Elmhurst Residents Learn a 'Green' Home is a Comfy Home, and It Doesn't Have to Cost a Fortune

The typical American family spends about $1,900 a year on home utility bills, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. A home energy assessment, or audit, is the first step to assess how much energy your home consumes and to evaluate what measures you can take to make your home more efficient, saving energy and money.

Homeowners can conduct a simple, no-cost, do-it-yourself home energy audit, contact the local utility company for a low-cost assessment, or call an independent energy auditor for a higher cost, more comprehensive examination.

An energy audit alone does not improve energy efficiency in a home; it is only a tool to determine the areas in the home that are inefficient and details the sources of energy loss. An assessment will unveil problems that may, when corrected, save significant amounts of money over time.

No-Cost, Do-It-Yourself Assessment

In a no-cost, do-it-yourself energy assessment, the homeowner walks through the home, top to bottom, checking for leaks. Leaks can be found around electrical outlets, switch plates, window frames, baseboards, fireplaces, doors, attic hatches, and window or wall mounted air conditioners.

Another way to identify leaks is with an incense test. On a cool, windy day, turn off your furnace, shut all windows and doors, and turn on all exhaust fans that blow air out of the house. Then move a lit incense stick along walls, windows and common leak sites. Where smoke waves, air is leaking.

Look for gaps around pipes and wire, outlets, foundation seals and mail slots. Most holes can be filled with expanding foam or caulk, and homeowners can consult with a local hardware store for the best and safest remedy. Caulk, weather strip and low cost plastic sheets can fix window leaks.

Other inexpensive ways to cut back on energy consumption include installing energy-efficient light bulbs, plugging electronic devices into power strips and turn off the strips at night or when not in use, and installing a programmable thermostat.

For a homeowner willing to spend additional money, consider replacing older appliances with high energy efficiency refrigerators, dishwashers, washers and dryers.

Free online tools are available to improve your home’s efficiency. Visit the Illinois Home Performance site (funded by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity) or the MyHomeEQ LLC site (created through a partnership of CNT Energy and RW Ventures).

Elmhurst Public Library also has tools available on loan for do-it-yourself audits, including a Kill-a-Watt energy use meter or a thermal leak detector. For more information, visit the library’s second floor information desk.

Low-Cost Investment

The Home Energy Savings Program is a joint program offered to single-family customers of Nicor Gas and ComEd in DuPage County. During the audit, a trained Energy Advisor will conduct a 2- to 2 1/2-hour assessment for $99. The assessment includes a comprehensive review of your home’s HVAC, hot water, lighting, insulation, air leakage and major appliances; installation of up to 10 compact fluorescent light bulbs, high efficiency faucet aerators and showerheads, and hot water pipe wrap; installation of a programmable thermostat at a discounted price of $21.89; a customized report detailing recommended energy efficiency improvements which could save up to 30 percent on your energy usage. If a customer decides to take the next step and have work completed by program-supplied contractors within 30 days of the initial assessment, instant rebates of up to $1,250 or 50 percent are available.

“For the less environmentally aware homeowner, I think this (ComEd/Nicor assessment) was a great place to start in understanding how insulation works in your home and how air can move in and out of your house to drive up energy bills,” says Elmhurst resident Michael McHugh.

“It’s really important to follow the auditor through the home and pay attention to what they are looking for and looking at. The audit can be a great educational experience, whether the recommendations fall under the program’s scope or give you thought for future improvements.

“With the mild weather we’re having, I’m not certain a homeowner will be able to see an impact on their bill. But even if it gives you more comfort in that formerly uncomfortable room, it is worth it.”

Program funding is limited. For more information on ComEd/Nicor program or to schedule a $99 assessment, contact 877-821-9988 or click here.

Higher Cost, Professional Assessment

Professional energy assessments generally go into great detail. The energy auditor should do a room-by-room examination of the residence, as well as a thorough examination of past utility bills. Assessments will include a blower door test, which measures the extent of leaks in the home, and should include thermography, or infrared scanning, to record temperature variations and determine if and where insulation is needed.

A professional assessment can reveal damaged or missing insulation, improper caulking, incorrectly installed materials, gaps in construction, and mold and water damage.

“The physical evidence was eye-opening,” Elmhurst resident Lisa Gerhold-Dirks said. “Seeing the infrared images where heat was escaping from our home and feeling the drafts during the blower door test made it really obvious where our home’s inefficiencies were.”

State and local government energy offices often identify local organizations that provide professional home energy audits and provide information on savings incentives and tax credits.

Additionally, homeowners who upgrade their energy efficiency can earn the Illinois Home Performance Certificate of Completion. This certification is included as one of the Chicago-area MLS’s third-party certification designating a green and sustainable home. According to Illinois Home Performance, there is an emerging trend of certified green homes selling faster or at a premium price, or both. For more information click here.

By auditing your home and implementing changes to improve your energy efficiency, you’ll increase your home value, reduce carbon emissions and save money.

For more information about home energy audits, including free tools and calculators, visit these and other websites: www.energysavers.gov, www.energystar.gov and www.energyimpactillinois.org.

Writer Barbara Lonergan contributes a regular feature for the Elmhurst Cool Cities Coalition titled, We Caught You Doing Something Cool. If you spot someone around town doing something cool to impact the environment, contact Elmhurst Cool Cities at ecoolcities@gmail.com. Elmhurst Cool Cities Coalition is a volunteer coalition of local institutions, organizations, business leaders and citizens working to achieve the goals of the Sierra Club Cool Cities campaign and the U.S. Mayors’ Climate Protection Agreement.