If you were to get the service of a professional auditor, where do you find them?

One way to find them is to call your local power company and ask them if they provide home power auditing service. Most probably they will do the auditing for you for a small fee.

Another way of performing the energy audit is via a mail-in type. In this approach, you basically have to prepare all the information needed to complete the analysis. Personally, I think this is a silly approach because by the time you’ve finished compiling all the data, you’ve pretty much done the energy audit yourself.

If you’ve hired a professional power auditor, most probably he will impress you with cool stuff and gadgets. One of their standard tools is an infrared device used to measure the temperature of your interior surfaces and also to pinpoint any air leakages.

One area that you must get him to inspect is the furnace because large amount of energy are used on this area. Any improvement done here will reduce your monthly electricity consumption quite substantially.

The fact is, the biggest energy inefficiency in your house can easily be detected. Most houses have very obvious areas where energy is being wasted. For example, there may be a big gaping hole where air is escaping through the attic or a heater which is more than 20 years old.

So, is it worth hiring a professional energy auditor for your home? Well, if you have a big home and you don’t wish to survey every inch of your house, by all means, pay someone else to do it.

If you have an average size house and you have the time to survey your house and look into every corner closely, you might as well do the auditing yourself. In actual fact, the process is not that difficult.

DIY Home Energy Audit Guide

Do you need help to do your own home energy audit? If you do, check out the Easy-Energy-Audits guide.

The manual will show you step by step how to do perform your own residential power audit in a couple of hours. For more information, click on the link below.

==> Click here to visit DIY home energy audit guide now!

If I am so turned off by the subject of economics, why am I writing an article about it right now?

Well, back then, the subject of economics didn’t concern me because it does not affect me. However, today’s article is on the topic of energy economics at home, which has a direct affect on my pocket.

If you are planning to build a home solar power system to supplement your energy usage, you know you have to set aside quite a large sum of money. Wouldn’t it make sense to get the best Return On Investment (ROI) for your money?

That’s what I thought and the studies of economics became very interesting.

Getting The Best Out Of Your Money

When you are making investment in both time and money planning and building a home solar energy system, you should be focused and deliberate in order to ensure a good payback.

Unfortunately, many home owners do not have a good grasp on the specific of how and where energy is being consumed in their homes. Before you start buying solar components, it is best to deduce how much you are paying for electricity at home.

As the saying goes, “The devil is in the details.” Do you know where you are spending the most on electricity? Is it the air-conditioning unit, heater or refrigerator?

If you were to study your heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HAVC) system, you may discover certain areas which you are wasting money.

The biggest issue with HVAC is your home insulation. If your house is not properly insulated or if there are air leaks, your air-conditioning unit will kick into action to achieve your desired temperature setting. Due to air leaks, the system has to work harder to compensate hence costing you more money.

If you were to install a home solar power system without first studying the energy economics of your home, most of the power generated by the sun will go to waste.

Performing Home Energy Audits

So, here’s the conclusion of this article. Always perform a complete energy audit of your home before you start buying the solar parts and components.

There are 2 ways you can do this. You can either engage the service of a professional home energy auditor which will cost you a couple of hundred dollars or do the auditing yourself.

By doing your own DIY energy audit, you will locate where are your largest energy wasters. There is a step by step guide which will show you how to perform your own home energy audit. It only takes 1 hour using common tools found around your house and it will give you a better result than using a professional auditor. Click on the link below to check out the DIY home energy audit guide.

==> Click here to visit DIY home energy audit guide now!

As you may already guess, any measures you take to improve this area will reduce your total monthly utility bill substantially.

The Solar Challenge

In my case, I live in a place with 365 days of sun coverage a year. It can be pretty hot some times.

The biggest issue we experienced is solar radiation that will heat up the interior of the house. A large amount of money is spent on air-conditioning. How can we improve this?

As I was doing my research on DIY solar homes, I found out a simple way to overcome solar radiation at home is by using “window covers”. The cheapest form of window covers is via blinds, awnings and shades.

