Steps to performing an energy efficiency inspection you can do yourself for free.
These days everyone has pondered ways to save money, conserve energy and make valuable improvements to our homes with the least cost or hassle.
We will examine several ways to make your home more energy efficient from free projects that only take time to perform, up to full-scale home improvement projects on the following pages. You will note the benefit and ROI (return on investment) from each project to make your own home improvement calculations to determine what is best for you. Using energy star appliances and energy efficient windows to accomplish an efficient home design are all good investments, but there are low cost energy saving strategies available that just about everyone can try.
Some of the best tools for inspecting your home for efficiency are a pen, paper, a candle, and your hands. Only use a candlestick or any candle where the flame is in the open air. Jar candles will not help you. Some have noted preferring the use of incense to an open flame as well. As you perform a home inspection, you will need to make note of your observations to create a list of potential changes you can make.
Pick up your writing materials and a candle and we’ll begin. It is best if you can do this on a windy, very hot or a very cold day. This inspection will only take you about ten minutes to complete.
Step 1. Examine all of your exterior doors for leaks or potential leaks. If you have an attached garage, you should open the outside garage door before checking the door going into the garage from the house for leaks. Open your doors and examine the door frame to see if the frame has rubber or felt weatherstrip installed. Some older doors may have metal fins that compress when the door is closed. Check for a sweep, a strip of insulation or some other flexible air barrier on the bottom of the door or on the threshold. Does the weatherstrip cover each edge of the door frame? Make note if it does not. Does the door rattle if you jiggle the door knob? Does the door have lots of “play” when it is closed and latched? Make note of these conditions. Take your candle and hold it near the edge of the door and move it slowly along the seam between the door and the frame. If the flame dances, flickers or blows out then you have an air leak at that location. Make note of this on your paper.
Step 2. Examine your windows for leaks or potential leaks. Please note: when using a candle to check your windows for drafts, move all curtains and window treatments aside and keep the candle flame clear of these or any other objects. Use your hand to feel for air leaks in places it is not safe to check with a candle. Open your windows and inspect for weatherstripping as you did with your doors. Your windows may have brush or broom style weather strip as well.. and that counts. Make note of edges and surfaces in your windows that do not have any kind of weatherstrip. It is in these locations where you will want to be particularly perceptive to air leaks. Next, use your candle as you did when checking the doors, moving the lighted candle along the edges and seams in the window. Check not just the outside perimeter of the window, but also the edges of any operating portion. For instance, if you have “hung” windows that slide upward or downward to open you need to check each edge of each operating sash. Again, if the flame dances, flickers or blows out then you have an air leak at that location. Make note of this on your paper. Also make note of any visible water marks or water damage, condensation or frost on your windows or window frames. Inspect your glass to see if any of your window panes are loose by bumping them. If you have loose glass in your windows you most likely have heard the glass rattling at some point or another when the wind is blowing. Add all of these items to your list.
Step 3. Check the areas of your light switches, wall outlets and light fixtures on every external wall of your home for air leaks. Your candle will not help you unless you have severe insulation problems or no insulation in your exterior walls. You must go by feel to check these. Please note: Do not remove outlet and switch covers to examine them. Simply place your hand somewhere on the wall, at least two feet away from each item and then place your hand or fingers on the outlet or switch cover to detect a difference in temperature. Also, try to detect any sort of draft or air movement from the switch or outlet. Make note of your results anywhere you detect an obvious, noticeable difference in temperature or air movement.
Step 4. Inspect other fixtures in your home that connect to the outside. These will include fireplaces, exhaust fans in kitchens and bathrooms, and clothing dryer vents. This inspection is mostly useful only in mid to upper latitude areas in the mid-to-northern United States, Canada, Northern Europe and in other places where winter brings ice and snow. You might be amazed how much air can move in the vicinity of these items. Fireplaces are the worst culprit of all. Make note of where there are differences in air temperature, significant differences in surface temperature and where there are drafts or air movement I these areas.
Step 5. Check your exterior walls. In exterior locations of your home most exposed to sun, wind or rain, you should check your walls. In these rooms, place your hand on an interior wall facing into the house and then place your hand on an exterior wall inside the same room. There will almost always be some difference, but you will be able to tell a dramatic difference from any other. Try using your cheek or your inner wrist if you’re not sure. Make note of whether in your opinion your exterior wall surface temperatures are noticeably different than the interior walls. Make note of your observations.
Now, You are ready to move on to assessing the results of your inspection. Click here to continue
