Is Your House Up to The Task?

Using an energy evaluation to determine how energy efficient your home is, can help you save money on your monthly utility bills, which is something everyone wants with the continued rise in energy costs.

Did you know that you can determine how energy efficient your home is by comparing its yearly energy consumption to that of other homes across the country? Using the Energy Star program’s simple online energy evaluation tool to enter your total yearly kilowatts of energy and dollars spent, as well as your home’s square footage and fuel type, generates a score that can help determine the types of improvements needed to make your home as energy efficient and comfortable as possible year-round. The suggested improvements can result in long-term savings on utility bills while also helping to conserve our natural resources.

Gather the following items to begin your home’s energy evaluation:

• Utility bills for a year or a 12-month summary statement.
• The total square footage of all interior spaces in your home, including the basement, attic, garage, extra room over garage, and so on.
• A list of all the types of energy used in your home: Electricity, natural gas, fuel oil, propane, wood, coal, or kerosene are all options.

If you don’t know the square footage of your home, the online energy evaluation tool has a link that will help you figure it out. You can also contact your local utility company to see if they offer free or reduced-cost home energy audits.

Once you have your score, you must decide whether you want to make the improvements yourself or hire a qualified HVAC professional to do so. The Home Energy Advisor is a good resource for do-it-yourselves, but because Illinois has such stringent building and environmental codes, professional assistance may be a better option.

Evaluate Your Own Energy!