Questions to Ask During an Energy Audit
For homeowners who have booked a home energy audit, or are about to, and want more from it than a report that sits in a drawer. The questions follow the visit in order: before you book, the tests, where the energy goes, the fixes and their payback, and the report and rebates.
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The questions
Each question, and why to ask it
Before you book
Which tests are part of your audit, and which cost extra?
Why ask it
A full audit usually means a blower door test, an infrared camera, safety checks on anything that burns fuel, and a look through the attic, the crawl space and the ducts. A walk-through with a clipboard is a cheaper product, and both are sold under the same name. Get the list in writing so two quotes can be compared line by line.
What certification do you hold as an energy auditor, and where can I look it up?
Why ask it
The names differ by country and region (in the United States you may hear BPI or a RESNET HERS rater), and some rebate programs accept only auditors on their own list. Ask which body issued the credential, then check the auditor on that body's website. 'I have done this for years' with nothing to look up is thin if you plan to claim a rebate.
Do you also sell or install the work you recommend, or earn a referral fee from the contractors you suggest?
Why ask it
This is not a disqualifier: plenty of careful auditors work for insulation or heating companies, and a free audit is often paid for by the jobs it leads to. You need to know which kind you have, and to hear that the findings are yours to take anywhere. Be wary when every problem found happens to match the one product the company sells.
What do you charge for a house like mine, and does a utility or public program cover part of it?
Why ask it
Give the size, the age and the heating fuel so the figure is real. Discounted or free audits exist in many areas, and what they include varies a great deal, so ask the auditor and your own utility how it works where you live. A low price is fine as long as the blower door and the combustion checks are still in it.
Could you send me a sample report from a house about this age before I book?
Why ask it
The report is what you are paying for, so read one first. Look for measured numbers, photos taken in that house, and a ranked list of fixes with costs beside them. Ten pages of general tips with an address pasted on the cover tells you what yours will look like.
How long will you be at the house, and can I follow you around?
Why ask it
Testing an ordinary house properly tends to take a few hours, and a visit much shorter than that usually means something on the list is being skipped. Ask to be there for all of it. An auditor who would prefer you out of the way is taking away the most useful part of the visit.
What should I do to the house before you arrive?
Why ask it
Expect a short list: clear the way to the attic hatch, the crawl space, the furnace and the water heater, shut the windows, and empty cold ashes out of any fireplace or wood stove, since the fan can pull them into the room. If you get no instructions at all, ask again the day before. A hatch that is still blocked on the day costs you part of the audit.
Do you want my gas and electric bills, and what will you do with them?
Why ask it
A year or more of bills lets the auditor separate heating and cooling from the steady use that runs all year, and shows whether the house uses more than its size suggests. The answer to hope for is that the savings estimates will be checked against what you really pay. If nobody asks for the bills, the savings figures will be averages for a house like yours and not your own.
Is there a season or kind of weather when the audit shows more?
Why ask it
An infrared camera needs a real temperature difference between indoors and out, so a mild day shows less through the walls, and strong wind can throw off the blower door reading. Ask how they handle that: rescheduling, scanning early in the morning, or using the fan to make the leaks show up. 'Any day is the same' deserves a follow-up.
Is there anything in my house that would stop you from running the blower door?
Why ask it
Mention loose attic insulation that looks like gray pebbles (vermiculite, which can contain asbestos), old crumbling pipe wrap, or a wood stove that will still be warm. Auditors commonly hold off on the fan in those cases because it can draw dust and ash into the rooms, and they may want the material tested first. The best version of this conversation is the one the auditor starts.
The tests
What does my blower door number mean for a house of this size and age?
Why ask it
The result comes as airflow at a set test pressure, or as air changes per hour, and on its own it means little. Ask how it compares with similar houses the auditor has tested and what a realistic figure would be after air sealing. Write it down: it is the baseline every later test gets measured against.
Can we walk through the rooms together while the fan is running?
