What is a home energy audit?

Q:
What is a home energy audit?

A:

Home energy audits have become popular as homeowners seek ways to lower their home energy bills. A typical audit, performed by a trained and accredited local professional for a few hundred dollars, will test the energy efficiency of your heating and cooling equipment and water heating system, identify leaks or other inefficiencies in the building envelope and ductwork, and suggest ways to reduce your energy use with lifestyle changes and home improvements.

A lot of mortgage companies (especially when dealing with first time home homebuyers) will require you get a home inspection. A home inspection is different then a home energy audit. A home inspector has nothing to do with a home energy audit, sometimes you will find a home inspector that does home energy audits but don’t think that getting one qualifies you for the other.

In the province of Ontario when you resell a home you must have a home energy audit completed. This is suppose to help the potential homebuyer to understand how much energy the home uses.

In Ontario when a home energy audit has been completed the inspector will place a sticker with the rating and the inspectors name and number on the hydro panel. This slicker should never be removed unless a new energy audit is done to the home and a new slicker is to be applied in the old ones place.

The rating on an energy audit will depend on the heating, windows, insulation and the overall air tightness of the home.

Custom homes always rate higher on that scale then track built homes, the level of care and quality of materials that are used in a custom homes make the home extremely more energy efficient.

For the cost of the energy audit when buying a home it’s well worth it, it will save you money in energy costs in the years to come.

Rob Abbott
Operations Manager
Village Builders Inc.