• Is anyone home during working hours?
• What is the average thermostat setting for summer and winter?
• How many people live here?
• Is every room in use?

Your answers may help uncover some simple ways to reduce your household’s energy consumption. Walk through your home with the auditors as they work, and ask questions. They may use equipment to detect sources of energy loss, such as blower doors, infrared cameras, furnace efficiency meters, and surface thermometers.

Excerpt From: Energy.gov

AAA Infrared Building Diagnostics, LLC from Benson Communications on Vimeo.

Cold-Climate Windows with low-e coating on the glass reflect heat back into the room during the winter months.

• You can use a heavy-duty, clear plastic sheet on a frame, or tape clear plastic
• film to the inside of your window frames during the cold winter months. Remember, the plastic must be sealed tightly to the frame to help reduce infiltration.
• Install tight-fitting, insulating window shades on windows that feel draft after weatherizing.
• Close your curtains and shades at night; open them during the day.
• Keep windows on the south side of your house clean to let in the winter sun.
• Install exterior or interior storm windows which can reduce heat lost through the windows by 25% to 50%. Storm windows should have weather stripping at all moveable joints; be made of strong, durable materials; and have interlocking or overlapping joints. Low-e storm windows save even more energy.
• Repair and weatherize your current storm windows, if necessary.

Warm-Climate

In The Summertime, the sun shining through your windows heats up the room. Windows with low-e coatings on the glass reflect some of the sunlight, keeping your rooms cooler.

• Install white window shades, drapes, or blinds to reflect heat away from the house.
• Close curtains on south- and west- facing windows during the day.
• Install awnings on south and west facing windows.
• Apply sun-control or other reflective films on south facing windows to reduce solar gain.

Checking your home’s insulation is one of the fastest and most cost-effective ways to use a whole-house approach to reduce energy  waste and make the most of your energy dollars. A good insulation system includes a combination of products and construction techniques that protect a home from outside hot or cold temperatures, protect it against air leaks, and control moisture. You can increase the comfort of your home while reducing your heating and cooling needs by investing in proper insulation and sealing air leaks.

Home owners are not the only ones who can benefit from an energy audit .Talk to your landlord about upgrading your home to a more energy-efficient one. You can agree to an increase in rent equivalent to the amount that you save each month on your energy bill, which will allow your landlord to pay off the upgrade quickly while increasing the comfort level and value of the property.

A professional auditor uses a variety of techniques and equipment to determine the energy efficiency of a structure. Thorough audits often use equipment such as blower doors, which measure the extent of leaks in the building envelope, and infrared cameras, which reveal hard-to-detect areas of air infiltration and missing insulation.

Partial deductions of up to 60 cents per square foot can be taken for improvements affecting any one of three building systems: the building envelope, lighting or heating, and cooling systems.

The deductions are available for systems “placed in service” from Jan. 1, 2006 through Dec. 31, 2013.

People taking advantage of these tax credits must have a Manufacturer Certification Statement to qualify.

A Manufacturer’s Certification is a signed statement from the manufacturer certifying that the product or component qualifies for the tax credit. The IRS encourages manufacturers to provide these certifications on their website to facilitate identification of qualified products.

Taxpayers must keep a copy of the certification statement for their records, but do not have to submit a copy with their tax return.

Improvements made in 2009 will be claimed on 2009 taxes filed by April 15, 2010.

All Energy Star geothermal heat pumps qualify for the tax credit. The credit is not available for expenses for swimming pools or hot tubs.

Article Credit: The Frederick News-Post Online, Frederick County Maryland