Why ask it
With the house under suction, leaks can be felt with the back of a hand or shown with a smoke pencil: the attic hatch, ceiling lights, the pipes under a sink, the top of the basement wall. Mark each spot with painter's tape or photograph it. Half an hour of this teaches more than the page of the report that describes it.
What am I looking at on the thermal camera, and how do you tell missing insulation from moisture or framing?
Why ask it
Infrared pictures are easy to misread. Studs show up as regular stripes, air leaks as streaks spreading from a gap, and wet material can look much like an empty wall cavity. A careful auditor explains the pattern and confirms a doubtful spot with a moisture meter or a look from the attic.
Will you test the ducts for leaks, and by which method?
Why ask it
Only for houses with forced air; skip it if you have radiators or ductless units. A fan that pressurizes the ducts gives a measured figure, pressure readings at each register with the blower door running point to the worst runs, and a visual check is only a look. It matters most where ducts cross an attic, a crawl space or a garage, because air lost there is lost outdoors.
Which safety checks do you run on the furnace, the water heater and the gas stove?
Why ask it
Listen for carbon monoxide readings, a draft test at the flue, a gas leak check, and a test with the exhaust fans and dryer running to see whether fumes can be pulled back into the house. These belong before any air sealing, since a tighter house can change how those appliances draw air. An all-electric house can skip this one.
Did anything fail a safety check today, and what should I do about it tonight?
Why ask it
Ask this before the auditor leaves, not when the report arrives. If a reading was high or an appliance spilled fumes, you should be told on the spot and told who to call, usually the gas utility or a heating technician. Ask at the same time whether your carbon monoxide alarms are in sensible places and not past their replacement date.
How did you find out what is inside the walls and how deep the attic insulation is?
Why ask it
In the attic that means a ruler in several places and a note of the material. For walls, auditors look behind an outlet cover with the power off, drill a small hole inside a closet, or read it from the infrared scan. If the answer is 'assumed from the age of the house', ask for the report to label it as an assumption.
Do the bathroom fans, the range hood and the dryer actually vent outdoors, and how much air do they move?
Why ask it
A fan that hums may move very little, and one that empties into the attic puts damp air exactly where it does harm. Some auditors measure the flow at each fan, and others only confirm where the duct ends. Either finding is worth having before the house is tightened, because the fans then do work the leaks used to do.
Did you see signs of moisture anywhere, and would sealing the house make them better or worse?
Why ask it
Dark stains under the roof deck, a wet crawl space floor, a musty closet and winter condensation on windows are the usual clues. The answer you want treats moisture and air sealing as one plan: deal with the source and the ventilation first, then tighten. It is a poor sign if the subject never comes up in an older house.
Will you check the appliances, the lighting and whatever stays plugged in all day?
Why ask it
A second refrigerator in the garage, a dehumidifier, a pool or well pump and a rack of electronics can add up to a steady load that no insulation touches. Some auditors bring a plug-in meter and measure a few of them. This is the part to press on if your bills stay high in the mild months.
Where energy goes
Where is this house losing the most energy, and how can you tell?
Why ask it
This is the question the visit exists to answer, so ask for a ranking: air leaks, thin insulation, leaky ducts, tired equipment, or loads that run all year. The honest answer is often unglamorous, such as holes in the attic floor or a duct lying disconnected in the crawl space, and it should rest on a reading or a photo taken that day. If the top item is also the most expensive thing the company sells, ask to see the measurement behind it.
Where is the most air getting out: up high, down low or through the ducts?
Why ask it
In cold weather, warm air leaves through the top of a house and pulls outside air in at the bottom, so the largest leaks are often at the attic floor and around the top of the foundation, not at the doors where you feel the draft. Ask for named places, such as a plumbing chase or the gaps above interior walls. Named places can be handed to a crew as a work list.
Why is that one room always colder or hotter than the others?
Why ask it
Take the auditor to the room. Common causes are a floor over a garage, a long or crushed duct run, a short attic side wall with nothing behind it, or a large window facing the afternoon sun, and the camera or an airflow reading should show which. Ask whether the fix buys comfort, savings or both, since a comfort fix may never pay for itself in money and can still be worth doing.
