| ATEX Inspects - Houston Home Energy Audit |
Energy costs continue to rise, placing ever-greater pressure on Houston households. And the energy you use to heat and cool your home is a large part of
your carbon footprint. By knowing what to look for you can conduct your own home energy audit. Here's how to get started.
ATEX Inspects is the preferred Energy Audit Inspection Company serving all the greater Houston area including Alvin, Baytown, Bellaire, Cinco Ranch,
Channelview, Deer Park, Dickinson, Fresno, Friendswood, Galveston, Galena Park, Hitchcock, Houston Heights, Jacinto City, Jersey Village, Katy, La
Porte, La Marque, League City, Missouri City, Nassau Bay, Richmond, Seabrook, South Houston, Sugar Land, Pasadena, Pearland, Rosenberg, Santa Fe,
Spring, Stafford, Texas City, Webster, West University Place and every area in
between.
1. Get to Know Your Home Energy Bills
Bills are never fun, but don't forget that they contain valuable information along with the pain. Compare your heating and cooling costs by month for as
many years past as you can, and look for trends in usage or obvious changes. Do you see any spikes? Can you remember why? Your area utility company
can make older bills available to you by calling customer service. Note both the kilowatt hours you are typically using as well as the amount your utility is
charging per kWh. Get to know what it is that you are paying for every month.
2. Locate Air Leaks
Simple leaks can sap home energy efficiency by 5 to 30% a year, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. So take a close look at places where two
different building materials meet, such as corners, around chimneys, where pipes or wires exit and along the foundation. Make sure good seals form around
doors and windows, and that no mortar is cracked. Any gaps or holes should be plugged and/or caulked. Use the incense test: carefully (avoiding drapes
and other flammables) move a lit stick along walls; where the smoke wavers, you have air sneaking in. And heating or cooling sneaking out. Make sure the
floor of your attic, including the hatch, is insulated, and that the material isn't crumbling or compacted, which means it has lost its effectiveness. Hot water
pipes and furnace ducts in homes should be insulated. So should exterior walls (determine this by carefully removing the cover from a power plug, or drill a
small hole in the back of a closet).
3. Examine Heating and Cooling Equipment
Not surprisingly, heating and cooling in homes usually account for the biggest home energy loads. To reduce waste, check to see if your furnace filters look
dirty. If so, swap them out (usually needed every month or two during the heating season). Or invest in an electrostatic permanent filter, which cuts down on
waste and does a much better job of cleaning the air. If you have central air conditioning, check the coils both inside (usually in the crawlspace) and
outside. If they have dirt on them, carefully vacuum it off (you may need to first remove the protective grilles). Make sure all your vents are open in rooms
you want conditioned, but close the ones in rooms you hardly use. Ensure vents are clean and unobstructed. Vacuum away any dust. Examine ductwork
for dirt streaks, which mark leaks. You can often fix problems with duct tape or insulation. If your ducts look very dirty or worn, call a professional to get an
estimate on a thorough cleaning or replacement. Also put on your calendar: annual professional home inspection of your entire heating and cooling system.
4. Analyze Your Appliances
Appliances are major energy users of electricity in the home also, so your task should be to identify models that may be costing you a lot, and to find ways
to trim waste. Buy or borrow a kilo-watt usage monitor. All you do is plug it into a wall socket, and then insert the plug for the electronic device that you
wish to monitor. It will give you detailed info on energy use, and even has a "money button" to show you how much the unit costs you to operate. Begin by
checking your major appliances with the kilo-watt monitor. If older units are found to cost you a lot, you have motivation to upgrade to a new high-efficiency
model (and make sure it is Energy Star certified). If your fridge and freezer are using too much juice, you may simply need to turn down the temperature
dials, or clean or repair seals. In general the EPA recommends keeping refrigerators at 37 degrees F and freezers at 3 degrees. You may also not have
realized how much certain home appliances require, from hair dryers to heated water beds, so you may decide to use less important items more sparingly.
