Energy Audits - Energy Rating & Green Home Consulting 

Energy Efficiency is the place to start when thinking green.   That’s because  energy efficiency impacts new homes as well as existing homes. Existing homes comprise the vast majority of the currently available housing stock. Energy efficient homes save money on utility bills, provide a more comfortable living environment with better indoor air quality, and help protect the environment. I have yet to conduct an energy audit on an existing home where I’ve been unable to realize significant energy savings.

Currently there are efforts to develop certification for home remodeling projects. Given today’s mortgage market,  it is likely that a certified energy rating may become a mandatory requirement for obtaining a mortgage. For example, take home #1 with an average monthly energy bill of $300 as compared to home #2 with a $400 average monthly energy bill.  Home #1 could qualify for an additional $100 in monthly mortgage payments -  an additional equivalent of about $20,000 in home value because of lower energy consumption. In the meantime these energy consumption comparisons compare future expenses to occupy the home.  It’s the same as comparing cars' MPG ratings when considering the purchase of a new car.

Green building was ill-defined during the seventies by non-building professionals and has a somewhat negative connotation.  Now the word is getting out that green building is no longer just about buying green products and passive solar measures.  Today Green building has  been redefined by students of building science, builders, architects and contractors.

Green building incorporates environmental considerations into every phase of the building process. Green building involves the design and lot development, energy efficiency, resource efficiency, water efficiency, indoor environmental quality, global environmental issues, operation and maintenance.  All these measures help minimize the environmental impact of the home while it is being built and during the home's useful life.

For new homes the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has developed strict guidelines for energy efficiency called an Energy Star Rating. An Energy Star certified home must be independently verified by a certified energy rater for conformance. The features of a qualified home include:

1. An Efficient Home Envelope, with effective levels of wall, floor and attic insulation properly installed, comprehensive air barrier details, and high-performance windows and doors,
2. Efficient Air Distribution, where ducts are installed with minimum air leakage and are effectively insulated,
3. Efficient Equipment for heating, cooling and water heating,
4. Efficient Lighting, including fixtures that earn the Energy Star, and
5. Efficient Appliances, including Energy Star qualified dishwashers, refrigerators and clothes washers and dryers.

Energy Star qualified homes addresses only one critical element in green homes, that of energy efficiency. The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) has developed the National Green Home Building Program (which too is third party verified), incorporating the Energy Star home guidelines and continues with additional considerations concerning:

1. Lot design, preparation and development,
2. Resource efficiency in building materials,
3. Water efficiency both indoors and outdoors,
4. Operation and maintenance in order to properly operate the home in an environmentally responsible manner,
5. Indoor environmental quality; measures taken that can mitigate the effects of potential contaminants and
6. Global environmental issues.

When considering the purchase of a new home or existing home, often a buying consideration is the reputation of the builder. But reputations do not equal a quantified certification from an independent 3^rd party as to the build- quality of that home. The certification will also carry from one owner to another long after the builder's reputation is forgotten.

A detailed look at what is verified with each home that is certified through the Energy Star program and the National Green Home Building Program will be found on the Services page of this website.  

What We Do

•  Finding a room uncomfortable, too hot or cold, drafty?
• Concerned about environmental toxins in your home?
• Thinking about buying a new home but want to find out more about its energy efficiency? characteristics and its' cost of operation
  
• Time to replace windows, siding or your HVAC system but need a cost benefit analysis?
• Finding your utility bills too high?
• Planning a renovation or building new?

Home Services & Consulting will help you to resolve specific issues, evaluate the entire home, or in the case of new construction, evaluate your plans , and develop energy- efficient, green strategies.  We can provide you with a cost benefit analysis using  EPA approved,  RESNET developed software and practices.

Cool Articles and Sites:

Chicago Tribune - Nine Home Renovation Projects

State Energy Efficiency Ratings

WSJ - Taking Credit for Energy Efficiency

Galesburg Register - Buying Electricity Hourly

Eco Home - Cool Video

Scientific Study - CFL Energy Savings

Scientific Study - Thermostat Setbacks

Your home's energy rating is like your car's   MPG rating.

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