Does the attic need air sealing before more insulation goes in?
Why ask it
Loose insulation laid over open gaps slows heat but lets air pass straight through it. A sound plan seals first, treats the hatch as part of the job, keeps insulation clear of anything hot, and only then adds depth. A recommendation that is a number of inches and nothing else is the usual shortcut.
How does the insulation I have compare with what is recommended for this climate?
Why ask it
Recommended levels are set by climate and local codes differ, so ask which figure the auditor is comparing yours against, in R-value or whatever measure is used where you live. You want current against target for the attic, the walls and the floors separately, because topping up an open attic is usually cheap and filling closed walls is not. 'More everywhere' skips the comparison you asked for.
Is the basement or crawl space costing me heat, and how would you treat it?
Why ask it
This is where auditors look at the band of framing on top of the foundation, bare walls, exposed soil, open vents, and the pipes and ducts running through. The right treatment depends on climate and on how the space was built, so ask what is normal practice in your area and why. Water coming in gets solved before anything is insulated.
Are my windows really the problem?
Why ask it
Windows are the first suspect because that is where people feel cold. Measured against attic leaks and thin insulation they often rank lower, and replacing them is a large cost to recover from energy savings alone. Ask what weatherstripping, caulk or storm windows would do first, and ask for the numbers if the auditor also sells windows.
Is the heating and cooling equipment running as efficiently as it should, and how long before it needs replacing?
Why ask it
The nameplate gives the age and the rated efficiency, and a dirty filter, a clogged coil or a rusted flue tells the rest. You want an estimate with the reasons given, since 'it is old' does not by itself justify a new one. Equipment that works but has been neglected usually needs a service visit, which costs far less.
Is the water heater costing more than it should, and are the hot water pipes insulated?
Why ask it
Small things live here: the temperature setting, bare pipe near the tank, a long wait for hot water at the far faucet. If the tank is close to the end of its life, ask what the auditor would put in its place and whether a rebate exists for it. Choosing in advance beats choosing on the day it leaks.
How much of my bill comes from the house, and how much from how we live in it?
Why ask it
Thermostat settings, a space heater in the office, long showers and a house that is occupied all day each move the bill. It is not a criticism, and an honest auditor will say when part of the saving is free. If your use turns out to be ordinary for a house this size, expect modest gains and plan the spending to match.
Did you see anything that has nothing to do with energy but that I should have looked at?
Why ask it
Auditors crawl through parts of the house the owner rarely visits, so they notice roof stains, old wiring that would be buried by new insulation, signs of pests or a dryer duct that has come apart. They are not inspectors or electricians, so the right answer is who to call. Ask for the photo.
Fixes and payback
Which fixes pay back first, and what did you assume to work that out?
Why ask it
Payback is cost divided by yearly saving, and both halves are estimates. Ask which energy price was used, where the cost came from, and whether the model was matched to your bills. A ranked list with its assumptions showing is a good answer; one large 'save up to' figure is a sales number.
Roughly what would each recommendation cost around here?
Why ask it
Independent auditors tend to give a range and tell you to get quotes, while those who install can give a price. Both are fine. Ask whether the figure is a contractor's price or the cost of materials if you do it yourself, since the two can be far apart for the same line.
If I did the top three, what would the total saving be over a year?
Why ask it
Savings do not simply add up: once the house is sealed and insulated it needs less heat, so a new furnace then saves less than it would have alone. Ask for one figure for the package and set it beside your annual bill. If the promised saving is most of what you pay now, ask how that can be.
Which of these can I do myself, and which need a professional?
Why ask it
Weatherstripping, caulk, a cover for the attic hatch and pipe wrap are weekend work for most people. Filling closed walls, spray foam, and anything near a flue, old wiring or a gas appliance are not. If every line supposedly needs their crew, you are hearing a pitch; a list sorted this way without fuss is a sign the auditor is working for you.
In what order should the work be done?
