What to Expect With a Home Energy Efficiency Home Inspector
An auditor can tell you exactly what measures you need to take in order to get to there. You may save yourself some serious money by doing a quick and easy energy efficiency home inspection, so who wouldn’t benefit from that?
How an auditor conducts an energy audit will depend on how the company you are considering will handle your information. There are some companies that will simply ask you questions about your home, like how many people live there, what kind of appliances and electronics you have in your home, and then send you home survey results back.
Then, there are other companies that will actually visit your home. You will not actually be forced to come in for an assessment, but you are still required to fill out some paperwork and provide them with copies of any existing documents that they might need in order to complete the review. This can sometimes be stressful for some people, especially if they feel like this is just more time wasting their time.
Most people, though, prefer the latter – more of a hands-on approach. The process can take as little as an hour, or it can take as much as several days depending on how much work needs to be done and how extensive the home’s energy efficiency measures are. Some of these companies will even be more than happy to do the work for you so you don’t need to.
Once you have the company complete the evaluation, they will give you an evaluation report. It will be up to you to review the report and make sure that everything has been covered. Be aware, though, that you can end up paying for additional services if the information provided on the report is inaccurate.
Energy efficiency home inspectors should not take any shortcuts when it comes to the report, so always ask for more details when you discuss the matter with the company. They should also make sure to include any repairs that they have made in the home that are related to their own research or otherwise to improve its energy efficiency.
Make sure to choose a home energy efficiency home inspector that has experience. A company that has experience evaluating homes in your area and in which you live is going to know where to look for the right data and what types of information to share with you.
Your energy audit should only take about two hours, depending on the size of the home and the scope of the audit. Do not hire an audit company that takes longer than two hours, especially if you do not have the time to do it yourself.
If you are planning to sell your home, getting an energy audit could potentially save you money. An energy efficiency home inspector will be able to show you how much energy you are using and how much money you could save over the course of a lifetime by making improvements to your home. These experts are able to tell you what you could do that would reduce your electricity and heating bills while increasing the amount of time it takes to cool and heat your home. – all of which can lead to money saved over time.
When buying a home, consider buying a home that already has a qualified energy auditor on staff. While this may cost you a little bit more upfront, over the long run the extra fee is definitely worth it because you will have someone to call when you have a problem with your air conditioning, for example.
If you are in the process of selling your home, you should also get an energy audit performed before you decide to list. It is a good idea to ask if the buyer will perform an inspection on the home. If the buyer insists on performing an inspection before you buy, do not sign a contract until the buyer agrees to it.
You can also get a copy of the audit report and go over it with your realtor. Find out what it will include so that you can get as much value from it as possible. If you can, try to find one that will also give you the chance to review the report beforehand and make recommendations about anything that you want to change or add to the home.
