David Byrnes of Green Integrated Design (Green ID), an environmental engineer, provides homeowners, businesses and Realtors with energy audits.  He sat down with us to share a few tips for consumers when trying to decide on an energy audit for their home.

What are the top five things a consumer should look for when looking to hire someone to do an energy audit?

There are two types of business models, the contractor’s model and the consultant model.  The contractor model is inherently bias towards the products or services they are most familiar with whether it be insulation, heating and cooling systems or radiant barriers to solve most of the homeowner’s problems.  On the other hand, the consultant model is independent and works to be an advocate for the homeowner.  The consultant is selling their services and knowledge of building science with the downside being that they take on the liability of making the right decision.  As this market matures in Arizona, consumers will see more of a dividing line between the two models and can choose based on their preferences.  That said, things to look for in an energy audit are:

1.  Does the audit team, especially the contractor and crew, want to “change the world?”  If the consumer feels that the contractor or company staff is motivated and really cares about their work, there will be a better chance that the auditor and field crew will go the extra mile, crawl in that tight attic space, and do a good job in places that the homeowner will probably never see or know about. 

2.  Bigger isn’t better (quality of work) – I have seen large audit companies that handle their audit and retrofit service like a commodity.  An energy audit and retrofit should be highly personalized and tailored for each consumer.  A good auditor will really probe into your concerns, home history and future plans.  The consumer should receive a clear report to base their retrofit decisions on. 

3.   Trust - There is a saying in our industry that 99% correct is 100% wrong.  The problem is that the homeowner will usually never see the work that was done and doesn’t know what to look for in the first place.  They put their trust in the auditor and crew and the team needs to deliver or bring someone on that can.

4.   The building science background of the contractors and the crew doing the work.  Never mind the sales staff used to sell the upgrades, even if these people may have been in hundreds of homes, they are not in the trenches doing the work or even certified auditors.  It’s also important to find out if the contractor will be overseeing the work or are they sending a crew out to do it.

5.  The retrofit work should be done by the same team that did the audit and who already know the home.

There's so much information available about different types of rebates.  How does one muddle through the information to make a "wise" decision for energy reduction?

That’s what a good auditor should do.  Homeowner intentions should be probed and made clear during the interview so a proper game plan can be formulated.  The auditor should provide a cost savings breakdown for each upgrade (that includes rebates) so the homeowner can make an informed decision what upgrade to do first.  If the homeowner is likely to have solar installed, it doesn’t make sense to put a one-time federal tax credit towards a $2,000 efficiency package when the rebates for solar alone will be greater than $4,500.

Can you provide an estimate on how much an audit would cost on a 1-story, 2500 sq ft home with 2 a/c units?

$300 - $600 without rebates, average of $400.

In http://www.greendirectoryarizona.com/articles/how_to_choose_an_energy_audit_consultant_�_part_2_498" target="_self">Part 2, David will provide some tips for business owners as well as talk about the long-term savings a homeowner or business can expect to achieve with an energy audit and its associated recommendations.

Also, be sure to check out David’s http://www.greenintegrateddesign.com/blog.html" target="_blank">blog where he provides all sorts of great money saving energy tips.