More Best Practices
Ask ten homeowners what the term “energy audit” means and you might get ten different answers. Many are surprised to learn that it is a legally defined term, with building science–based, national standards that emphasize building durability, comfort, and air quality as much as they focus on ways to reduce energy usage.
A qualified energy auditor is an experienced, interdisciplinary building scientist. The most recognized certifications for home energy auditors include the Department of Energy’s Home Energy Rating System, for HERS rater certification, which focuses on new homes, and the Building Performance Association (BPI) certifications, which focus on performance diagnostics in existing homes. Both perspectives are valuable, because no matter how new a home is, the day after the certificate of occupancy is issued, it’s an existing home, with particular conditions based on its climate zone, site, builder and subcontractors, owners, occupants, weather patterns, and more. For this reason, every energy audit will yield different recommendations.
The result of a comprehensive energy audit is a road map for the homeowner, and recommendations are not limited to energy efficiency. They may also include corresponding indoor air quality improvements, suggestions for air monitors, projected dates for major equipment or appliance replacement, and coordination with other relevant home improvement projects.
Energy efficiency upgrades are typically assigned a return on investment because the avoided cost of future energy use can pay for the improvements over time (they may be offset by available incentives or tax credits as well).
At my Roanoke, Va., building science firm, Better Building Works, we also include a best-fit feasibility analysis for renewable energy, electrification, and electric vehicle charging, as well as a net-zero-energy plan, in our audits. In this article I will show what a comprehensive energy audit looks like for two different homes, and how…
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4 Comments
Outstanding article !! It is nice to see energy retrofit projects explained in detail, something fellow homeowners can relate to. It is the season where a person's thoughts turn to the insulating and air sealing projects they have been putting off. Keep up the good work.
Doug
Thanks so much, Doug. A pragmatic, but thorough, building science approach is the key to success. Every home is different.
Thanks for the article. As a former energy auditor, it's cool to see others' processes and experiences.
"The most recognized certifications for home energy auditors include the Department of Energy’s Home Energy Rating System, for HERS rater certification..."
I recalled HERS being a RESNET program, while DOE has a Home Energy Labeling program.
Thanks Goodbar! We learn constantly from our colleagues, as well. My favorite thing is finding ways to improve the quality of our work and fine tune the way we communicate the path forward to our clients. Yes - HERS is a RESNET / DOE program. Any new or existing home can get a HERS score (Energy Rating), which is a valuable tool for code compliance, underwriting, and comparisons along a range represented by the HERS Index. The energy rating approach alone can under-emphasize air quality or moisture issues in a home, and is also agnostic on the way the building is actually used by current (and past) occupants. I find that the BPI approach is more nuanced for those reasons. Both BPI and RESNET offer valuable perspectives, and the best of all worlds for a homeowner is getting both. That said, here is my controversial take of the day: If I were to choose for an existing home between a HERS rater and a BPI qualified auditor, (assuming they both have a few years experience and limited or no product-related conflict of interest), I'd go with a BPI professional.
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