Home Energy Audits

On a 1-10 scale for energy conservation obsessiveness I would rank myself about an 8. I've done many home improvements that many would consider crazy. I replaced ALL the old attic insulation original to the home (built in 1964) with new insulation. I put sealers on every single outlet and switch to contain air leakage. Insulated all the water pipes, hot and cold. It got to the point where there was nothing really left that I felt I didn't cover.

After doing a little research, I found that my electric company provides free home energy audits. FREE! Can't beat that.

After waiting two months a team of two finally arrive. The test took a couple hours and involved shutting the whole house down and running a blower on the front door to suck all the air out of the house. This was to also get the baseline CFM. It emulates a 20mph wind blowing through the house, exaggerating leaks you would normally see. As it was running they went through each room and checked for any air leaks. To my surprise they found air coming through in places that I never thought of. Here are the culprits:

A few light switches I forgot to put the sealers on.
The washer drain. This one I would have never guessed.
Under a few doors that lead outside. I neglected to put door sweeps on but I did have them.
Cat door to the basement. Unfortunately my cats are too fat to fit through when I had the sealing flap so I only have the door flap. Watching my cats squeeze their chub through the door makes this a worthwhile sacrifice :)
Sink drains. When I had done my bathroom remodel, I insulated all the walls thinking that was enough. Even with the extra insulation air still leaked through the access hole. Some expanding foam was all it took to fix.
Recessed lights. There is nothing I can do to fix this one.
Pipes that run outside in the basement. Another simple fix with expanding foam.

After the fixes were completed they ran the blower test again to measure the CFMs. The initial CFM was 2130 (I was complimented that that was already a good start). Post CFM was 1980. A slight 7% improvement.

In addition to the above testing and fixes they also replaced many incandescent bulbs with CFLs. That alone is worth the test if you never replaced your old light bulbs. Unfortunately for me I had already replaced most of them.

All in all a good learning experience. Definitely worthwhile for any homeowner to give it a try, especially if you have an older home.