Energy Retrofit of Older Home Will Pay Off In Lots of Ways

At House Exam Inspection and Consulting, we’ve been helping folks learn how to save money on utility bills for nearly four years now, through our association with Home Energy TuneUp. We’ve helped dozens of families save on their energy usage, by giving them fully itemized reports on the energy-related upgrades and repairs they could make in their homes, how much they could realistically expect to pay for each upgrade, and how long it would take to re-pay the expenses based on energy savings. We’ve had good feedback from these Clients, and we are expanding this service to include full-service energy audits and thermographic diagnostics over the next few months. So stay stay in touch with our website. You might even consider linking to the RSS feed in the upper right corner of this webpage, so that you keep up with the new services.

Now for the big news: We are pleased to report that we (Victor and Carolyn Sedinger) are going to put the program to use in a personal way. We are beginning the retrofit process on our own 1948 bungalow on the west side of Fort Worth. We bought this home while it was a duplex, and rented out the one-bedroom side for the first several years. But as we approach retirement in a few years, we thought it would be nice to turn it into a nicely upgraded single-family home. We have drawn up the plans for the conversion. We have received the quotes from sub-contractors. We have secured the funding, and we will be starting the work on or about January 18, 2010.

Over the next few weeks we’ll give you the basic findings from our own Home Energy TuneUp Report, as well as the RESNET Home Energy Diagnostic Survey. We will use both of these reports, so that the results can be compared and we will have a measurable way to determine the similarities and differences in the programs. We will be able to document the before and after results of the house in relation to air leakage, weatherization, and other variables for energy efficiency.

So, join in and let’s make it a dialogue. We would love to hear from you about your own energy-related questions. Ask us anything energy related. If we don’t know, we will find out for you. And share your ideas and suggestions for helping others save money on their energy costs.

Fort Worth Energy Inspection Shows Where Dollars Are Wasted

It is always pleasing to us when we find things that can almost immediately help people save money on utility bills. It also never ceases to amaze us when people will go for a long time without investigating the reason for high utility bills. At House Exam Inspection and Consulting, we are all about trying to help people save money. That is why we offer our version of a home energy audit — the Home Energy TuneuP Inspection.

As you can see from the photo above, the air handler plenum (the silver colored box) had come loose from this attic central air unit. In other words, the unit was heating and cooling the attic. The owner had no idea how long the equipment had been in this condition, but said he had been “noticing higher bills for several months.” It’s not hard to see why heating and air conditioning was so costly in his house, but since this system was for upstairs service and the kids were away at college, it just went unnoticed for a long time.

With a Home Energy TuneuP Inspection from House Exam Inspeciton and Consulting, we take inventory of all the energy-related systems and components in the house, we take note of their age and condition. Then we upload the information into the database and generate a personalized Report giving you a detailed list of recommended improvements which will save you moeny, prioritized by estimated cost and estimated return on your investment. Some of the items will be free or inexpensive to implement. Those items that will be more costly will be listed along with an idea of the energy savings you can expect, and how long it will take to recoup the investment with increased utility savings.

A Sample Report will be made available to you at no cost, if you desire. We can give you a quote for pricing, and we can schedule an inspection for you at your convenience. Contact us: energy@houseexamdfw.com and ask for more information on the Home Energy TuneuP Inspection service, or call now (817) 797-2461, and schedule an inspection.

Give your family the Gift of Saving beginning in 2010. Call or email ASAP.