{"id":4765,"date":"2017-03-29T20:51:42","date_gmt":"2017-03-29T20:51:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hvac.appturemarket.com\/metro_backup\/?p=4765"},"modified":"2017-03-29T20:51:42","modified_gmt":"2017-03-29T20:51:42","slug":"give-your-home-a-diy-energy-audit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hvac.appturemarket.com\/metro_backup\/give-your-home-a-diy-energy-audit","title":{"rendered":"Give Your Home a DIY Energy Audit"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>There\u2019s nothing quite like springtime in the DFW area.\u00a0 Birds are singing, flowers are blooming and you can open the windows and give your heating and cooling system a break.\u00a0 It\u2019s also a great time for to do a DIY energy audit!<\/p>\n<p><strong>What is a DIY Energy Audit?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A DIY energy audit is a great way to identify ways to reduce your energy costs \u2013 especially during the sweltering summer months that will be upon us before you know it. \u00a0 A DIY energy audit is easy to do\u00a0and doesn\u2019t require any special knowledge or skills. \u00a0It basically consists of visual inspections of your home\u2019s energy-consuming appliances, a few heating and AC system components, insulation, and weather stripping to identify ways to improve its overall energy efficiency.<\/p>\n<p>Just be sure to have a pen and paper handy so you can keep a checklist of any problems you find and fix.<\/p>\n<p>With that said \u2013 let\u2019s get started!<\/p>\n<p><strong>DIY Audit of Your Heating and AC System<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Your home\u2019s heating and AC unit is typically going to be its biggest energy user.\u00a0 In fact, the <a href=\"https:\/\/energy.gov\/public-services\/homes\/heating-cooling\">U.S. Department of Energy<\/a> estimates that residential HVAC systems account for about 48 percent of the energy used in the typical U.S. home, so this is a good place to begin your DIY energy audit.<\/p>\n<p>A dirty, clogged filter can have a dramatic impact on your heating and cooling system\u2019s effectiveness and energy consumption so routinely cleaning or replacing the filter is essential if you\u2019re looking for ways to reduce your energy costs.<\/p>\n<p>How often you clean or replace your filter depends on a number of factors.\u00a0 If you own pets, smoke inside your home, suffer from allergies or other health conditions, or have young children or elderly family members, you should clean or change the filters more frequently.<\/p>\n<p>You should also check to make sure that your outdoor unit is clean.\u00a0 A quick hosing down will generally do the trick.\u00a0 While you\u2019re at it, you should trim back or remove any plants or hard landscaping that might be preventing the unit from getting adequate air flow.<\/p>\n<p>Of course, the filter and landscaping aren&#8217;t the only things that impact your AC system&#8217;s energy efficiency. \u00a0If it&#8217;s been a while since you&#8217;ve had a professional <a href=\"https:\/\/hvac.appturemarket.com\/metro_backup\/air-conditioning\/air-conditioningac-tune-up\" target=\"_blank\">AC tune-up<\/a>, spring is the ideal time! \u00a0In addition to ensuring your unit is working at peak performance, an annual tune up by a professional HVAC contractor can also identify minor issues before they become major problems that require costly repairs.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bonus tip:<\/strong>\u00a0 If your heating and AC unit is more than 10 years old, replacing it with a new, energy-efficient model can increase your comfort, improve your indoor air quality, and substantially reduce your monthly cooling costs.\u00a0 For more information, check out this article on <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><span style=\"color: #008080;\"><a style=\"color: #008080; text-decoration: underline;\" href=\"https:\/\/hvac.appturemarket.com\/metro_backup\/things-consider-replacing-ac-system\">things to consider when replacing your AC system<\/a><\/span><\/span>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>DIY Insulation and Weather Stripping Audit<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Not having enough insulation and weather stripping can cause your energy bills to skyrocket during the dog days of summer.<\/p>\n<p>Here in the Dallas \/ Fort Worth area, the Insulation Institute recommends a minimum of between R30 and R60 of attic insulation, depending on your home\u2019s age, construction type and other factors.\u00a0 Here\u2019s a handy map and chart to help determine your specific insulation needs:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-4767\" src=\"https:\/\/hvac.appturemarket.com\/metro_backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Insulation-Map.gif\" alt=\"insulation zone map\" width=\"700\" height=\"427\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-4768\" src=\"https:\/\/hvac.appturemarket.com\/metro_backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Insulation-zone-chart.png\" alt=\"insulation zone chart\" width=\"550\" height=\"308\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hvac.appturemarket.com\/metro_backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Insulation-zone-chart.png 495w, https:\/\/hvac.appturemarket.com\/metro_backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Insulation-zone-chart-300x168.png 300w, https:\/\/hvac.appturemarket.com\/metro_backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Insulation-zone-chart-393x220.png 393w, https:\/\/hvac.appturemarket.com\/metro_backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Insulation-zone-chart-390x218.png 390w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Image credit: <a href=\"http:\/\/insulationinstitute.org\/im-a-homeowner\/about-insulation\/how-much-do-i-need\/\">http:\/\/insulationinstitute.org\/im-a-homeowner\/about-insulation\/how-much-do-i-need\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p>In addition to checking your insulation, be sure to check your windows and doors to make sure the weather stripping is in good shape.<\/p>\n<p>While you\u2019re at it, check to make sure your refrigerator and freezer door gaskets are clean and in good condition.\u00a0 In addition to lowering your electric bills, this will keep foods fresh longer and prolong the life of the appliance.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bonus tips:<\/strong>\u00a0 For many, spring is the time to give their home a fresh new look inside and out.\u00a0 If you\u2019re considering updating your window treatments, consider going with reflective shades or draperies.