Why professional energy audits aren’t free, or, you get what you pay for

Recently we’ve gotten a lot of calls and e-mails inquiring about the cost of an energy audit. People are often taken aback at the price (which typically runs between $300 and $500, depending on the size of your home, the number of HVAC units you have, as well as a few other factors. It’s worth it to note that the fee for an energy audit varies throughout the country. We’ve heard that in some places auditors charge much more, and in some places, a little less.), and sometimes they seem surprised that we charge at all. After all, there are scads of articles and websites telling you how you can do your own energy audit, and some power companies are giving “free” audits as perks to their customers.

Here’s the deal, folks: you get what you pay for.

Now, I am not saying that the websites and articles that promote d.i.y. energy audits are not valuable. There are certainly plenty of things you can do yourself to make your home more energy efficient. I’ve written several blog posts to that effect, including

• How to seal electrical outlets and switchplates
• 4 cheap ways to make your home more energy efficient
• It’s not your windows

More will be forthcoming. Hopefully particularly helpful will be the series I’m working on about weatherizing our own 100-year-old house. Obviously, we’ve audited our house, but the majority of things we’ve done to it have been d.i.y. projects – the kind any handy homeowner with some stamina and free time can do for themselves.

Anyway, back to the topic at hand: why a professional audit costs money. It comes down to three factors: expertise, time, and equipment. You are paying a trained, educated, certified professional to evaluate your home over a period of several hours using expensive equipment.

First, the training. At a minimum, you should hire a professional auditor who is BPI certified. This means that he or she has been trained by the Building Performance Institute. BPI teaches its members to look at the house as a system, not just as individual parts. If something in your home isn’t functioning well, like it’s energy-inefficient, for example, then a BPI analyst won’t just look at your HVAC or your windows or your insulation (like a HVAC contractor or a window installation company or an insulation contractor might) but will look at the whole house for answers. Training includes coursework, a written exam, and a field exam.

Other certifications or trainings that are useful for an energy auditor include RESNET-HERS, which focuses on energy efficiency in the home. HERS raters are trained to rate a home Energy Star, which applies to new construction only, but a rater who has been through the RESNET-HERS training is well versed in home energy efficiency as it applies to all homes. Mark, our auditor, is also a certified Green Rater (through Resnet), which means he can rate a home “Green” per the standards set by BPI – again, a certification for new homes – and he’s also a NAHB verifier, another green home rating program with very high standards. In addition, he’s a verifier for Green HomeBuilders of the Triangle, which is a local organization (central NC) that is related to NAHB. These aren’t necessary certifications for an energy auditor, but the more education, training, and knowledge your auditor has, the better.

Next, the time. A professional audit takes a minimum of 3 hours, and usually closer to 4-5 hours on site. We always include the homeowner in our audit, so in addition to the actual tests and observations we are also conducting homeowner education. Since our audits also include a written report, you need to factor in at least 2 hours after the audit for this.

Finally, the equipment. At a minimum, a professional audit should include a blower door test, a duct test, and if you have combustible appliances, a test to ensure you don’t have any gas leaks. We also use an infrared camera in our audits, since we think the camera best pinpoints and illustrates energy leaks in the home. It’s one thing to know your home is fairly leaky, but quite another to have actual pictures that show you where the leaks are happening.

The problem with walk-through or D.I.Y. audits is that although they may find many of the common leaks in the home, they are going to miss the leaks that are particular to your specific home. Yes, windows and doors need weatherizing. Yes, electrical outlets and switchplates need to be sealed. And your ducts probably are leaking…but those things are the low-hanging fruit of energy efficiency. To really know what’s going on in your house and to really make a difference in your home’s energy bills you’ll need a professional audit. And for that you’ll need to spend a little money.

The good news is that if you get a professional audit and do the recommended weatherization, you will get your money back in savings on your power bills within a couple of years. It’s worth it to do it right.