How To Make Your Home Energy Efficient

It happens to all of us during the summer and winter — we see our utility bills and can’t believe how much they have gone up. 

Keep reading below to find out the best ways to make your home more energy efficient, and start saving money on your heating and cooling bills. 

Energy Efficient Mortgage Program (EEM)

The Federal Housing Authority (FHA) works with the Energy Efficient Mortgage Program to help families save money on their utility bills. This is done through their FHA-insured mortgage by making improvements to their homes to become more energy efficient. In other words, you save money on your utility bills each month because your home will be able to operate at lower costs. 

 

To apply for this program and get a list of FHA-approved lenders, go to FHA Info and enter your information. 

Home Energy Assessment

Each family under this program must get a home energy assessment.  This is done by a qualified home energy assessor. The purpose of the assessment is to find out ways to improve the energy usage of each home and make recommendations based on the findings. 

There are three categories that a home energy assessor can be trained and certified in:

  1. Building Performance Analyst Professional
  2. Building Performance Energy Auditor
  3. Residential Energy Services Rater 

To learn more about the technical assistance provided during the assessment, go to Energy Efficiency Resources

Energy Package 

This refers to the list of improvements the homeowner agrees to make once their house has been inspected by a home energy assessor.  A few examples of home improvements include energy-efficient equipment, solar and wind technologies. 

The package can also include labor, inspections, materials, and equipment. 

Cost Effective

Once an energy assessor has done an inspection on the home, the energy package available to the family must be cost effective.  This means that the improvements selected by the homeowner are equal or less to the money saved on energy from those improvements. 

There are two different scenarios for the cost effectiveness of homes. 

Cost-Effective Test For Existing Homes

Improvements made for existing homes are deemed cost-effective when they pay for themselves over the expected life span in the number of energy dollars saved.  A home energy assessment will figure out whether the improvements are cost-effective by doing an analysis on the potential savings of energy dollars. 

Cost-Effective Test For Newly Constructed Homes

To determine cost-effectiveness for newly constructed homes, the improvements must exceed the energy standards based on the most recent International Conservation Code (IECC).  A home energy assessment will decide which improvements surpass the IECC standards. 

Big Picture

Saving money on your utility bills each month allows you to spend money in other areas. So it’s worth finding out more information on how to make your home more energy-efficient. 

Go to EEM Website to learn more to get a better overall understanding of the program.

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