Energy Audits

Home Energy Audit

What will an energy audit tell me? 

Residential energy use occurs in various sources of the home. Refrigeration, appliances, water heaters and lights all use energy. So does space conditioning (heating, cooling and dehumidification). If you are interested in understanding or reducing your energy consumption, you may wish to download the booklet, Your Family is Unique and follow the recommendations included in the booklet. We also recommend you visit the State of Illinois' Keep Warm Illinois Website for additional tips on reducing energy use and energy loss.

Understanding your energy usage is one thing, actually making changes and/or improvements to your home is the next step. This takes a willingness to make an investment in dollars and time to make our homes more energy efficient. Of course, we all want to make wise investments and use of our money. To help you with making wise decisions, the Touchstone Energy Cooperatives have partnered with the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory to provide access to the Home Energy Saver Website created by the Laboratory.

This energy audit tool allows you to input information about you home and appliances and will guide you towards making wise decisions. Access to the Home Energy Saver program is made available through Touchstone Energy and is no cost to cooperative members. Should you have questions regarding the information provided you through the Home Energy Saver or how best to make the recommended improvements, feel free to contact the Cooperative at any time.

What about my heating and cooling costs? 

The cost to space condition (heat/cool) a home is influenced by five factors:

  • The thermostat setting
  • The temperature outside
  • The quality of the insulation and air tightness of the home
  • The efficiency of the heating/cooling system
  • The cost of the energy used by the heating/cooling system

You have control over all of these factors except one, the temperature outside. The other four items can be changed to some degree or other by you, the homeowner. An energy audit will help you evaluate these four factors. If you increase your attic insulation or put in a new heating system, how will that change your usage? And, is it a good investment? These are the types of questions an audit will help you answer.

How is the Audit Performed?

An energy audit is a complete assessment of your home and the energy it uses. We exam the entire home, from foundation to attic. An audit generally takes three-four hours for completion. We examine the efficiency of your current heating and cooling system as well as current insulation values, and air tightness of doors and windows. We perform a blower door test to evaluate how leaky your home is and an infrared camera scan to see if there are any insulation voids.

If you desire an energy audit for your home, the following considerations apply:

  • We require access to the entire dwelling -- access to attics, knee walls, and crawlspaces must be accessible. If attic access is through a closet, the area below the access must be free up obstructions, i.e. clothing, shelves may need to be removed before hand.
     
  • It is preferred that both spouses be in attendance if at all possible.
     
  • It will take 3-4 hours for the actual audit with up to one week for the completed report.
     
  • All wood burning devices must be extinguished for at least 36 hours prior to the scheduled audit. It is preferred that all ashes be removed.
     
  • If natural gas or propane fuel is used, the past 12 months of usage

What is the cost for an energy audit?

Egyptian Electric charges $50.00 for this service, which includes a blower door test and an infrared camera scan. Most private companies that perform energy audits would charge at least $350.00 for this type of energy audit. To schedule an energy audit, please contact our Member Services department.

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