Want to Lower Your Energy Bill? Now You Can!

 



This is one of our peaceful pockets ideas, which are easy earth-friendly ways to save money. This first part of our two-part energy audit series, DIY energy audits will help you find out where to lower your energy bill. The second part will help you fix the energy wasters you found in your energy audit.

DIY Energy Audit

A do-it-yourself energy audit won't be as comprehensive as a professional audit, but it can help you find some areas where your energy is being wasted while you save up for a professional visit. In each section mentioned, make sure you keep thorough notes of any found leaks in a notebook, or on your phone.

I would recommend doing a DIY audit every Spring and Fall, as part of your ongoing home maintenance, to keep your energy costs low. The professional visit is better for big picture fixes. I personally wouldn't use it more than every 10 years or so maximum, although it does include simple ideas that you can do yourself as well.

1. First, see if your utility company does offer an energy audit, if so, how much will it cost. Note the cost. 


2. Buy the energy auditing supplies: a few sticks of incense (to detect air leaks), a Kill-A-Watt detector (to measure energy use by appliance/electronic device),  a piece of paper (oven and fridge seals), and a light meter.


3. Wait for a windy day to test for air leaks. When you are ready to test, grab something to make notes on where your energy might be going, close all of your doors, windows, and any other openings to the outdoors such as a chimney flues and around the of edges your dryer vent. 


4. Light your incense and move it around the frames of exterior doors and windows, and other nooks and crannies mentioned above. If the incense smoke flutters around the "sealed" openings, then you have a leak. Note the leaks in as detailed words as you can (Living room, the Front door needs to be sealed). Continue checking and note leaks.


5. Now test your exterior doors for air leaks. Close the door on a piece of paper under the bottom of the door. If the piece of paper pulls out easily, air is coming in from under the door.


6. Check your exterior walls with light switches and electrical outlets for air leaks. Grab a piece 1 ply piece of toilet paper. Unscrew one of the covers from an electrical outlet. Cover the hole with your ply of tissue and hold it to the wall at the top, like a curtain. If the tissue billows, you've got a leak. Replace the cover until you're ready to insulate it. 


7. Plug major appliances and electronics into a Kill-A-Watt detector, which measures exactly how much power is being drawn from the outlet when the device is supposedly "off." Note each device's energy use and calculate the cost per kWh from your energy company.


8. Check your refrigerator's seal to see if it needs to be replaced. Close the refrigerator door on a piece of paper. If you don't feel resistance when you pull it out, the gasket seal is broken and chilled air is escaping. If the paper comes out sticky,  the gunk may stop the fridge from sealing well. Note if the seal needs to be cleaned, works fine or needs to be replaced. 


9. Check the oven's seal by opening the oven door and look over the entire seal and take note of any cracks, tears, holes or areas where the seal has come loose. Try massaging the seal back into place to make sure you have a good connection between it and the door. 
   
   
   
   1. Place a piece of the paper part way across the seal and close the door. Make sure you leave enough paper out so you can easily grab it. Gently pull on the paper. If the seal is working properly it should be a little hard to pull. If you can pull the paper easily, you’ve found a weak spot in the seal.
   
   
   2. If the paper comes out with a lot of sticky stuff on it, the gunk may stop the oven from sealing well. Check the entire seal to be sure that there aren’t multiple weak points. Note if the seal needs to be cleaned, works fine or needs to be replaced.
   
   
   
   


10. Next, touch the water heater tank. If you feel a warmth, it's lacking insulation. Note lack of insulation. 


11. Check to see if you're using too much light in your rooms.  Using lux as your measurement, which is how to measure the light across a single square meter of space from a single source of light one meter away. Think of how a flashlight beam lights up what it hits, and you have an idea of what lux is.
    
    
    
    1. Each activity you do requires a certain amount of lux (lighting). Tasks requiring low amounts of precision (eating dinner, watching TV, hallways, walkways, moving around the house etc.) need about 50-100 lux. General purpose activities, like washing dishes, need about 150-200 lux. Tasks requiring high amounts of precision (fixing the innards of a cell phone, or treating stains on laundry) need about 500-1,000 lux.
    
    
    2. Once the sun goes down, grab your light meter and turn on all of the lights in a room. Give your lights a minute to reach full illumination, especially if you have CFLs which require a minute to power up fully. Take your light meter and measure the light level of the room. Note the measurement of the room and repeat until you have measured every room in your home.
    
    
    
    


12. You've now completed a cheap and very basic DIY energy audit! Take the time to look at your notes to see what needs maintenance. Check back for the second part in this series- How to Fix Energy Leaks.

How has doing the energy audit above helped you find where you are losing money on energy costs?

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