"Energy Efficiency" audits?

[jeromedawg]

Hey guys,

Have any of you ever hired a contractor to come in to do one of those energy efficiency audits where they check/test for drafts, leaks, poor insulation, proper cooling, etc and make suggestions as to what can be done to improve the efficiency of your home mostly so as to retain heat when it's cold out as well as to keep things cool when it's hot out?

My local electric company was running a promo where you can get up to $XX amount back in rebates if you have an audit done as well as certain improvements made... I never went through with it but was sort of guessing that the audit + any work done would probably cost way more than what the rebates were.

Has anyone ever done this or hired someone to do it? Is it worth it? Or is it better off a "DIY" project? Only thought on DIY is that it's probably easier to be bias to your own oversights... that's sort of the purpose of having a 3rd party come in to perform an "audit"

[ChicagoGirl]

Hi Jplee3 - I know I have seen several threads about energy audits here on the forum before about people who have had them done and all kinds of suggestions.  If no one responds here on your thread try doing a search for "energy audits" here on the forum, I am sure some threads should pop up that I remember being helpful. 

I haven't had an energy audit done, but have done numerous suggestions here I found on the forum.  Also, MMM has an article about money savings by adding insulation that was really helpful. 

[jeromedawg]

Hi Jplee3 - I know I have seen several threads about energy audits here on the forum before about people who have had them done and all kinds of suggestions.  If no one responds here on your thread try doing a search for "energy audits" here on the forum, I am sure some threads should pop up that I remember being helpful. 

I haven't had an energy audit done, but have done numerous suggestions here I found on the forum.  Also, MMM has an article about money savings by adding insulation that was really helpful.

Thanks! I actually searched *after* posting the thread lol and I did come across some useful info:

http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/welcome-to-the-forum/home-energy-audit-results/
http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/do-it-yourself-forum!/considering-an-energy-audit/

Still need to research if I can get something for free or cheap in my area (Southern California). I really don't want to have to pay... we're in the bottom unit condo and it starts getting really stuffy when it's measuring 80 on the thermostat. The kitchen is the worst as it's west-facing and gets the sun pretty much all day, so it heats up in there bad. It's especially not fun when cooking a lot. Opening the door and windows and blowing fans doesn't really help much either.

[ChicagoGirl]

Do you have windows in the kitchen?  Do you have any type of coverings on them to deflect the heat when the afternoon sun is intense?  If yes, you might want to search the forum for window coverings, window film, insulated curtains, etc.  I know there were several threads on how to deflect the heat generated by windows with western and southern exposures.
Good luck, I had a top floor condo that faced west...miserably hot in the summer.

[jeromedawg]

Do you have windows in the kitchen?  Do you have any type of coverings on them to deflect the heat when the afternoon sun is intense?  If yes, you might want to search the forum for window coverings, window film, insulated curtains, etc.  I know there were several threads on how to deflect the heat generated by windows with western and southern exposures.
Good luck, I had a top floor condo that faced west...miserably hot in the summer.

Yea there are and I put reflective film on the top portions a few years ago (lol the association recently released a newsletter asking residents not to put any film coverings on the windows, etc... someone probably saw the one window I did that made it look like a broken window and complained). I also got the thicker solar screen material to replace for the bottom screens. I think it made somewhat of a difference but it still gets hot in there. The worst is when my parents come and open all the windows, thinking it'll help cool things down but it actually makes it even hotter. Right now I rolled a 10000BTU portable A/C I bought years ago into the kitchen and am trying to use that during the day time instead of the central A/C.  Not sure how much more efficient it is but even central A/C barely keeps the kitchen cool when it gets that hot.
Perhaps insulated curtains are the better way to go, though I've never been fond of curtains. The previous owners installed a bunch of those ugly-looking cell shade blinds (in the kitchen as well) and they do a poor job deflecting any heat.