and sealing it up could create ideal mold conditions. It remains an unsealed conundrum. We did number 4, hot water. Then we also went after the "miscellaneous" with a vengeance: simple blinds over the windows which we religiously lower every cold night, replacing incandescents with CFLs, moving up to Energy Star rated appliances when older ones need replacement.

All in all, the audit focused us. We did most of the recommendations. Our basement heat loss is still a problem, but solving it creates another. The changes have made a huge difference. We felt the process was valuable enough to get a second energy audit four years later to see how we're doing and what the next tier of improvements might be. The few new recommendations were small, such as install insulated gaskets behind wall switches and electrical outlet faceplates. I really feel that at this point, our defensive position is pretty good as far as we can go with it. The audit was the only way we would have efficiently reached this point. The major variables now are operating the house: turning off lights, using the (new) wood stove efficiently, making sure the blinds are lowered, keeping doors closed to rooms that don't need the heat during the day, etc.

Good reasoning and recommendation. Regarding the home energy audit, it’s important to get the right audit–accurate and actionable and looking at the right things like duct leakage, air infiltration, and equipment efficiency and safety and a utility bill analysis. For a bit more background on audits and additional links to EPA and DOE recommendations, follow my post at http://greenhomesamerica.wordpress.com/2009/05/07/home-energy-audits-2/

Thanks,
Mike