\u00a0 According to the <a href=\"https:\/\/energy.gov\/energysaver\/energy-efficient-window-treatments\">Department of Energy<\/a>, installing medium-colored curtains with white-plastic backings can reduce heat gain by as much as 33%.<\/p>\n<p>Springtime is also a time to focus on landscaping.\u00a0 If your plans include planting trees or shrubs, give some thought to the impact they can have on your home\u2019s energy efficiency.\u00a0 Consider planting evergreens in locations where they\u2019ll block late afternoon sun in the summer months, but allow it to warm your home in the winter.<\/p>\n<p>Click here to learn <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><span style=\"color: #008080;\"><a style=\"color: #008080; text-decoration: underline;\" href=\"https:\/\/hvac.appturemarket.com\/metro_backup\/the-right-landscaping-can-lower-your-heating-and-cooling-costs\">how to use landscaping to lower your heating and cooling costs<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Out with the Old \u2013 In with the New . . . Appliances<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Springtime is a time of renewal, and if your kitchen is in need of a facelift, you might want to consider replacing your old refrigerator, dishwasher, stove or microwave with new Energy Star\u00ae appliances.<\/p>\n<p>Check out this <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><span style=\"color: #008080;\"><a style=\"color: #008080; text-decoration: underline;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.energy.gov\/energysaver\/estimating-appliance-and-home-electronic-energy-use\">handy calculator<\/a><\/span><\/span> to find out how much upgrading your old kitchen appliances can save you.<\/p>\n<p>We hope you found this article helpful.\u00a0 If so, please share it!<\/p>\n<p>Do you have questions\u00a0or other helpful tips you\u2019d like to share with our readers?\u00a0 Please post a comment to share your thoughts.<\/p>\n<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on the_content -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There\u2019s nothing quite like springtime in the DFW area.\u00a0 Birds are singing, flowers are blooming and you can open the windows and give your heating and cooling system a break.\u00a0 It\u2019s also a great time for to do a DIY energy audit! What is a DIY Energy Audit? A DIY energy audit is a great [&hellip;]<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":4660,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4765","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Give Your Home a DIY Energy Audit - Metro Energy Savers<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A DIY energy audit is an easy way to keep your monthly utility bills under control Here are some things to include in your do-it-yourself audit.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/hvac.appturemarket.com\/metro_backup\/give-your-home-a-diy-energy-audit\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Give Your Home a DIY Energy Audit - Metro Energy Savers\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A DIY energy audit is an easy way to keep your monthly utility bills under control Here are some things to include in your do-it-yourself audit.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/hvac.appturemarket.com\/metro_backup\/give-your-home-a-diy-energy-audit\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Metro Energy Savers\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2017-03-29T20:51:42+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/hvac.appturemarket.com\/metro_backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/smelling-vent.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"724\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"483\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hvac.appturemarket.com\\\/metro_backup\\\/give-your-home-a-diy-energy-audit#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hvac.appturemarket.com\\\/metro_backup\\\/give-your-home-a-diy-energy-audit\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"\",\"@id\":\"\"},\"headline\":\"Give Your Home a DIY Energy Audit\",\"datePublished\":\"2017-03-29T20:51:42+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hvac.appturemarket.com\\\/metro_backup\\\/give-your-home-a-diy-energy-audit\"},\"wordCount\":854,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hvac.appturemarket.com\\\/metro_backup\\\/give-your-home-a-diy-energy-audit#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hvac.appturemarket.com\\\/metro_backup\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2017\\\/01\\\/smelling-vent.jpg\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hvac.appturemarket.com\\\/metro_backup\\\/give-your-home-a-diy-energy-audit\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hvac.appturemarket.com\\\/metro_backup\\\/give-your-home-a-diy-energy-audit\",\"name\":\"Give Your Home a DIY Energy Audit - Metro Energy Savers\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hvac.appturemarket.com\\\/metro_backup\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hvac.appturemarket.com\\\/metro_backup\\\/give-your-home-a-diy-energy-audit#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hvac.appturemarket.com\\\/metro_backup\\\/give-your-home-a-diy-energy-audit#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hvac.appturemarket.com\\\/metro_backup\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2017\\\/01\\\/smelling-vent.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2017-03-29T20:51:42+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"\"},\"description\":\"A DIY energy audit is an easy way to keep your monthly utility bills under control Here are some things to include in your do-it-yourself audit.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hvac.appturemarket.com\\\/metro_backup\\\/give-your-home-a-diy-energy-audit#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/hvac.appturemarket.com\\\/metro_backup\\\/give-your-home-a-diy-energy-audit\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hvac.appturemarket.com\\\/metro_backup\\\/give-your-home-a-diy-energy-audit#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hvac.appturemarket.com\\\/metro_backup\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2017\\\/01\\\/smelling-vent.