A home energy audit is a great way to reduce energy expenses, and GVEC offers this free service to electricity members. GVEC’s energy solutions specialist perform this free inspection, reviewing your home electricity usage, and performing tests to help determine how to best achieve maximum efficiency balanced against your home’s overall energy consumption. Our specialists will explain the audit procedures to you and conduct and conduct the inspection, identifying things you can do to reduce your usage. Afterward, they’ll thoroughly review the results with you, providing suggestions for reducing consumption and answering any questions you may have.
Visual Examination
The primary component of GVEC’s free energy audit for members is the visual inspection. Our energy solutions specialist carefully examine your home. They look for both easy-to-identify ways to reduce energy waste and others that may not be so obvious.
Over the years, our specialists have seen a lot, but there are certain issues we see over and over from one inspection to the next:
Window and Door Cracks, Crevices, and Leaks
Leaking air around the door and window frames of your home can be a major source of waste. Tiny cracks and crevices allow conditioned air to leak out, raising the cost you pay for heating and cooling. Old, dilapidated weather stripping can be a major contributor to such leakage, and our energy solutions specialists will advise on whether replacing old stripping could save on your electricity bill.
Worn Out or Damaged Refrigerator and Freezer Seals
The older a fridge or freezer, the more likely it is to have damaged or deteriorated sealing, which creates leaks and efficiency problems. Storing one of these units in an area without AC can also contribute to efficiency problems.
Open Fireplace Dampers
Open dampers leak conditioned air through the chimney, contributing to wasted electricity and higher bills.
Dirty AC Filters
Your AC air filter needs regular changing. This may be the easiest DIY step homeowners can take not only to improve energy efficiency but also to enhance the dependability and durability of the HVAC system. Yet, this is one of the most common efficiency issues GVEC energy solutions specialists encounter during our free energy audit.
Old or Insufficient Insulation
Our energy solutions specialist will also inspect the insulation in your attic and other areas of your home to see if it’s adequate. If you own an older home, the insulation may need to be replaced. We sometimes uncover areas in the home needing insulation that don’t have any, resulting in energy bills being much higher than they should be. Our specialist will leave no stone unturned when it comes to making sure your home is adequately insulated.
AC/Heating System, Water Heater
Roughly 50% of the average home electricity bill is generated by the AC/heating system, making it by far the highest electricity user in most homes. The water heater makes up roughly 20% of the average bill, making it the second-highest electricity user.
As part of GVEC’s free home energy audit, our energy solutions specialist will inspect both these appliances to verify they’re in good condition or if they need maintenance or replacement. While replacing either appliance can be significant for most homeowners, newer models are much more efficient than ones made even 10 years ago.
Infrared Inspection
Of course, there are efficiency issues in every home that human eyes can miss. This is why GVEC energy solutions specialists also use a specialized infrared camera to help uncover air leaks that might be missed by visual inspection.
Call GVEC for all Your Home AC/Heating Needs
If you’re interested in achieving greater energy conservation around your home and saving money on electricity bills, GVEC’s free home energy audit for members can help. Properly maintaining your AC/heating system can be another effective way to save energy—regularly changing the air filter is just one piece of the puzzle. That’s why we offer HVAC Spec Check, a twice-yearly AC/heating maintenance plan that will help keep your system in peak condition all year-round. For those not interested in a long-term commitment, we also offer our one-time Check-N-Save maintenance checkup.
We also do AC/heating sales, installs, and repairs. We proudly offer sales and installation of in-home air filtration systems from MicroPure and Reme, too, along with internet-connected thermostats that can reduce home energy usage even further. For additional information on any GVEC product or service or to schedule an appointment, call us.
