Most People use a home inspector when buying a home but, ordinary home inspectors are all about what is visible and easily accessible. Home Inspectors usually don't use the high tech equipment that is used in a home Thermal home energy audit. Thermal scans go beyond what an ordinary inspection covers by verifying what you can't see. With state-of-the-art equipment energy Audit firms can actually "see" inside your walls and tell you if the insulation you are paying for is actually there. These types of scans can also spot hidden moisture damage as seen in the image above that can cause major damage or mold and at the very least, render your insulation useless.
In the course of an Normal inspection, an inspector will look in your attic and measure the insulation that is readily accessible and visible. And energy Audit firm will survey the entire home for missing or inadequate insulation as well as moisture damage (without touching the insulation) and tell you if the insulation is working. A residential home energy audit will also survey your ductwork to insure it does not leak and send heated or cooled air where you don't want it.
Included in These types of surveys is a scan of your electrical panel that can spot potential fire hazards (we do these same scans for our industrial clients regularly). At the very least, you should always insist on a thermal inspection of your electrical panel when buying a home. A panel only inspection is usually less than $80, which is a small price to pay for preventing an electrical fire or other types of fire hazards.
After a energy audit examination, you may elect to receive a written report that you can use to either have the seller make repairs, or negotiate a lower price to cover repairing the anomalies yourself. In either event, most firms and energy audit companies will re-scan the problem areas noted in the report to verify the work and correction to the problem was done properly. Most energy audit inspections begin at well under $200.
When Most people by a home They may have relied on the services of an inspector or the builder to check for obvious defects in your house. Now that you've lived there for awhile, perhaps your energy bill is higher than your neighbors, or you notice that one or more rooms are colder/warmer than the rest of the house. Before you start on a major renovation project, you should know exactly what and where the problems are before you get out the hammer.
With an energy audit you will know exactly what and where the defects in your home's energy efficiency are. With This type of state-of-the-art thermal imaging equipment and a Thermographers experience in the construction industry, you can pinpoint those problem areas such as lack of insulation, improperly installed insulation, water damage, and potential fire hazards that may be present in your electrical system. It makes no sense to replace your heating and air conditioning system and continue to heat or cool the great outdoors.
First, you have to determine what's wrong before you can fix it Armed with this knowledge, and our report, you can then make repairs yourself, or hire a contractor to fix only what's really wrong and not simply be guessing. If you decide to hire a contractor, we will come back to your home and re-check the problem areas to insure the work was done properly. If you are planning to sell your home, these firms offer pre-sale inspection is designed to give a seller confidence that their home will pass scrutiny, that you will not have a last minute inspection surprise, and delay the closing or kill the deal all together. All this and more for usually less than the cost of cleaning your carpets.
Home Energy Audit Training
For many people the utility bill is expensive. There are several factors contributing to this bill. One factor is all the appliances we use in our homes and the second is the increasing prizes of fossil fuels. These increasing prizes also increase the price for electricity because many power plants work on these fossil fuels. To start saving money we need to focus on these two important factors. Here we will focus on the first.
One smart way of cutting the utility bills is to go about a home energy audit. Many people forget that they can save a lot of money by studying their energy consumption. One very important issue to realize is that many appliances still use electricity even though they are switch of. This known as phantom loads. Examples of these appliances are the VCRs, stereo components, microwave oven, toasters, and the stoves.
Phantom loads are a very abstract issue for many people and it is a difficult concept that is hard to grasp. How much phantom loads you appliances consume can be estimated by a home audit. Another contributing factor is the stand-by mode that many appliances have. Not leaving the device in the stand-by mode will save a lot of electricity. Other less obvious parts of the home can also contribute to the increasing home energy consumption. These are the attics, fireplaces, and the rest of the less obvious parts of the house.
Why should you have a home energy audit? The reason is to cut your utility bill. If you have a large bill and you don't know where and how to save energy then the audit will be wise investment. The audit result will give a better understanding how your home energy can be maximized and securely utilized. With the results you will be able to reduce your bill today and for years to come.
The audit will concentrate on the less obvious parts of your home. The windows and doors are also covered, but these are usually not a big problem anymore. The parts you need to think about are the attic, the fireplace and the ceilings.
Let's think about the ceiling. It must have enough insulation so that the home energy will be kept from escaping from it and to go upwards to the attic. The easiest way for heat to transfer into the attic is through a hole in the ceiling.
When thinking of the attic we stuff these full with unused things and all kinds of junk stuff. What you need to realize is that by putting in the proper insulation you could save big bucks. The attic must be installed with open air vents so as to keep up a good air circulation. When there is no proper air circulation in the attic you can destroy all our stuff and even damage the roof and the attic itself.
To stop the process of heat propulsion you will need to keep it closed when not being used. But if you intend to have it open, simply turn off the heater inside your home since it will come out of the vents then cross the room, and then right into the fireplace the heat will be blown out. For some logical reasons, such situation will just cause you a nightmare in terms of the electrical bills that will confront you.
Next is to stop using the stand-by mode in your appliances and turn the appliances of. Another benefit is that by doing so you're also preventing fire. One important cause of fire inside the house is the television. In standby mode it can cause a short circuit and will create sparks that can result in a fire.
These are just a few tips that you can use to start saving money on your utility bill. If you are really serious about saving money you should consider a home energy audit.
Both W Stickels & Bryan Wong are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
W Stickels has sinced written about articles on various topics from Flat Stomach, Home Improvement and Franchise. If you would like to find out more about a home energy audit please click on the links.. W Stickels's top article generates over 1900 views. Bookmark W Stickels to your Favourites.
Bryan Wong has sinced written about articles on various topics from Home Management, Supplements and Wedding Planning. Bryan Wong is the owner of the alternative energy information website http://www.GetEasyInfo.com/Alternative Energy - Get a FREE e-book on how to SAVE MONE. Bryan Wong's top article generates over 33100 views. Bookmark Bryan Wong to your Favourites.
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