Home Energy Audit
Save up to 25% on your home energy bills and make your home more comfortable to live in! With ever-rising energy costs in Vancouver, Washington and around the Portland, Oregon area your savings will begin to quickly multiply.
Home energy bills are the second largest cost of owning a home. A home energy analyses by Associated Inspection firm along with our partner CMC Energy Services and the Home Energy Tune uP® program, is quick, easy, and cost effective. It is a tried and tested way to pinpoint and reduce energy loss. We will inspect your home, collect data, and input the data into a National database that will produce an easy to read report, including pictures and graphs, showing what energy wasting items and improvement can be performed to save you money.
What a Home Energy Tune-uP® can do for you:
- Save an average of up to 25% on your energy bill;
- Find out which improvements to make - the Tune-uP report will estimate the savings and costs of each potential upgrade;
- Increase the comfort of your home - no drafts, better temperature control;
- Increase the value of your home - each dollar spent on Tune-uP-recommended improvements will increase the future sales value by more than a dollar.
I am a certified energy inspector and use state-of-the-art equipment to aid in the diagnosis of wasted energy. During the home energy inspection and data collection I will incorporate a blower door test to depressurize the house and use an infrared thermal camera to show you exactly where the energy is being lost. “A home energy inspection without the use of a blower door and an infrared camera is not a complete energy inspection.”
How The Process Works
Step 1: The Home Energy Inspection
- To reduce utility bills, the first step is to find out where you are wasting energy.
- To do this, you need a residential energy inspection—which should be done by a certified energy inspector who has no financial interest in the improvements recommended.
- The energy inspector will examine, measure, and evaluate the factors that affect energy use in your home, e.g., size of the home, efficiency of appliances, insulation, draftiness of rooms, and efficiency of heating and cooling systems (HVAC). This includes using state of the art Infrared Thermal Imaging Technology and blower door equipment.
Step 2: The Energy Inspection Report Detailed Analysis
- The information gathered during the energy audit is analyzed using specialized software to produce a comprehensive Home Energy Tune- uP® Report. The Report shows which energy-efficiency improvements would reduce energy costs and make the home more comfortable. The analysis takes into account regional variables such as local weather, implementation costs, and fuel prices.
- The Report contains estimates of the savings, costs and payback for each energy-efficiency recommendation. It identifies the group of improvements that, if financed, will save more on energy bills than it costs. These are the improvements that everyone can make since they require no out-of-pocket cost when financed.
- The detailed Recommendations section enables contractors to provide preliminary cost estimates without a visit to your home. It also explains how to get the best energy savings from these improvements by listing related no-cost low-cost measures that you can take.
Step 3: The Home Energy Inspection
CMC Energy Services provides a technical expert to advise and answer your questions about the Home Energy Tune- uP® energy inspection performed on your home. Call an expert at (866) 843-5500.
Associated Inspection Firm also has a list of preferred contractors that we have personally worked with and can aid you in selecting a qualified person.
Step 4: Financing Home Energy Savings
Energy improvements are unique because they reduce energy bills thereby increasing disposable income.
Financing energy efficiency improvements as part of your home mortgage is the best way to go. You have the advantage of (1) low monthly payments due to a 30-year term and a relatively low interest rate; and (2) interest that is deductible from your income tax.
The improvements listed in the Improvements that Save More than they Cost section of the Tune-uP Report will automatically qualify for financing since they increase the value of the house without reducing disposable income. Information about Energy Loans, Incentives, and Initiatives will be included in the Tune-uP Report.
For information regarding low-to-no interest energy loans. Or for information on the Federal Government, Oregon State, and Washington State, energy tax credits, please contact us today.