Energy audit of my own home.

OK, after 20 years of hiding from my problem I decided to bite the bullet and have an energy audit of my house. Mind you my house was built in 1938 and is probably the poster child for wasted energy. It can get pretty drafty and cold in the winter and I have always been aware of a number of defect and leaks that have been costing me money. We invited Stephen Bloie of A to Z Energy Auditors (240-676-2091) if Clarksburg, MD to come out and evaluate our home. Stephen is a licensed home inspector and brings a lot of experience and knowledge to the table. As a realtor, I have been to a lot of home inspections over the past 25 years and know my way around houses pretty well. There is a lot about my home and its energy defects that I already know but Stephen's audit showed me that there are a lot of things I did not know about my home.

The audit process is very interesting to watch. Basically, he puts up a temporary nylon barrier that seals your front door. The barrier has a high speed fan that blows air out of your house and creates and vacuum inside of the home. Air from the outside then works into your home through any holes that you might have. By locating the most serious air leaks with a thermographic camera and a small smoke maker, and then sealing them up you can save significantly on your heating bills and pay for the cost of the inspection and repairs in about a year or two. Stephen's philosophy is that most homeowners need not pay for high end repairs and remediation but that by simply sealing the most obvious air leaks for a low cost, you can have the biggest impact.

And I did learn a lot. First and foremost was that my house was built with balloon framing. My impression was that balloon framing was only found in all-wood houses but apparently my solid brick home also has balloon framing. And, from an energy loss standpoint this is not a good thing as when balloon framing is present the whole house tends to act like a giant chimney-with the open wall framing causing air to flow through the house and every hole that might penetrate the walls, up into the attic. Typically balloon framing opens into the attic all around the perimeter of the house. This all needs to be sealed and will stop the most serious air leaks. In addition, my switch plate covers, heating duct vents, ceiling fans, light fixtures and a lot of other penetrations into my walls are places where cold air is entering the home (and in summer hot air) will need to be sealed off. I was amazed to see how many holes my house actually has.

Well, I recommend that everybody do an energy audit of their homes-even newer homes. There are three steps to making your home more energy efficient. The first consists of minor easy to do things like swapping out your light bulbs or turning down the thermostat. Second comes a simple energy audit to locate the places in your home where air is penetrating and then sealing off those holes with caulk and weather stripping. The third step involves high end investments in alternative energy solutions such as solar heating or high end insulation. I recommend that you at least do the first two steps as this will give you the most return for your money. I have to be realistic in that my house is an older home and will never really be a tight energy efficient home without a serious outlay of money. However, with an energy audit and a modest outlay of money, I will be able to greatly reduce my energy bills and carbon footprint.

Going green in Silver Spring (hey that rhymes)

Montgomery County homeowners should be aware of the new Energy Efficiency Disclosure law that went into effect on January 1, 2009. With a few exceptions all home sellers are required to comply with this new law. It applies to all sales contracts signed after that date. Even if your home was listed for sale prior to January 1, 2009, you will still have to comply with the law.

The bill as passed specifies that “before” signing a contract for a single family home the seller must provide the buyer with:

1. General educational information on energy-efficiency improvements and energy audits approved by the Department of Environmental Protection.
2. Copies of the electric, gas, and heating oil bills OR cost and usage history for the single family home for the immediate prior 12 months.

Although a bit of a nuisance and a little vague, I think the law is a good idea. As the seller of a home you are required to provide information about the utility costs and any energy efficient upgrades that have been done to your home. As a Realtor, I can tell you that more of my clients are concerned about the efficiency of the homes in which they have taken an interest..

Take note! This law is a reflection of a growing trend in real estate. You can expect the demand for energy efficiency in homes to grow in the coming years. It was a close call, but the bill that was just passed almost had a provision calling for energy audits to take place with each transaction involving a single family home. Somebody would have had to pay for this audit. In this current buyer’s market the burden for costs such as this are falling on the seller.

Although energy audits are not required at this date, you can expect to see purchasers requesting such an audit as part of the home inspection contingency portion of their purchase bids. This only makes sense as the gas and electric bills constitute a major portion of any homeowner’s monthly expenses and homebuyers want to know what they are getting into.

What does this mean for you? If your home has an older heating or cooling system, poor insulation, or older windows that have not been updated, there is a good chance that these factors will affect the value of your home. More important, a home with low energy efficiency might not attract any offers at all considering the large number of competing homes currently on the market. If you think you will be a home seller in the next few years, perhaps now is the time to have an energy audit done on your property. This way you will know in advance what the energy weak points are with your home and can lay out a plan for gradual improvements before you place your home on the market. Of course, making improvements now will allow you to gain the benefits of the lower utility costs while you are still living in your home.