In-Home Energy-Saving Audits
Whole-House Approach to Energy Efficiency
If you wish to solve comfort problems or reduce your energy bills, Minnesota Energy Resources can help. An energy auditor will make an in-home visit and provide energy efficiency suggestions to improve the comfort, durability, safety and affordability of your home. The energy auditor will:
- Analyze your home through a comprehensive "House as a System" energy efficiency audit
- Answer your specific questions about energy use in your home
- Review your natural gas bill to understand how much energy your home uses
- Provide recommendations and cost saving analysis, prioritized to show you where you'll get the most savings
Request an audit online or by telephone at 800-376-0517.
Minnesota Energy Resources offers two levels of audits:
- Standard Audit
The Standard Audit will:
- Analyze your energy use.
- Give you information on energy-saving measures with potential costs and estimated savings.
- Provide a blower door diagnostic test.
- Perform a furnace efficiency and combustion safety test.
- Provide a natural draft and worst-case depressurization test if the home has atmospherically-vented appliances.
- Performance Audit
In addition to all of the services available in the Standard Audit, the Performance Audit will also include:
- An infrared camera inspection to further pinpoint the location of heat loss and air leaks, and
- A report with infrared camera pictures emailed to you.
What specifically does each audit provide?
| Description | Standard $40 Co-pay |
Performance $125 Co-pay |
|---|---|---|
| Discuss customer concerns and initial questions in an interview. |  |
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| Review annual gas usage regarding heating, domestic hot water (DHW) and other uses of natural gas in your home. | |
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| Measure DHW temperature and adjust as necessary. | |
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| Check furnace filter and provide a reminder care with your filter size on it. | |
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| Assess heating system, water heater, and other gas appliance replacement and clean-n-tune options and needs. | |
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| Inspect the thermal envelope of your home, diagnose and provide recommendations for improvements to attics, sidewalls, windows/doors, etc. | |
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| Prepare written report including all appropriate documentation. | |
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| Provide fact sheets, rebate applications, financing options, 800#s & websites, tax credit information, etc. | |
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| Perform a blower door diagnostics test to identify air leaks. | |
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| Perform a combustion safety (carbon monoxide) and furnace efficiency test. | |
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| Perform a draft-only worst case test (measure how furnace operation is affected by exhaust fans, clothes dryer, etc.) in homes with atmospherically vented appliances. | |
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| Perform an infrared scan to identify areas of heat loss through walls and attics (Weather dependent = available only in the winter months). | |
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| Provide an infrared diagnostic report with pictures and recommendations e-mailed to you. | |
Which audit is best for you?
For some homes, our Standard Audit is sufficient. For others, there can be significant benefit in having a Performance Audit. If you have already had a Standard Audit and are still having energy issues in your home, a Performance Audit could be what you need. Or, if you notice two or more of the following in or around your home, our Performance Audit may be for you.
- Ice dams on the roof.
- Moisture or frost in the attic.
- Mold or moisture spots on interior walls.
- Condensation on your windows.
- Stains around ceiling exhaust fan(s).
- Cold spots in areas of the house.
- Inadequate or older insulation.