In most cases, our home can achieve better insulative properties by simply covering the windows with appropriate materials such as sun reflectors, insulation webs, heavy colored fabrics etc.

Another approach we can take is to acquire the habit of opening and closing blinds and curtains at a certain times of the day.

For example, close the shades during the afternoon session or late evening, especially if the main living room is facing the west direction where the sun sets.

Block Out The Sun With Blinds

If you want to reduce you home energy bill, why not use blinds on the windows. You don’t have to install blinds on every window, just the one letting direct sun light into the room.

Depending on the type of blinds you use, they can be excellent absorbers or reflectors of sun light. If you are staying in an area with cold climates, you want the blinds to absorb as much sun light as possible to warm up the room.

If the climate is hot, you want the opposite effect by getting the blinds to block the sun ray.

What is the best way to use blinds at home?

During summer time, many people made the mistake by placing the blinds inside a window to keep sunlight out. If you do this, the blinds will soak up the sun energy and releasing it into the room. You are still experiencing solar radiation.

A better approach is to fix the blinds over a window on the outside. By doing this, the sun light will be stopped by the blinds and the heat will be dissipated outside the room.

Of course by placing the blinds outside the room, it will get very hot. Chances are, the blinds may not even last very long.

But who cares?

We can just buy inexpensive blinds from the hardware store and do a replacement when it is worn down. You can use the money you save from your reduced monthly power bill to do this.

Popular Blinds At Amazon

When I was doing my research for this blog post, I decided to do a quick search on Amazon.com to see what are the top selling blinds in their inventory.

Apparently, many home owners are buying the 8 feet length SunSetter shades. To read more about the top selling blinds in Amazon.com, click here

Home Solar And Wind Power Videos

Do you want to know how you can use solar modules or wind generator to reduce your home energy consumption? If you do, check out the 30 solar and wind power for home videos e-book we’ve compiled. It’s free to download.

==> Click here to download the free e-book now!

Related web pages:

1) Earth 4 Energy Review – A quick review on the top selling renewable energy guide from Clickbank.

2) Magniwork Reviews – Is Magniwork Generator System A Scam?

3) Green DIY Energy Reviews – Is Green DIY Energy Another Scam?

On my last couple of blog posts, I have been written about the steps you should take before you carry out a DIY solar power project for your home.

Most home owners are not aware how much energy is being wasted every day from their home. By simply fixing these power leaks, you might experienced a drastic reduction in your monthly energy bills. You won’t even need to invest a solar system.

Engaging A Professional Energy Auditor

If you are really serious on making your home more energy efficient, one of the best steps you can take is to employ the service of a professional energy auditor. Some auditors will come to your home to look in your situation in detail and this is the best kind.

Now, when you are getting the service of a professional energy auditor, as a home owner, you should be prudence.

Take his advice with a grain of salt.

Some major inefficiency at home, for example, a faulty heater can be detected quite easily. If you were to take the time to do the audit yourself, I am pretty sure you will find a few major problems that can be fixed with a couple of hundred dollar.

Where can you find a professional energy auditor? You can try:

1) National Association of Energy Service Companies (NAESCO) at www.naesco.org

2) Use the Yellow Pages and look under energy conservation services and products.

3) Phone book under utilities, electric service or utility providers or gas utility companies.

4) The Home Energy Saver at www.hes.lbl.gov.

Get Your Solar Home Questions Ready

Assuming you have engaged the energy auditor, what should you do before he arrives? Here’s some suggestion:

1) Compile all you home electricity bills for the last 3 years – The further back the better.

2) List down your home occupants habits.

How many kids do you have?

How many people at home during the day?

How often do you do your laundry?

The idea is to list down how power is being used at your home on a daily basis.

3) Note down the thermostat settings at home.

4) List down any questions you have.

If you are to install a DIY solar panel, how would that affect the energy audit results?

