According to recent reports, the average household spends about $2,000 (about 2,500 Canadian Dollars) on energy bills in a single year. Therefore, if you’re a home buyer or an owner, learning about your home’s energy score is extremely crucial. By following the proper energy-saving techniques, you can easily save around 5 to 30 percent of your yearly money on energy costs. That means a savings of almost $500.
So, how do you learn about your home’s energy score? Well, that’s what we’re going to discuss in this comprehensive guide. So, just sit back, relax and enjoy the reading.
What Do You Mean By A Home Energy Score?
According to a professional service provider for buyer’s inspection in Brampton, the home energy score is designed to give homeowners and buyers an idea regarding the overall efficiency of a particular house. Once you know your home’s energy score, you can then make the necessary enhancements so that the energy wastage can be reduced and the costs will be lowered.
To know the energy score of your home, you need to hire an energy score assessor. The accessor will check through a list of energy-related assets. Once done, the accessor compiles his or her findings to finally create the energy score report.
An energy score report consists of three segments:
- The energy score
- Overall estimation of the energy usage and the costs associated with the same
- Methods that can be used to improve the efficiency
Can A Home Energy Score Help You In Any Way?
There’s no doubt that energy-saving recommendations given in your home energy score report can help you save up to 30 percent money throughout an entire year.
Moreover, sellers can use this score to make specific improvements to the home interiors, so that the efficiency increases along with the curb appeal of the home before listing it for sale.
What Are The Factors That Help In Influencing The Home Energy Score?
For calculating home energy score, a qualified inspector will carry out an inspection known as an energy audit. In this audit, a general assessment of energy will be included and the same results will be then utilized to arrive at a relevant score.
The checklist includes around 40 items that are examined, which include the walls, roof, foundation, attic spaces, water heater, insulation, and so on. Moreover, areas, where air leakage can take place, are also inspected such as doors, windows, plumbing, electrical and ventilation systems.
Lastly, the inspector also considers the overall age and size of the house, including the direction it faces, the amount of sunlight it receives, and also the climate of the location it is based in. When all of the above-mentioned factors are considered, a piece of detailed information about a home’s energy usage can be obtained.
What Do The Home Energy Scores Mean?
The energy performance of a home is graded on a level from 1 to 10. A score of 1 means the least efficient while a score of 10 means the most efficient.
The home energy score is based on the total energy utilized by a house, which means larger homes will always scoreless and vice-versa.