It’s the time of year when homeowners in western Massachusetts get that “back to school” feeling. Thoughts switch from summer vacation mode to more serious matters, from digging out warm clothes and bedding to servicing snowblowers and preparing the house for cold weather.

Are you also thinking about a home energy assessment? If so, then your thoughts are in the right place. Fall is the best time to call a professional to assess your home for potential HVAC issues or inefficient energy consumption. An energy assessment now will increase your comfort and safety today while decreasing your utility bills all year long.

What Is an Energy Assessment?

When you call Energia for a no-cost energy assessment, or audit, our professionals will come to your home with a few interesting tools, such as blower doors, combustion analyzers, infrared cameras and moisture meters.

This specialized equipment lets us look at your whole home as a system, inside and out, to determine where air, energy and moisture may be moving in or out, where insulation may have settled or is missing, if there are any hazardous gas leaks, and more. It’s all aimed at making your home safer, more comfortable and more energy efficient, which ultimately saves you money.

What Will Happen During the Assessment?

Blower Door Test

Blower doors create a vacuum in your house to identify and measure air leaks through which you lose warm air in winter and cool air in the summer.

Infrared Camera Thermography

This non-invasive technology lets us see inside walls, ceilings and floors to identify potential problems, including moisture, electrical hot spots and inadequate insulation.

Duct Blasters and Pressure Pans

These tools assess leakage in ducts and measure the effectiveness of ventilation fans.

Carbon Monoxide and Gas Detectors

Part of combustion equipment safety tests, these detectors indicate if hazardous gases are leaking into your home.

Moisture Meters and Hygrometers

Moisture causes mold and mildew — hazards to both your health and the structural integrity of your home, so it’s important to determine if these are an issue for you.

Savings Estimate

Once all of the tests are completed, you’ll get an estimate of the potential savings you can achieve by addressing specific issues discovered during the audit.

What’s In It for You?

The most obvious benefits of a home energy assessment include energy savings and lower utility bills. In addition, you’ll notice increased comfort year-round from stabilized temperatures in your home.

Your assessment will also provide important health benefits. Lowering the risk of mold and mildew as well as dangerous gases and possible electrical hazards are all important parts of your audit that safeguard you and your family from harm.

Energia works to help homeowners in western and central Massachusetts, including Hampshire, Hampden, Franklin, Berkshire and Worcester Counties improve the comfort and safety of their homes while lowering utility bills. We’re socially and environmentally focused and will work with you to ensure you have the opportunity to take advantage of any available utility rebates or financing.