What kind of financing available for solar homes?

How would a solar power system affects your home insurance?

The energy auditor has a lot of experience. Try picking his brain for some answers.

If possible, come up with a few more questions before the energy auditor arrives. You are paying for his service. You might as well get the most out of it.

Home Solar And Wind Power Videos

Do you want to know how you can use solar modules or wind generator to reduce your home energy consumption? If you do, check out the 30 solar and wind power for home videos e-book we’ve compiled. It’s free to download.

==> Click here to download the free e-book now!

Related web pages:

1) Earth 4 Energy Review – A quick review on the top selling renewable energy guide from Clickbank.

2) Magniwork Reviews – Is Magniwork Generator System A Scam?

3) Green DIY Energy Reviews – Is Green DIY Energy Another Scam?

Because of that, any measures taken to improve this area of your home will have a big reduction in your monthly power utility bill.

How much money can you save?

Up to 5 to 30 percent off your bill!

If you were to do this right, you may not even have to invest in a DIY solar power system.

The following is 7 easy steps you can take to find and plug up all the air leaks at home.

1) Sealing off your house.

The first step is to seal off you house by closing all the doors and windows. If there are any ventilation holes, you have to use a plastic sheet to cover them.

Next, turn off the heating and cooling sources. extinguish the fire place and close the damper.

Turn off the air conditioning unit or furnaces.

2) Switch on the exhaust fans.

The next step is to turn on all the exhaust fans. What we are trying to do is to create a negative pressure in your house. The fans are normally located in the kitchens, bathrooms and laundry rooms.

What if you do not have an existing exhaust fan?

The solution is to get a portable fan and aim it out a single open window and switch it on.

How do you know if there are any air leaks?

If there is a leak from the fire place, you will smell a burning stink. Check for leaks at the fire place. Use a pen or a chalk to mark it. You have to fix it later or get a professional to do it for you.

Your fire place is inefficient. Heat is leaking out!

3) Start hunting for air leaks around the house.

How do you do that?

Get a bucket of water and dip your hand in it. Move your wet hand around window joints, door frames, hatches, vents etc.

If there is an air leak, you will feel a cold sensation on your wet hand.

If you do not feel like getting your hands wet, you can also use a stick of burning incense. Move the incense next to the places mentioned earlier. If the smoke start to fluctuates wildly, air is coming in.

4) Check leaks from overhead lights.

This type of leak is very common but most home owners seldom look into in. It is a pain to reach the lights on the ceiling or climb up the dusty attic.

Nonetheless, if you want to reduce your electricity bill, you have to do it…or pay someone else to do it.

5) Fix the leaks.

Now that you have located all the air leaks, the next step is to seal them up. Use a caulking gun for this. The white caulk can be ugly, you can use a clear caulk instead.

In some area, a few layers of duct tape will do the job just fine.

6) Check the sealed leakages.

After you have sealed all the air leaks, repeat the process with the burning incense or wet hand.

Remember to turn on all the exhaust fans.

7) Do the air leak checks twice a year to locate any new leakages.

Checking for air leaks at your home may sound like a lot of work, and it is. You can do it yourself or hire someone to do it.

The work you’ve done here is one of the most effective measures you can take to reduce your home energy bill.

Home Solar And Wind Power Videos

Do you want to know how you can use solar modules or wind generator to reduce your home energy consumption? If you do, check out the 30 solar and wind power for home videos e-book we’ve compiled. It’s free to download.

==> Click here to download the free e-book now!

Related web pages:
1) Magniwork Reviews – Is Magniwork Generator System A Scam?

2) Green DIY Energy Reviews – Is Green DIY Energy Another Scam?

3) Earth4Energy Scam – Is Michael Harvey’s Earth4Energy A Fraud?

4) Air Seal and Insulate with Energy Star – Sealing and insulating the “envelope” or “shell” of your home is often the most cost effective way to improve energy efficiency and comfort.

