Pre-Move Energy Audits

 

If you are buying a previously owned home, the best housewarming gift you can give yourself is a home energy audit. Before you move in is the best time for you to look into the ways you can make your home the most energy efficient dwelling it can be. There are several reasons to have a professional look at a structure before you close your loan and make the move.

 

 

It is much more convenient to do any improvements to a house while it is vacant rather than after you live there. Although professionals will be courteous and disturb your family as little as possible while they audit and/or work on your dwelling, it is not possible for them to be completely invisible and still do the work. It also makes it easier for the contractor to do his job in a vacant dwelling.

 

 

When an owner moves out of a home, there can be some breaches made to areas of the home that will allow lost energy and provide an uncomfortable living experience to those who move in next. It has nothing to do with a conscious effort on the part of the last owners to do harm, but moving stored items in attics or basements can result in inadvertent damage to insulation and ductwork. These damages might not be evident for months without a home energy audit.

 

HVAC equipment can degrade over a few years, especially if the previous owner did not have yearly maintenance checks performed. Because central heat and cooling equipment is one of the largest energy consumers in the home, it is much better to have that equipment tuned up before attempting to condition the house.

 

If an energy audit is conducted before the loan closing for a house purchase, it may reveal inherent problems that make the home less appealing and even discourage you from making the purchase. Although most problems have a solution, it might be less desirable to fix a problem that is expensive to address. An audit may open up negotiation opportunities off the price of the home to pay for any necessary repairs.

 

You don't expect a home to be perfect when it has been inhabited by someone else before you occupy it, but you still have to set standards. A building that will continually waste valuable resources and drain the energy budget should receive attention as soon as possible to reduce your costs and conserve energy.