Know Your Home's Energy Capacity - Try an Energy Audit

After an especially snowy winter, warm weather has finally arrived and summer is imminent here in Springdale. Warm summer weather means gardening, swimming, and other fun outdoor activities, but it can also mean high cooling costs. Higher energy bills aren’t inevitable, however, and there are a number of ways to make your home more efficient and save on your electric bills.

Many homeowners aren’t sure of where to start to make their homes more efficient. Luckily, home energy evaluations are available to help you figure out what your home needs and make improvements. Once you’ve scheduled your energy audit, a trained inspector will visit your home and do a thorough walk-through. Closets and unused rooms are potential problem-areas, so be prepared to lead your auditor through the entire house. The inspector will be searching for air leaks and other visible signs of sealing issues.

The energy audit may also include some tests using methods with which you may not be familiar, such as a thermographic camera or a blower door test. Thermographic cameras allow the inspector to easily measure the temperatures of surfaces and different spaces in your home, which is useful for determining where there may be air leaks or gaps in insulation. Another method of locating air leaks is the blower door test, which changes air pressure inside the house to find leaks.

Once your energy audit is over, your inspector will present his findings, and help you analyze the results. You should get plenty of advice on prioritizing issues and methods for fixing problems.

The next step is to follow this advice and make some improvements. Sealing air leaks is essential, so use caulk or spray foam to seal small gaps near windows. Weatherstripping is a great option for doors, and more insulation should be added to any areas that are lacking. Installing insulation in walls is a job best left to professionals, but many homeowners find insulating attics or crawlspaces to be fairly simple.

For more information on energy audits and improving your Northwest Arkansas home’s energy efficiency, contact us at Paschal Heat, Air, & Geothermal.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Springdale, Arkansas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about energy audits and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

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