Why ask it
The usual logic runs safety and moisture first, then air sealing, then insulation, then equipment sized for the smaller load. Getting it backwards means paying twice: insulation dug up to reach the leaks under it, or a furnace too big for the house it ends up heating. Ask for the list to be numbered.
Once the house is tighter, will it need a fan or other mechanical ventilation?
Why ask it
Many auditors work to a published ventilation standard and can say whether your target leakage falls below what it expects. If it does, the plan should include a quiet fan on a timer or a balanced system that recovers heat, with a price. Where radon is a known concern, ask whether a test before and after the work makes sense.
I may replace the furnace or air conditioner soon anyway. How does that change the plan?
Why ask it
Where there is time, improve the house first and have the new system sized afterward, since a smaller, cheaper unit may then do the job. If the old unit is failing now, do it in the other order and give the installer the audit so the planned improvements are counted. Sizing from the old unit's label alone ignores everything the audit found.
Would a heat pump work in this house, and what would have to change first?
Why ask it
The answer turns on your climate, what you pay for electricity against your current fuel, the state of the ducts and the room left in the electrical panel. Ask for the running cost at your own rates beside what you pay now, because efficient equipment can still cost more to run where electricity is expensive. 'Everyone is switching' is not a calculation.
Which of your recommendations would you leave out if this were your own house and budget?
Why ask it
Reports list everything that could be done, and some lines take a very long time to earn their cost back. An auditor who names two or three to skip, and says why, is ranking for you. 'I would do all of it' is not a ranking.
What can I do this month for very little money?
Why ask it
Expect door sweeps, a gasket on the attic hatch, foam around the largest pipe holes, a thermostat schedule and a clean filter. Some programs have the auditor install a few of these during the visit at no charge, so ask whether yours does. It is also the question to lead with if you rent and cannot alter the building.
Report and rebates
What goes into the written report, and how soon after the visit do I get it?
Why ask it
The minimum is the test results with their numbers, photos tied to named locations, a prioritized list with cost and estimated saving for each line, and any safety findings set apart at the front. Ask for a date. If all you receive is a quote for work, you were given a sales estimate and not an audit.
Will the report be specific enough for a contractor to quote from?
Why ask it
'Improve attic insulation' cannot be priced. 'Seal the two plumbing chases and the wall tops, cover the hatch, and bring the attic to a stated depth over a stated area' can, and it lets you put the same scope in front of three contractors. Ask for areas and target levels to be written in.
Does the audit give the house a score or rating, and do I need one?
Why ask it
Some audits produce a rating on a published scale, and the scale depends on the country and the program. A score helps when a rebate, a loan or a sale asks for one. If none of those apply, the list of fixes is worth more to you than the number, and you can decline to pay extra for it.
Which rebates, tax credits or low-interest loans apply to this work where I live?
Why ask it
These change often, can end outright, and differ by country, region, utility and household income, so treat anything said in your kitchen as a lead to check. A local auditor should know the current program names and where the rules are published. Read the amounts on the utility's or the government's own page before you sign a contract that counts on them.
Do I need the audit, or an approval, in hand before any work starts to qualify for those rebates?
Why ask it
Some programs want a participating auditor, particular tests, approval before work begins or a second test at the end, and starting early can cost you the money. Raise it when you book, and again before the first contractor arrives. If the auditor is unsure, call the program yourself.
Can I take this report to any contractor, or does the rebate require one from a list?
Why ask it
The report should be yours to use as you like. Rebates are another matter: some are paid only for work by approved installers, and the list may be short. Ask for the list, then compare one quote from it with one from outside to see whether the rebate still comes out ahead.
Who files the rebate paperwork, and what do I need to keep?
Why ask it
Sometimes the contractor files and sometimes you do, and a missed deadline is usually nobody's problem but yours. Keep the audit report, itemized invoices, product data sheets and both sets of test results in one folder. For a tax credit, ask a tax preparer what applies to you; the auditor can tell you what the work was, not how to file.
Will you come back and test again when the work is finished?
