Anybody Had an Energy Audit Done on Their House? Worth It?

We had one done to our house in Alaska and then made some major changes (insulation under the house, added insulated doors, and a bunch of other stuff). We thought it was very much worth it and our house was tight after that. The heat hardly had to kick on. The other great thing is Alaska has/had a program where if you did the energy audit and did what they said in a year and improved your house's energy rating by x points, then you got reimbursed up to $10,000. We got paid back for everything we spent. Awesomeness. I love socialism ;)

We had a free one done through our electric company, and learned our biggest waste was coming from our use of lighting, a big surprise and easy to remedy.

We had one done a few years ago. Our house is an old farmhouse, and having it done was pretty interesting. The audit was free, and many of the improvements were as well (it was part of an energy program - I can't remember what it was called). We did notice a difference in our electric bill once they were finished. They replaced things we already knew needed to be replaced, like weather stripping around doors and windows. We were surprised to find out that we had plenty of insulation in the attic already. They did put extra insulation behind all of the light and electric switchplates. It was interesting.

I had one done for free on a duplex I lived in up in Columbia, MO. I knew most of the stuff that he told me but I did learn a few new things. I put most of the stuff I already knew plus what he told me to use in the house we bought (between Columbia and Ashland). I thought I did pretty well but still thought we were loosing more heat/ac than we should be.
I just had another one done in Dec/Jan. I knew we needed more insulation in the attic so I found a company that would do something called a "blow test". It tests the airflow through your house. They did the test for free (normally around $400) provided I agreed to purchase insulation from them. I knew I was going to do that anyway. They did one test before they put in insulation and one test after. Turns out my house did need more insulation, which I already knew, but it didn't really need anything else. The person that did it told me after the initial test that our house has an airflow VERY similar to that of a new house. (Our house was built in the 80s.)
Our electric company also give rebates based on the change in air flow after you do what ever improvements are suggested. We will get back just less than half of what we paid for the insulation.
Like others have said, even the smallest crack/holes can make a huge difference, this includes your outlets and switches. You can buy insulation pads that simply slip behind the covers. You can also buy other simple to use items to help fill in cracks and holes. A bonus to filling in the cracks and holes is that it will help keep out mice and bugs. If you have a mouse problem I also suggest that you use some steel wool to help fill in the holes and cracks. Mice won't chew through steel wool because it cuts up their mouth.
If you would like more information or the name of the company I used for the insulation please send me a Private Message. (The company is VERY professional, prompt and know what they are doing. I am not 100% sure but I think they come down the Jeff. City too.)

L.

P.S. Another thing that I was told was that cobwebs are actually a good thing. :) They tell you where you have airflow in the house because spiders build their webs near airflow. To a spider, airflow normally means flying food.

I think I would only do it if I had a relatively new heating system and AC. Our new system made a huge difference.

Dawn

We had it done, and it didn't reveal much that we didn't already know, but DH is pretty informed. We are getting insulation put in our attic because DH thinks it's important, but I'm meh about the whole thing. I wasn't thrilled with the people that did our audit. They were unclear and we had to press them to verify numbers.

Our local electric department will come in with an infrared camera and show you where you are losing heat from the house. They will also calculate if it makes sense to replace old applicances. It is free. I would call your electric company and ask if they have a similar free program.
But the basics are: windows and doors will leak, attics needs layers of insulation, and anything that cuts a hole in a wall (like a light fixture or switch plate ) if not insulated properly (with fire retardant stuff) will be just like having a hole the size of that switch plate in your house. Our outside lights on each side of the front door were installed very poorly and where the electric wire from the basement went to those lights was a big heat loss.
Spray foam insulation or caulking can do a lot, as can extra layer of that pink fiberglass insulation in the attic.

I had the work done without the audit. I just want to make sure you know the deductions really aren't worth beans. I had 6,500 dollars worth of improvements done which yielded me 60 actual dollars from the tax deductions. I can tell you the improvements themselves, new windows and doors, save me over 200 a month in savings so that is worth it. :)

Oh don't but the light bulbs through Ameren, they suck!