Getting a handle on your home’s energy use is an important first step to improving efficiency. In many cases, a complete home energy audit can reveal sources of air leakage, duct leaks or ducts not properly connected, insulation settling, or other problem areas. A diagnostic blower-door test coupled with thermal imaging and a Manual-J calculation can help show where you have heat loss and heat gain in your home.

Getting an energy audit is great, but if you do nothing with the results, you haven’t helped yourself at all. To get energy-saving results, you must use the information from the audit and implement measures that will best fit with your home and budget. Caulking and weatherstripping doors and windows, adding insulation in your attic and installing pipe wrap on hot water pipes are just some things an auditor may recommend.

The cost for an audit will vary based on the size of your home, and how comprehensive an audit you want done. Many community action agencies and electric cooperatives offer energy audits. Contact your local electric cooperative before having an audit conducted; they may offer incentives to fully or partially fund your audit and rebates for some of the recommended measures. Find your cooperative.