Spent $600 on a 'green' home energy audit that basically told me to turn off lights

Honestly, I hired a company last month to do a full home energy audit because I wanted to cut my carbon footprint. The guy was here for maybe an hour, used a thermal camera for five minutes, and his big report just said to unplug stuff and switch to LED bulbs. Tbh, I could have gotten that advice from a free website. Has anyone else had a totally useless audit and found a better way to find real leaks?

4 comments

4 Comments

shanef341mo ago

Check if your auditor was actually certified by a group like RESNET or BPI. A lot of fly by night companies just sell basic advice. Did they do a blower door test? That's the real way to find air leaks in your walls and attic, not just a quick thermal scan. If they skipped that, they didn't do a full audit. You might need to find a different contractor who uses that equipment and gives a real plan.

drewr151mo ago

Remember when I tried to DIY an energy audit with a candle and a spray bottle? My cat caused more drafts than my windows. Shane's right, a blower door test is the only way to really measure that stuff.

riverdavis1mo ago

Did they at least check your windows by breathing on them like we do with our computer monitors?

riverh491mo ago

So they didn't even do a blower door test?