Audits & planning
Home Energy Audit: What It Includes, Cost and How to Get One
What a home energy audit includes, what it costs, how to find a BPI or RESNET certified pro, free utility audits, and a DIY checklist you can do today.
Topics
Audits & planning
A plan beats a guess. Start with how your home uses energy, then fix the cheapest problems first. These guides walk you through audits and a ranked list of upgrades.
Start withHow to Lower Your Energy Bill: No-Cost, Low-Cost and Big UpgradesTo lower your energy bill, start with heating, cooling and water heating, which use most of a home's energy. Free steps like thermostat setbacks and a 120°F water heater setting come first, then low-cost fixes like LEDs and air sealing, then bigger upgrades like insulation and a heat pump. A home energy audit shows which upgrades pay off.
Guides in this topic
Calculators for this topic
- Appliance energy cost calculatorTurn watts and hours of use into kWh and dollars per month and year.
- Phantom load (standby power) calculatorWhat devices that are "off" but plugged in cost you over a year.
- LED light bulb savings calculatorYearly savings and payback from swapping old bulbs for LEDs.
- Electric bill calculatorEstimate a monthly electric bill from kWh, rate tiers, fixed charge and taxes.
- Energy upgrade payback calculatorPayback period, lifetime savings and return for any efficiency upgrade, after rebates.
- Energy unit converter: therms, kWh, BTU, gallonsConvert between therms, ccf, kWh, BTU, MMBtu and gallons of propane or heating oil.