The point of having a domestic energy assessor come into your home is to
determine not only what part you might play in saving the environment but also
how you might save money on home energy bills such as air conditioning, and hot
water heating. A domestic energy assessor can not only advise you on where you
are wasting money but what contractors and what equipment such as appliances can
help save you money while you help save the environment.
So, the first step, of course, is to have the domestic energy assessor determine
where you and your family are wasting energy. The certified domestic energy
assessor will come into your home and inspect it. She or he will measure and
evaluate, looking at things such as your homes size, the efficiency of the
appliances you use, your homes insulation, how drafty your rooms might be, and
how efficient your cooling and heating system is.
Once the domestic energy assessor has gathered the necessary information he or
she will then use specialized energy audit software to produce a very
comprehensive report. This report will show the recommendation for improvements
in energy efficiency, whether it would be practices, or new products or
services, or both. It will show how much each will cost and how much they should
save. It will also show how your home will be more comfortable as a result of
these improvements. Each domestic energy assessor is familiar with local fuel
prices, weather and cost of implementation. This information will be included in
the report as well.
The report by the domestic energy assessor, then, will contain an estimate of
what the homeowner can save, what she or he will need to spend initially to put
the savings into play and any other positive results of the energy-efficient
implementation. Whats most important about the report is that it details the
improvements that ultimately have no cost. When financed their implementation
saves more than their installation expenses. The report details the break even
points as well.
The recommendations spelled out by the domestic energy assessor report also help
contractors. They can view the report and provide a preliminary estimate of
their cost without having to come to your home. Some savings may be spelled out
in the report as well that are simple no-installation things you can your family
can do to save energy costs and cut down on harmful carcinogens at the same
time.
One domestic energy assessment firm we looked at offers online access to a
database of contractors at no charge. You can simply enter your zip code and
peruse the various professionals and their services. Included in the database
are reviews by other local homeowners of the services and products of the
contractors, as well as your opportunity to review as well once you've engaged
someones services. From the site you can link to the contractors own sites and
can enter information about your own needs and solicit a quote from the various
contractors right on the Web site.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/homeenergymi/