One of the areas where you spend a lot of money as a homeowner is utility bills. Often you find that the reason behind this is the energy used by your appliances. These are things that you hardly pay attention to but would make a difference in your home. High utility bills indicate that you use a lot of energy in your home, increasing your carbon footprint. If you are looking for ways to cut costs and be environmentally cautious, you must perform a home energy audit.
When to Schedule an Energy Audit
If you spend a lot of money on your home’s energy bills, you can schedule an energy audit anytime. However, keep the season changes in mind. For instance, many homes feel warm in some areas and cold and drafty in others during the cold winter, depending on where you live. If you spend a lot on energy expenses during the winter, it’s a good idea to make your house more energy efficient before the onset of the cold weather.
Similarly, your electricity costs and energy usage might be high during summer because of the central air conditioning. In that case, you must perform energy efficiency upgrades before the summer weather begins. Therefore, the best time to schedule an energy audit often depends on when you have the highest energy usage and where you live.
Signs Your Home Needs an Energy Audit
Generally, you need to schedule an energy audit whenever significant changes in your residential property occur. A home energy audit is appropriate if you:
- Spot drafty areas and inconsistent room temperatures
- Notice condensation on your window panes or walls
- Decide to switch to solar power
- See skyrocketing energy bills without any reason
- Plan to install new HVAC unit, windows, or insulation
- Renovating your home or building home additions
Why Is a Home Energy Audit Important?
Energy audits are a great way to reduce your energy usage. Here are other reasons to schedule an energy audit this season.
It Gives You an Understanding of Your Energy Usage
More often than not, you get a utility bill without the breakdown of how energy was used in your home. To reduce this cost, you must know what items or areas in your house need reining. An energy audit will help you figure this out. It will give you a clear picture of which appliances use the most energy and how this can be reduced. The audit also helps you know the changes you must make to your lifestyle so your bills are manageable.
It Saves You Money
The cost of energy keeps increasing as the days go by. If you look at what you pay for now, chances are these charges have gone up. While you cannot change the current price of electricity, you can reduce how much is used in your home. Doing so will, in turn, help you cut down on the amount of money spent on utility bills. The home energy audit will show you where to start if you are looking at cost-cutting methods. With that, you make changes to your home that saves you money.
Increases Comfort in the Home
If your bills keep increasing, your appliances are not working as they should. You might find that the room takes longer to warm up, or your AC is not as efficient as it used to be. Some of these issues are linked to faulty appliances. A faulty appliance will not only make you use more energy to power it. You also have to keep up with the inefficiencies it comes with it. During a home energy audit, this is one of the things the experts look at. They will check to see if the appliances in the house are in good condition and offer you a solution on how to fix the faulty ones. That way, you get to enjoy the comfort of having high-functioning equipment.
Reduces Your Carbon Footprint
As the world advances and newer technologies emerge, it is clear that the energy we use is dispelled into the atmosphere. With this comes a myriad of issues, including global warming. To deal with this, one must be keen on the energy they use and its environmental impact. Faulty appliances are one of the leading causes of these harmful emissions. One way to reduce your carbon footprint would be to fix the appliances. That way, you reduce your emissions and carbon footprint. If you are environmentally conscious, you should be keen on the emissions your home produces.
Shows Your Energy-saving Opportunities
Whenever you think of saving energy, chances are you look at taking only a short time in the shower or switching off the lights in a room with no occupants. While these do go a long way in cutting down energy use in the home, you can do a lot more. The energy auditor can help you figure this bit out. The auditor will look at your home and all the areas that use the most energy. Once they figure this out, they will give you steps to improve these places. Some things might be as simple as replacing the filters on your HVAC unit or cleaning out your air ducts. Sometimes all you need to do is change the setting on your kitchen appliance or switch to a better showerhead. These are things that you might never have thought about on your own. They will go a long way to reduce energy use in the long run. Following these changes will lead to less energy use in the home.
Increases the Resale Value
Increasing your home’s energy efficiency is one thing you can do to ensure that your property value increases. While you might not be considering selling your home now, a time will come when you want to do so. Whether you choose to sell or lease out your home, one of the things the new occupants will look at is how energy efficient it is. Apart from fixing up the appliance in the home, you can also add solar panels and extra insulation, which help reduce the home’s energy consumption. All these things go a long way to help improve the overall value of your home. These are things you might never think about now or soon, but they will go a long way to make your home attractive to potential buyers one day. It is an investment that will pay off someday.
Rely on the Experts to Get an Accurate Energy Audit
Home energy audits can help minimize your carbon footprint by identifying areas in your residential property that might be wasting energy. If you are experiencing unexplained surges in your monthly energy bills, scheduling an energy audit with our professionals at American Air & Heat is a good idea. Our energy audit experts can identify the problem areas and recommend appropriate home improvements to lower your energy costs while maintaining your home’s comfort.
We are also experts in indoor air quality, thermostats, heating, duct cleaning, and air conditioning services in Oviedo, FL, and the surrounding areas. Call us today to schedule your energy audit appointment or order any other service.