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hvac.appturemarket.com\\\/metro_backup\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2017\\\/01\\\/smelling-vent.jpg\",\"width\":724,\"height\":483,\"caption\":\"odors coming from heating and air conditioning system\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hvac.appturemarket.com\\\/metro_backup\\\/give-your-home-a-diy-energy-audit#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hvac.appturemarket.com\\\/metro_backup\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Give Your Home a DIY Energy Audit\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hvac.appturemarket.com\\\/metro_backup\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hvac.appturemarket.com\\\/metro_backup\\\/\",\"name\":\"Metro Energy Savers\",\"description\":\"Air Conditioning &amp; Heating\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hvac.appturemarket.com\\\/metro_backup\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hvac.appturemarket.com\\\/metro_backup\\\/author\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Give Your Home a DIY Energy Audit - Metro Energy Savers","description":"A DIY energy audit is an easy way to keep your monthly utility bills under control Here are some things to include in your do-it-yourself audit.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/hvac.appturemarket.com\/metro_backup\/give-your-home-a-diy-energy-audit","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Give Your Home a DIY Energy Audit - Metro Energy Savers","og_description":"A DIY energy audit is an easy way to keep your monthly utility bills under control Here are some things to include in your do-it-yourself audit.","og_url":"https:\/\/hvac.appturemarket.com\/metro_backup\/give-your-home-a-diy-energy-audit","og_site_name":"Metro Energy Savers","article_published_time":"2017-03-29T20:51:42+00:00","og_image":[{"width":724,"height":483,"url":"https:\/\/hvac.appturemarket.com\/metro_backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/smelling-vent.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/hvac.appturemarket.com\/metro_backup\/give-your-home-a-diy-energy-audit#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/hvac.appturemarket.com\/metro_backup\/give-your-home-a-diy-energy-audit"},"author":{"name":"","@id":""},"headline":"Give Your Home a DIY Energy Audit","datePublished":"2017-03-29T20:51:42+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/hvac.appturemarket.com\/metro_backup\/give-your-home-a-diy-energy-audit"},"wordCount":854,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/hvac.appturemarket.com\/metro_backup\/give-your-home-a-diy-energy-audit#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/hvac.appturemarket.com\/metro_backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/smelling-vent.jpg","inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/hvac.appturemarket.com\/metro_backup\/give-your-home-a-diy-energy-audit","url":"https:\/\/hvac.appturemarket.com\/metro_backup\/give-your-home-a-diy-energy-audit","name":"Give Your Home a DIY Energy Audit - Metro Energy Savers","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/hvac.appturemarket.com\/metro_backup\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/hvac.appturemarket.com\/metro_backup\/give-your-home-a-diy-energy-audit#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/hvac.appturemarket.com\/metro_backup\/give-your-home-a-diy-energy-audit#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/hvac.appturemarket.com\/metro_backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/smelling-vent.jpg","datePublished":"2017-03-29T20:51:42+00:00","author":{"@id":""},"description":"A DIY energy audit is an easy way to keep your monthly utility bills under control Here are some things to include in your do-it-yourself audit.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/hvac.appturemarket.com\/metro_backup\/give-your-home-a-diy-energy-audit#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/hvac.appturemarket.com\/metro_backup\/give-your-home-a-diy-energy-audit"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/hvac.appturemarket.com\/metro_backup\/give-your-home-a-diy-energy-audit#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/hvac.appturemarket.com\/metro_backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/smelling-vent.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/hvac.appturemarket.com\/metro_backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/smelling-vent.jpg","width":724,"height":483,"caption":"odors coming from heating and air conditioning system"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/hvac.appturemarket.com\/metro_backup\/give-your-home-a-diy-energy-audit#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/hvac.appturemarket.com\/metro_backup\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Give Your Home a DIY Energy Audit"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/hvac.appturemarket.com\/metro_backup\/#website","url":"https:\/\/hvac.appturemarket.com\/metro_backup\/","name":"Metro Energy Savers","description":"Air Conditioning &amp; Heating","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/hvac.appturemarket.com\/metro_backup\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"","url":"https:\/\/hvac.appturemarket.com\/metro_backup\/author"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hvac.appturemarket.com\/metro_backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4765","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hvac.appturemarket.com\/metro_backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hvac.appturemarket.com\/metro_backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hvac.appturemarket.com\/metro_backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hvac.appturemarket.com\/metro_backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4765"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/hvac.appturemarket.com\/metro_backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4765\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4772,"href":"https:\/\/hvac.appturemarket.com\/metro_backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4765\/revisions\/4772"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hvac.appturemarket.com\/metro_backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4660"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hvac.appturemarket.com\/metro_backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4765"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hvac.appturemarket.com\/metro_backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4765"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hvac.appturemarket.com\/metro_backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4765"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}