As I was reading my copy of Earth 4 Energy, Michael Harvey (the e-book author) wrote about the concept of doing a home energy audit before investing on a residential solar power system.

The idea is to calculate the total amount of energy used in our homes.

That got me thinking. Is electricity from the power utility company the only power source I use at home?

As it turns out, it is more than just that.

The Non Obvious Energy Expense Bills

I sat down and thought about it for a while. What would be included as the cost of power at home?

I managed to come out with a list of 6 “non obvious” items.

I know it is not comprehensive, but it is a good start. If you have any idea, feel free to put in your comments.

Here’s the list of energy expense we pay apart from electricity from the grid in a household.

1) Wood and fuel.

I guess this would include anything that we will use to burn for heating purposes.

Unless you live in a mountain with lots of trees around you, firewood has to be purchased from somewhere. The money that you used is also considered energy cost for your home.

What type of item falls into this category?

Here’s a few example:

2) Collection and transportation of power.

In this category, the energy cost may not be obvious. Nonetheless, money is spent in order for us to consume the power.

The items included are:

3) Rental fees.

Most people may not even be aware of this.

Some homeowners may be renting a generator, the propane gas tank, or any item you don’t own which are associated with the power consumption at home.

4) Equipment purchases.

The costing for this item is easier to derive. This includes any equipment in our home that consume power i.e. barbecue grill, water heater, gas burner, air conditioner, room heater, dehumidifier, power generator etc.

The amount for the equipment purchased can be recorded from the purchase receipts.

5) The equipment repair and maintenance cost.

Any up keeping or servicing costs have to be included in this calculation.

Equipments are prone to break down.

Heating element has to be replaced.

Air conditioning unit has to be serviced.

These have to be included as part of a home energy cost.

6) Household items.

These type of items are usually small and most people would not take into account.

Items such as batteries, candle, glow sticks, flash light, emergency lamp etc.

Small Steps To A More Efficient Home

The list above may not be comprehensive, but it does pull out most of the “non obvious” home energy expense costs.

Are there any ways we can reduce them?

Any cost saving measures here will have a direct effect on the size of the home solar power system you will need later.

If there is anything you want to add onto the list, feel free to put it in the comment section below.

Home Solar And Wind Power Videos

Do you want to know how you can use solar modules or wind generator to reduce your home energy consumption? If you do, check out the 30 solar and wind power for home videos e-book we’ve compiled. It’s free to download.

==> Click here to download the free e-book now!

Do you like the information on this blog? If you do, you can subscribe to our RSS feed for the latest blog updates.

Related web pages:
1) Magniwork Reviews – Is Magniwork Generator System A Scam?

2) Green DIY Energy Reviews – Is Green DIY Energy Another Scam?

3) Earth4Energy Scam – Is Michael Harvey’s Earth4Energy A Fraud?

4) Home energy audits – The first step in making your home more efficient. An audit can help you assess how much energy your home uses and evaluate what measures you can take to improve efficiency.

Using solar power does involvement some capital investment. Do you know you can start saving money even before you starting spending money?

Yes you can, and it is all about plugging the energy leaks.

Where’s The Leak?

In order for you to locate power leaks at home, you have to perform a process known “Energy Audit”.

Most, home owners have no clue how and where power is being consumed in their house.

The total “electricity required” in a household is equal to the actual energy used by all the electrical appliances plus “power leaks” or “power wastage”.

Paying More For Less

When you are building a solar system, in actual fact, you are spending more money to setup a bigger system by having more solar panels and more battery units.

Not to mention the addition labor cost you have to pay.

If the total power consumption at a home is less, you can build a smaller solar system. Logically, a smaller system equals to lower construction budget.

There are many ways to lower your home power requirement. The easiest way is to perform “energy conservation measures”.

Find out where energy is being wasted and plug up all the leaks before you start investing money on solar power!

Huh…A Car Analogy?

Imagine this scenario, you are driving a SUV and you are spending $1000 a month on gas expenses and it is burning a hole in your pocket.

