Home audit tool

[lilk]

at lowes.com/buildyoursavings. First, you answer questions about your home, and it tells you diy things you can do at home to save money, and how much it cost to make these changes.
I answered the questions, and if I:
Insulate water heater
add more insulation to attic
seal doors and windows
change air filters
add a programable thermostat
change to CFL
use power strips
install window film
It estimated I would save $1617.00 a year. The cost of the upgrades is estimated at $252.00. I'm excited about this.

I'm going to try to save the money in July, to see if I can make these changes. Dh does get a extra pay and has about 11 hrs. of OT. We have to use part of the extra check to pay property tax, and are making a room in basement. I'm hoping there will be enough left over to accomplish some or all of these changes.
I hope others will join in to save some money. Let me know if you decide to.

[AmyBoz]

This is pretty cool!
I'm going to bookmark this!
Thanks!

[Judi Dial]

Sounds like a great idea, and I'll bookmark it too, but we need a new roof. I KNOW where any spare cash is going in the next few months!

Judi

[Grainlady]

Thanks for sharing. Many utility companies will offer a similar checklist, so you can also check your electric/gas supplier.

We purchased a Watt-a-Meter so we could track the ACTUAL amount of energy used by many appliances and things that use electricity around the house.

FYI moment missing from many lists: We've used some LED lights (we purchased them at Sam's Club) in our home where we formerly had CFL. LED light bulbs use even LESS electricity than CFL, and no dangerous mercury. Unfortunately, the technology isn't quite "there" yet, so they are not appropriate everywhere you have lights. But every little bit helps.

Another hint we've used not on the list: We replaced all our window screens with screening material (purchased from Lowe's) that blocks 80% of the UV rays. We only have windows on the east and west, and this has helped with afternoon heating on the west side of our home where we have the most windows. Some people may find a benefit on west windows by adding the heat-reflecting film. A not too expensive DIY project with good benefits.

Yet one more hint: We purchased 4 large umbrellas for our deck and use them to block the sun on the west side of our home. MUCH cheaper than buying awnings, especially since we got the umbrellas 1/2-price at the end of last summer.

I have the book, Movable Insulation by William K. Langdon (check your library or have them get it through Inter-Library Loan), for some great (unusual) ideas that came out of the Jimmy Carter Energy Crisis Era. There are new building materials available that weren't available back then, but the ideas are still great and can make a huge difference in heating/cooling bills.

If the Senate passes Cap & Trade, we're all going to be figuring out ways beyond "normal" for saving energy, so it may be time to pull some ideas together from all kinds of sources and start incorporating them. With a proposed 90% rise in electricity with Cap & Trade, we already have the money saved to purchase a much smaller refrigerator/freezer than our currant side-by-side in anticipation of the NEW energy crisis we'll potentially be forced to endure. A free-standing freezer (or those inefficient older freezers and refrigerators in the garages of many homes) will be a thing of the past because they are such energy hogs and nobody will be able to justify the cost of the energy in order to store all those bargains we stuff in them.

[Judi Dial]

Also, if you don't know about it, I'd recommend the book Home Energy Diet. I got my copy after a company that did off grid home conversions recommended it and adjusting your life using it, as the first step to going off grid.

Judi

[littleplum]

That is really cool. We just bought a 90 year old house that had 2" insulation in the attic walls, and that was even falling down. We've replaced it with brand new 4" and drywalled over it, but the Lowe's thing is telling us that we need thicker insulation. I just don't see how one could get 8" insulation in between the 2x4 wall studs. but we do need to update ALL of the appliances. The dryer that conveyed with the house is older than I am. (And I'm getting up there! )

It's also kind of funny that they have estimated a bunch of savings on water usage. We don't pay for water. We'll still do things that save water and energy, because we don't believe in wastefulness, but it's kind of silly the assumptions they make. And in a few years, we may not pay for electricity (at least not all of it).