Energy Audits- FAQ: How Do I Know That The Recommended Efficiency Improvements Will Be Cost Effective?

Most homeowners want to know that an efficiency related improvement will "pay back" in energy bill savings.  We use

sophisticated software that considers both the impact of specific recommended improvements on energy efficiency,

the life of the measure, likely installed costs and other relevant factors.  As a result our recommendations are heavily

influenced by the modeling work that we do. In most cases we will exclude from our recommendations any improvement

that we do not expect to pay back the homeowner. We can discuss your specific preferences with you and make the

appropriate adjustments.

A few related items to note:

Obviously there are exceptions for measures that have a direct impact on occupant health and safety; 

 

In some cases specific rebate programs will contain requirements that influence the relative priority of our

recommendations, and the cost-effectiveness of the  overall work;

 

In some cases homeowners may wish for cosmetic or other reasons to include new windows in a scope of work- 

a measure that can be hard to justify in economic payback alone; 

 

None of us have crystal balls as to interest rates or the pricing of fuels like natural gas.  As a result, we use models

as a road map for our recommendations, but not as an prediction of the future.