How to Do an Energy Audit on Your California Home

I was watching a rerun of one of my favorite shows of all-time the other day, Cheers. Now, I don’t mean to give away my age here, but Cheers was a sitcom that was on when I was much younger. It was basically about a bunch of people who worked in a bar or hung around there, and the theme song was this great little tune about how you want to go where everyone knows your name. Chances are, you’ve heard it.

Anyway, I bring up Cheers because I was watching an episode the other day where everyone was making fun of one of the guys for asking for a lime in his beer, like this was some new fancy thing. Nowadays, of course, you see limes in beers all the time, but I guess back in the late 80s and early 90s it was weird. I got to thinking about just how much the world has changed in the past three decades, even as it relates to my work.

For example, these days a big question homeowners tend to ask me about is how to do an energy audit on a California home. Sacramento homeowners want to know this because they’re environmentally conscious—and because they want to save money on their utility bills. The thing is, as recently as 20 years ago, the idea of a home energy audit might have seemed as silly as a lime in beer did back on Cheers.

That’s why today I want to draw from my knowledge as a local heating and cooling professional to go into detail about how to do an energy audit on a California home. Knowing what we know these days about the importance of environmental efficiency, and of saving you money, there’s never been a better time to get familiar with new ideas and concepts!

How to Do an Energy Audit on a California Home: First Check Insulation for Air Leaks

One of the easiest answers when it comes to the question of how to do an energy audit on a California home is to check your insulation for air leaks. See, one of the leading home energy inefficiencies is poor insulation because it allows the conditioned air produced by your AC or furnace to leak through to the outside, requiring your HVAC system to run longer and burn more energy in order to keep your home warm or cool. By checking your insulation, you can find these leaks and know where you need to take action.

See, one of the leading home energy inefficiencies is poor insulation…

There are some easy things you can do yourself in this regard. For example, if your attic hatch is located above a conditioned space, check to see if the hatch is as insulated as the rest of the attic. If the answer is no, air can easily leak through the hatch area. You should also inspect spaces like an attic or basement for leaks around items such as pipes, ductwork, and chimneys, making sure all those openings are sealed. In terms of your other insulation in larger areas, I highly recommend calling a professional to come take a look at that.

Get Your Heating and Cooling System Inspected as Part of a Home Energy Audit

Inspecting your insulation is a good first step. A better second step is inspecting your heating and cooling system. Now, there are a few things you can do yourself in this regard, such as making sure that your filter gets changed on a regular basis. For the most part, though, your heating and cooling equipment is complex, so you’re going to want to leave the inspection process to a professional.

Yessir, my advice is to get an experienced local HVAC company out to inspect both your furnace and air conditioner at least once a year. Twice a year would be even better. That way, they can make sure that your furnace and AC are running efficiently and not burning excess power. You’d be shocked at how one little checkup can do wonders for your HVAC efficiency—so much so that you’re liable to easily notice the difference on your monthly utility bills.

Devise a Whole-House Plan After Your Energy Audit

Our last tip for how to do an energy audit on a California home is actually a little bit similar to the last one because it involves calling out a trained HVAC professional. This last tip is to devise a whole-house plan for addressing energy efficiency, one that involves everything from insulation to a serious look at other home energy aspects, like investing in low flow plumbing. True energy efficiency is more than just checking for drafts.

True energy efficiency is more than just checking for drafts.

A decent whole-house energy efficiency plan will take into account many parts of your home. You should give serious consideration to whether or not you should invest in things like a new furnace or better insulation. If that all sounds expensive, don’t worry. An experienced HVAC pro can help you navigate the many opportunities you have in California to save money on making your home energy efficient, opportunities like California energy efficiency incentives and California furnace rebates. There are so many great rewards incentives out there if you just know where to look.

I really do think that working with an experienced HVAC company in order to get the best and most knowledgeable energy audit on your California home is the way to go. Things like annual maintenance checkups and insight into how to take advantage of California energy efficiency incentives go a long way to making sure your home is energy efficient. Plus, you can save a great deal of money on your monthly utility bills by getting them done.

I highly recommend giving us a call at Bell Brothers today to schedule an appointment to have your heating and cooling system inspected. We can also help you make sure that you have the best insulation to take care of air leaks in places like your attic and basement. Oh, and we’re experts on devising whole-house plans. So gives us a call today!

At Bell Brothers, our trained HVAC professionals would love to help you learn more about how to do an energy audit on your California home, and to help you make the necessary improvements to your energy efficiency once the audit is done. Contact us today to schedule a free consultation and to get answers to your questions about custom replacement windows cost.

Image courtesy AndreyPopov