Your home isn't just a place to hang your hat —it's a sanctuary and a significant investment. With home-related costs that can consume over 50% of your income, energy assessments are a vital tool to minimize expenses while contributing to a greener future.
Why You Should Get a Home Energy Assessment
- Save on Energy Bills: Reduce your monthly expenses significantly by identifying and rectifying energy inefficiencies within your home. With potential savings of up to 30% on energy costs without altering anything inside your home, the benefits are tangible.
- Reduce Environmental Impact: Lowering your energy consumption not only benefits your finances but also helps combat climate change. By reducing your carbon footprint, you contribute to a more sustainable world effortlessly.
- Improve Comfort: Drafty windows, inadequate insulation, or outdated HVAC systems can compromise your comfort. A comprehensive assessment pinpoints these issues, leading to a cozier and more consistent indoor environment.
- Increase Home Value: Investing in energy-efficient upgrades doesn't just save you money—it increases the value of your property. Energy-efficient homes have a sale value that's 2-8% higher than non-efficient ones, making them more appealing to potential buyers.
Energy assessments are valuable even if your home is well insulated and your HVAC systems, hot water heater, and appliances are relatively new. Unexpected failures in these essential systems can lead to spur-of-the-moment purchases that solve an immediate need (often at significant expense) without considering the purchase’s long term carbon impact. Maiven and home energy assessments offer insights, financing strategies, and planning to ensure you’ll never be caught off guard. Read about how Maiven kept Massachusetts families from being left out in the cold this winter.
What to Expect During a Home Energy Assessment:
1. Scheduling and Preparation
To begin, schedule an appointment with a BPI or HERS certified energy auditor. At intake you will need to provide basic information about your home which often includes sharing a few recent utility bills.
Unless your energy service provider uses Maiven, and depending on the size and complexity of your home, assessments may take up to four hours. So, be sure to block off enough time for the inspection. If you’d prefer a shorter in-home energy assessment (who wouldn’t, right?) you can request that your energy assessment company use Maiven. Read about Maiven’s shorter energy assessment service here.
2. Inspection
During the assessment, the energy professional will examine various aspects of your home, including the building envelope, HVAC systems, and appliances. They are not only identifying opportunities for efficiency improvements but also looking for safety and indoor air quality improvement opportunities as well.
3. Data Collection
Data is collected using various instruments and techniques that should include infrared cameras, combustion safety testing of gas-powered appliances, and a blower door test. The collected data is used to complete a full energy model of your home which quantifies the potential impacts of different energy upgrade strategies available to you.
While the combustion safety and blower door testing will always need to be completed in the home, Maiven has the ability to collect all of the other data acquired during an energy assessment. By using Maiven ahead of time, in-home energy assessments can take as little as 30 minutes rather than 4 hours.
4. Recommendations and Report
After the assessment, you receive a detailed report outlining findings and recommendations for improvements, along with estimated cost savings.
5. Implementation
Based on the report, and your personal priorities - whether it's saving money or reducing your carbon footprint, or both - you can decide which upgrades to pursue. If you want additional help deciding how to proceed, the energy advisor or Maiven can provide guidance on prioritizing projects and maximizing available incentives and rebates.
Investing in a home energy assessment isn't just about saving money—it's about creating a more sustainable future while enhancing your comfort, quality of life, and property value.
Take the first step towards a greener, more efficient home today by scheduling your assessment with Maiven.
