If you care about your heating and cooling bills, energy audits are something you need to know about. As one of the most effective tools for assessing home energy efficiency, energy audits can help you pay less for cooling during the scorching Southeast Texas summers and cut your winter heating bills, too.
A home energy audit is a series of tests an HVAC professional performs to determine where your home is wasting energy through unwanted heat gain and loss, air leakage and inefficient appliances. All of these things not only increase your energy bills, but also make your home less comfortable.
What a Pro Can Do for You
While there are guides available for DIY energy audits, they typically catch only obvious points of energy loss. A professional will bring in specialized equipment that can obtain precise measurements and pinpoint hidden problems.
Your energy auditor will:
- Assess your thermal envelope — Too little insulation in your walls, attic or basement, as well as poorly sealed doors or windows, cause your home to gain heat in summer and lose it in winter.
- Check for air leaks — Cracks and gaps around doors, windows, utility line penetrations and other openings in your home let in hot, humid air in summer and leak out warm air in winter. Using a tool called a blower door, your auditor can measure your home’s air tightness and pinpoint leaks that should be sealed with caulk or weatherstripping.
- Inspect your appliances — An inefficient air conditioner, furnace, water heater or refrigerator needlessly runs up your energy bills. Many energy audits include an inspection of your heating and cooling appliances, which helps you decide whether or not to upgrade to more efficient models.
Ready to start getting a handle on your energy bills with a professional energy audit? Then contact us at Bradbury Brothers Heating & Air Conditioning in the Woodlands. We proudly serve Conroe, Montgomery, Oak Ridge North, Tomball and the surrounding areas.
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