Why ask it
A second blower door test shows how far the leakage fell, and repeating the combustion checks confirms the appliances still draft properly in a tighter house. Ask what the return visit costs and whether your program expects it. Without it you are taking the contractor's word that the job did what was promised.
Can I call you once I have contractor quotes in hand?
Why ask it
The moment you most need the auditor is when two insulation quotes disagree with each other or with the report. Ask whether a follow-up call or a review of the quotes is part of the fee, and for how long. If the auditor also bids on the work, find someone independent for that second opinion.
How to get the most from a home energy audit
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
Before the visit
Check the program rules first
If you hope to claim a rebate or a subsidized audit, read the program's page or call your utility before you book anyone. Some programs only count audits by listed auditors, or need approval before work starts. Finding that out afterward can mean paying for a second audit.
Gather a year of bills
Download twelve months of gas, electric and any delivered fuel, or find your online account login. The pattern across the seasons shows what is heating, what is cooling and what runs all year, and it lets the auditor check an estimate against what you really pay.
Write down what bothers you
The cold bedroom, the upstairs that never cools, the draft at the stairs, ice along the roof edge, the bill that jumped last winter. Note the room and the time of day. A complaint list sends the auditor to the right corners and gives you something to test the findings against.
Clear the way
Move boxes from under the attic hatch, unlock the crawl space, and leave room around the furnace and the water heater. Clean out cold ashes, and let the fire go out well ahead of the visit. Every blocked access point is a part of the house that goes into the report as 'not inspected'.
During the visit
Stay with the auditor
Plan to be home for the whole visit and free to walk around. The blower door portion is the one to be present for, because you can feel each leak yourself. Keep questions short while a test is being set up and save the long ones for the walk-through.
Photograph what you are shown
Take your own picture of every leak, gap and stain the auditor points out, with enough of the room in frame to find it again. Months later, when a contractor asks where the chase is, your phone will answer faster than the report.
Get the numbers before they leave
Ask for the blower door result, the duct leakage figure if one was taken, and any carbon monoxide readings, and write them down. The full report may take days. The raw numbers let you start conversations with contractors, and they should match what the report later says.
Deal with safety findings the same day
Anything about fumes, gas or carbon monoxide is separate from the savings list and does not wait for payback math. Ask who to call and whether the appliance should be left off until then, and follow the auditor's or the gas utility's instructions over anything you read online.
Turning the report into work
Sort the list into three piles
Safety and moisture come first whatever they cost. Next come the items that pay back within the time you expect to own the house. The rest are things to do when something else forces the question, such as better windows when the old ones fail.
Give every contractor the same scope
Send the relevant pages of the report with the request for a quote, and ask each contractor to price exactly that. When one comes back with a different plan, ask the auditor which is right before you compare prices.
Check the savings against your bills
Add up what you paid for energy last year and set the estimated savings beside it. If the report says the package saves more than seems possible from that total, ask how the estimate was made. An estimate tied to your own bills is more useful than a percentage from a brochure.
Put a test in the contract
For air sealing and duct work, ask the contractor to agree to a blower door or duct test at the end, with the starting figure and the target written down. It turns 'we sealed the attic' into a number that either moved or did not.
Signs the audit is a sales call
No instruments came out
A visit with no blower door, no camera and no combustion check is an opinion about your house. It may be a well-informed opinion, and a quick walk-through has its uses, but it should not be priced or described as a full audit.
One product answers everything
If the drafty hall, the high bill and the cold bedroom all lead to new windows, or all to spray foam, or all to solar, the visit was a product demonstration. A real audit usually turns up several small causes in different trades.
A price that expires tonight
Rebate deadlines are real, and you can confirm them on the program's own page. A discount that ends when the salesperson leaves is pressure. Good work on a house can wait a week while you get a second quote.
Savings with nothing behind them
Ask where any promised figure comes from. If it was not worked out from your house, your bills and your energy prices, it is an advertisement. Decline any offer that will not put the estimate and its assumptions in writing.