If you don't have a Kilo-watt monitor, you can still estimate how much energy an appliance uses with the following formula: (Wattage x Hours Used Per Day
÷ 1000 = Daily Kilowatt-hour (kWh) consumption (1 kilowatt (kW) = 1,000 Watts). The wattage of an appliance will be stamped on the item. To get the
annual consumption, multiply this by the number of days you use the appliance during the year (divide the time by 3 to account for the idling time of your
refrigerator). Calculate the annual cost to run an appliance by multiplying the kWh per year by your local utility's rate per kWh consumed.
5. Look for Energy Vampires drain energy from your Home
Ever heard of an "energy vampire" or "phantom load"? When electronics like TV's, DVD players and cell phone chargers are plugged in but not on, they still
draw power, resulting in about 8% of our annual electric bills.
It's simple to stop the drain: look around your house, and unplug any unused devices you find! To make it even easier, plug your electronics into a power
strip, and switch that off when you are finished channel surfing, jamming or charging up. It will keep the energy vampires at bay.
6. See the Light
Lighting eats up about 10% of a typical Houston Home electric bill. Swap out high-wattage bulbs with lower users, ideally CFLs. Start with one or two bulbs
in the places where you have lights on the longest; you don't need to rush out and try to replace every bulb all at once. Also be aware that rapid on and off
switching decreases the life of CFLs, so it may not be worth it to install the pricier bulbs in places like closets, where you rarely have the lights on. In such
areas, try a lower-wattage regular bulb, like a 40 W instead of a 60 W. Consider how you use lighting in each room. Instead of always hitting the main
overheads, would your lifestyle be better served by installing some low-wattage task lighting? Think desk and reading lamps or even night-lights instead.
Get rid of halogen torch-style floor lamps, which use a tremendous amount of energy. Also consider installing motion detectors, which are especially good
for halls and exterior lights, since you don't have to worry about people accidentally leaving them on.
7. Gauge the Results
After you have made some improvements to your home, revisit your audit steps in a month or two. Get your home energy bills, and compare. Did your
usage drop? Consider going back through the steps above, looking for any appliances or areas you missed before.
It also may be time to bring in the pros for a full-service, high-tech energy audit and full-service home inspection.
Call ATEX Inspects today at 281-216-1171.
SITE MAP
your carbon footprint. By knowing what to look for you can conduct your own home energy audit. Here's how to get started.
ATEX Inspects is the preferred Energy Audit Inspection Company serving all the greater Houston area including Alvin, Baytown, Bellaire, Cinco Ranch,
Channelview, Deer Park, Dickinson, Fresno, Friendswood, Galveston, Galena Park, Hitchcock, Houston Heights, Jacinto City, Jersey Village, Katy, La
Porte, La Marque, League City, Missouri City, Nassau Bay, Richmond, Seabrook, South Houston, Sugar Land, Pasadena, Pearland, Rosenberg, Santa Fe,
Spring, Stafford, Texas City, Webster, West University Place and every area in
between.
1. Get to Know Your Home Energy Bills
Bills are never fun, but don't forget that they contain valuable information along with the pain. Compare your heating and cooling costs by month for as
many years past as you can, and look for trends in usage or obvious changes. Do you see any spikes? Can you remember why? Your area utility company
can make older bills available to you by calling customer service. Note both the kilowatt hours you are typically using as well as the amount your utility is
charging per kWh. Get to know what it is that you are paying for every month.
2. Locate Air Leaks
Simple leaks can sap home energy efficiency by 5 to 30% a year, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. So take a close look at places where two
different building materials meet, such as corners, around chimneys, where pipes or wires exit and along the foundation. Make sure good seals form around
doors and windows, and that no mortar is cracked. Any gaps or holes should be plugged and/or caulked. Use the incense test: carefully (avoiding drapes
and other flammables) move a lit stick along walls; where the smoke wavers, you have air sneaking in. And heating or cooling sneaking out. Make sure the
floor of your attic, including the hatch, is insulated, and that the material isn't crumbling or compacted, which means it has lost its effectiveness. Hot water
pipes and furnace ducts in homes should be insulated. So should exterior walls (determine this by carefully removing the cover from a power plug, or drill a
small hole in the back of a closet).
