Do-it-Yourself Energy Audit

Energy is a hot topic these days. Even though January is proving to be one of the warmest on record, cold weather is sure to challenge your home's efficiency. A do-it-yourself energy audit can help you get your home ready for a dip in the mercury as well as help you save money year round.

There are professional energy auditors available and some utility companies offer this service for free. You can conduct your own energy audit and pinpoint energy deficient areas in your home with by following these simple steps.

First, start with a thorough inspection of your home. Note obvious air leaks around doors and windows like mounted air conditioners. Other likely sources are fireplace dampers, attic hatches, switch plates and electrical outlets. Gaps along baseboard trim and at the edges of flooring, walls and ceilings can also leak energy from a building. Even just concentrating on insulating these leaks could yield an energy savings between 5 and 30% according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

To get a full sense of where leaks and drafts occur in your home, conduct a depressurization test. This sounds technical but is actually quite simple. Here's how you do it.

Close all exterior doors, windows and fireplace flues. Turn off all combustion appliances like furnaces and water heaters. Then turn on all exhaust fans throughout the house in the kitchen and bathrooms. If you don't have any exhaust fans, choose one window and place a fan in the sash so the air moves out.

This increases infiltration, air that is leaking through the building envelope unintentionally. Next, light incense sticks and use them to help visualize air currents. You can also use your hand to detect draft by running it under water an feeling the air. Drafts will feel cooler than other areas. Note all areas were you detect a draft either by making a list or noting them on a plan of your home.