When assessing their energy use, many people forget to consider the energy that escapes through the fireplace, attic, ducts, walls, and other less obvious places. That's why a home energy assessment is a smart way to examine your entire home's energy use - including the places you can't see.

Energy auditors see things you can't see

Through the use of specialized equipment, energy auditors can examine your home to find the root causes of your discomfort and energy bill woes. For example, they use infrared cameras to measure how much insulation you have - or don't have - inside your walls. A "blower door" is used to determine how much air is escaping through cracks and holes in the building envelope. And duct leakage testers are used to test the amount - and location - of air that leaks out of your ducts before it can reach the rooms of your home.

Home energy assessments uncover the less obvious culprits

A home energy assessment will uncover the areas of your home that are wasting energy and costing you money unnecessarily. These include some of the more obvious causes, such as windows and doors, as well as the not-so-obvious culprits like the fireplace, attic and air ducts.

Is your attic costing you big bucks?

While many people consider the attic to be nothing more than a storage area for unwanted items, they don't realize that their attic could be a huge source of energy loss that's costing them big bucks.

Do you know if your attic has proper insulation? Do you have vents in the attic that maintain air circulation? Failing to circulate air in the attic can destroy both the roofing and the precious items you keep in the attic. A home energy auditor is able to assess the amount and quality of insulation in your attic, the effectiveness of the ventilation, and how much energy is being wasted due to inefficient insulation and ventilation. Your home energy auditor can work with attic insulaton contractors and HVAC contractors to make sure your home is performing safely and efficiently.

Air escapes through the "attic hole"

Your home should have insulation in the ceiling to prevent your heated or cooled air from escaping through the ceiling and into the attic, where it will simply be exhausted out of the house. But what about the entrance to the attic? If the entrance to your attic is the "hole in the ceiling" type, is the cover insulated? Is it tightly sealed, or are the edges letting heated or air conditioned air escape? Do you know how much energy - and money - you're wasting through this type of inefficiency? Insulating the entrance to your attic and sealing the edges around it can reduce your heating or cooling costs by up to 25 percent.

Fireplaces are often huge energy wasters

Fireplaces are another common culprit for a home's energy loss, and pose particular challenges for regulating the temperature in the home. The chimney is designed to move smoke out of a home by using the rising heat as a means of propulsion. The problem arises when you aren't using the fireplace, and hot air rises up though the chimney and out of the house.

The first step to preventing heat loss through the chimney is to ensure that the flue is closed when the fireplace is not in use. An open flue will suck the hot air straight from your vents and up the chimney, and you're left paying the bill to heat your entire neighborhood. Similarly, a flue that doesn't provide a tight seal will allow hot air from your home to leak through to the outside.

Savings can really add up!

These are just a few of the hidden places that energy might be escaping from your home. With a home energy assessment, you'll discover many ways to make your home more comfortable and start saving money on your energy bills immediately. The money you'll save on your energy savings often offset the cost of the audit in as a little a few months. And you'll continue to save money on your energy bills each month. Over the course of a year, and over several years, those savings can really add up!

Schedule a home energy assessment with a certified auditor today!

Home Energy Efficiency Tips:

• General Energy Saving Solutions The Energy Star Program
• Simple Energy Saving Strategies Home Insulation
• Home Assessment Overview Energy Features, Green Your Home
• Energy Efficiency Mortgages & Grants Energy Efficient Mortgage