3. Examine Heating and Cooling Equipment
Not surprisingly, heating and cooling in homes usually account for the biggest home energy loads. To reduce waste, check to see if your furnace filters look
dirty. If so, swap them out (usually needed every month or two during the heating season). Or invest in an electrostatic permanent filter, which cuts down on
waste and does a much better job of cleaning the air. If you have central air conditioning, check the coils both inside (usually in the crawlspace) and
outside. If they have dirt on them, carefully vacuum it off (you may need to first remove the protective grilles). Make sure all your vents are open in rooms
you want conditioned, but close the ones in rooms you hardly use. Ensure vents are clean and unobstructed. Vacuum away any dust. Examine ductwork
for dirt streaks, which mark leaks. You can often fix problems with duct tape or insulation. If your ducts look very dirty or worn, call a professional to get an
estimate on a thorough cleaning or replacement. Also put on your calendar: annual professional home inspection of your entire heating and cooling system.
4. Analyze Your Appliances
Appliances are major energy users of electricity in the home also, so your task should be to identify models that may be costing you a lot, and to find ways
to trim waste. Buy or borrow a kilo-watt usage monitor. All you do is plug it into a wall socket, and then insert the plug for the electronic device that you
wish to monitor. It will give you detailed info on energy use, and even has a "money button" to show you how much the unit costs you to operate. Begin by
checking your major appliances with the kilo-watt monitor. If older units are found to cost you a lot, you have motivation to upgrade to a new high-efficiency
model (and make sure it is Energy Star certified). If your fridge and freezer are using too much juice, you may simply need to turn down the temperature
dials, or clean or repair seals. In general the EPA recommends keeping refrigerators at 37 degrees F and freezers at 3 degrees. You may also not have
realized how much certain home appliances require, from hair dryers to heated water beds, so you may decide to use less important items more sparingly.
If you don't have a Kilo-watt monitor, you can still estimate how much energy an appliance uses with the following formula: (Wattage x Hours Used Per Day
÷ 1000 = Daily Kilowatt-hour (kWh) consumption (1 kilowatt (kW) = 1,000 Watts). The wattage of an appliance will be stamped on the item. To get the
annual consumption, multiply this by the number of days you use the appliance during the year (divide the time by 3 to account for the idling time of your
refrigerator). Calculate the annual cost to run an appliance by multiplying the kWh per year by your local utility's rate per kWh consumed.
5. Look for Energy Vampires drain energy from your Home
Ever heard of an "energy vampire" or "phantom load"? When electronics like TV's, DVD players and cell phone chargers are plugged in but not on, they still
draw power, resulting in about 8% of our annual electric bills.
It's simple to stop the drain: look around your house, and unplug any unused devices you find! To make it even easier, plug your electronics into a power
strip, and switch that off when you are finished channel surfing, jamming or charging up. It will keep the energy vampires at bay.
6. See the Light
Lighting eats up about 10% of a typical Houston Home electric bill. Swap out high-wattage bulbs with lower users, ideally CFLs. Start with one or two bulbs
in the places where you have lights on the longest; you don't need to rush out and try to replace every bulb all at once. Also be aware that rapid on and off
switching decreases the life of CFLs, so it may not be worth it to install the pricier bulbs in places like closets, where you rarely have the lights on. In such
areas, try a lower-wattage regular bulb, like a 40 W instead of a 60 W. Consider how you use lighting in each room. Instead of always hitting the main
overheads, would your lifestyle be better served by installing some low-wattage task lighting? Think desk and reading lamps or even night-lights instead.
Get rid of halogen torch-style floor lamps, which use a tremendous amount of energy. Also consider installing motion detectors, which are especially good
for halls and exterior lights, since you don't have to worry about people accidentally leaving them on.
7. Gauge the Results
After you have made some improvements to your home, revisit your audit steps in a month or two. Get your home energy bills, and compare. Did your
usage drop? Consider going back through the steps above, looking for any appliances or areas you missed before.
It also may be time to bring in the pros for a full-service, high-tech energy audit and full-service home inspection.
Call ATEX Inspects today at 281-216-1171.
SITE MAP
| Houston Home Energy Audits & Energy Saving Tips |
