DIY Energy Audit

Easily Find Out How Much Energy You Are Using

Energy costs continue to rise, placing ever-greater pressure on households. And the energy you use to heat your home is a large part of your carbon footprint.
By knowing what to look for you can conduct your own home energy audit. Here's how to get started.

1. Get to Know Your Energy Bills

Bills are never fun, but don't forget that they contain valuable information along with the pain. Compare your heating costs by month for as many years past as you can, and look for trends in usage or obvious changes. Do you see any spikes? Can you remember why? Your utility can make older bills available to you by calling customer service.

Note both the kilowatt hours you are typically using as well as the amount your utility is charging per KWH for electricity and gas. Get to know what it is that you are paying for every month.

Choose a Green energy provider like Ecotricity or good-energy.co.uk

that provide you with electricity from 100% renewable sources, such as wind and hydro power.

2. Locate Air Leaks

Simple leaks can sap home energy efficiency by 5 to 30% a year, according to the goverment. So take a close look at places where two different building materials meet, such as corners, around chimneys, where pipes or wires exit and along the foundation. Make sure good seals form around doors and windows, and that no mortar is cracked. Any gaps or holes should be plugged and/or caulked.

Use the incense test: carefully (avoiding drapes and other flammables) move a lit stick along walls; where the smoke wavers, you have air sneaking in and heating sneaking out.

Make sure the floor of your attic, including the hatch, is insulated, and that the material isn't crumbling or compacted, which means it has lost its effectiveness. Similarly, check your cellar ceiling, as well as cellar walls. Hot water pipes and furnace ducts should be insulated. So should exterior walls (determine this by carefully removing the cover from a power plug, or drill a small hole in the back of a closet).

If you find any problems, call in a professional, or go DIY and buy some fresh insulation yourself. Learn more about insulation here.

3. Examine Heating Equipment

Not surprisingly, heating usually accounts for the biggest home energy loads. Inspect heating and cooling equipment annually, or as recommended by the manufacturer.

4. Lighting

Energy for lighting accounts for about 10% of your electric bill. Examine the wattage size of the light bulbs in your house. You may have 100-watt (or larger) bulbs where 60 or 75 watts would do. You should also consider compact fluorescent lamps for areas where lights are on for hours at a time. Your electric utility may offer rebates or other incentives for purchasing energy-efficient lamps.

5. Turn it down

Heating: make sure your equipment is efficient, and, if it doesn't harm your health, turn it down a couple of notches. Gas is better than coal and electricity, which you should avoid. If installing a new gas central heating boiler, fit a condensing model - much more efficient.

For more help:

To get audits in the UK go to www.est.org.uk/check
The EST (Energy Saving Trust) can also be contacted on 0800 512 012 and have a responsibility to give free and impartial advice on renewables as well as other energy saving measures to householders.
If you are looking for help and are a business please contact the Carbon Trust http://www.carbontrust.co.uk/ 0800 085 2005.
These organisations are funded by the taxpayer and are good ports of call for anyone wanting to save energy or reduce their carbon emissions.