Feeling the pinch, you are exploring options that you can help to reduce your gas bill.

One option that you are considering is to install and natural gas system on your SUV to cut down on the fuel consumption.

You are about to invest $5000 on the natural gas system.

What you may not know about your SUV is its mechanical condition. Due to heavy usage, there are lots of wear and tear on your vehicle.

The timing is off and the internal combustion engine is not burning fuel efficiently.

The clutch is all worn out.

The engine oil is filthy.

Worst of all, all 4 tires are under inflated.

As you can see, your SUV is gulping up fuel like a thirsty traveler and not giving you the actual driving mileage.

How much mileage do you think you’ll be increasing by getting an engine tune up, replace the clutch, changing the oil and inflating all the tires? A 10 to 20 percent improvement maybe?

By doing that, do you still need to spend money on the natural gas system?

The analogy above is very much the same with our home. We are spending more money on electric bills because of energy leaks.

If we were to seal all the leaks, chances are, you will see a reduction on your monthly electricity bills.

Now, the issue is how to find these leaks. I will save that thought for my next blog post.

Home Solar And Wind Power Videos

Do you want to know how you can use solar modules or wind generator to reduce your home energy consumption? If you do, check out the 30 solar and wind power for home videos e-book we’ve compiled. It’s free to download.

==> Click here to download the free e-book now!

Related web pages:

1) Green DIY Energy Reviews – Is Green DIY Energy Another Scam?

2) Earth4Energy Scam – Is Michael Harvey’s Earth4Energy A Fraud?

3) Is your home leaking energy dollars article.

Many people are starting to see the benefits of renewable energy such as solar power for homes.

Apart from the mortgage, our home electricity bill is one of our largest household expenses. Any ideas that can reduce our home energy consumption is worthwhile to be explored further.

As I was reading Michael Harvey’s Earth 4 Energy, I realize he did mention to do a home energy audit before implementing any renewable energy system. Why should we do an audit?

When we do an energy audit, we are in effect getting to know our energy bills in detailed. I have to admit, doing it is no fun. It’s painfully actually. You will be surprised how much energy your home is wasting on a daily basis.

First, we should dig out all the electric bills for the last couple of years. Some people may have kept the bills and some may not. If you don’t, you should start doing it.

Lay all the bills out and compare them. Look for the trends in the usage of power. Are there any spikes in the power consumption?

When I did this, I notice a distinctive spike for the bills starting from mid 2008. After I looked into it closer, I noticed that was when our power utility company increased the power rate.

Our home energy bill when up about 12 percent! But the total power in kilo Watt hours (KWH) used is generally the same. I don’t think there’s anything I can do about this other than writing a complain letter to the utility company.

Next, the book Earth 4 Energy recommended to locate air leaks on our homes. As I found out, simple leaks can increase energy consumption in terms of cooling or heating by 5 – 30%.

Where should we look?

A good place to start are corners, chimneys, piping or wire exits and along the foundation. To plug air leaks, we should also use a good seal form around doors and windows.

If you have an attic, look at the hatch. It is insulated?

Some of the building material may be crumbling or compacted which means it has lost its effectiveness. Similarly, check your basement ceiling, as well as basement walls. Make sure all hot water pipes and furnace ducts are insulated also.

There are many more home energy audit recommendation in Earth 4 Energy. If you would like to find out more, check out Earth 4 Energy review on this blog.

Home Solar And Wind Power Videos

Do you want to know how you can use solar modules or wind generator to reduce your home energy consumption? If you do, check out the 30 solar and wind power for home videos e-book we’ve compiled. It’s free to download.

==> Click here to download the free e-book now!

Related web sites:

1) Renewable Energy Guides Review

2) Power 4 Home Review – A Complete Review of John Russel Power4Home

3) Power 4 Home Scam – Is Power4Home Just Another Scam?

4) Home Energy Saver – The first web based DIY energy audit tool.