Why Get an Energy Audit?

Having lived in several parts of the country and around the world during my Air Force career, it has been a little strange to see how we in Louisville treat the topic of energy usage.  Perhaps it is the coal the Commonwealth of Kentucky produces.  Perhaps it is the climate, which is not too cold in winter and not too hot in summer.  Or perhaps it is simply that the economy right now is in such a state that people have other things on their minds.  Whatever the case, I'd like to draw your attention to a couple of startling facts:
   - our electricity costs, which continue to be far lower than the average throughout the country, are climbing.  Electricity is measured and billed in kilowatts per hour (kw-hr), and a quick comparison of your recent bill to that of the same time last year shows a jump of about 16% in just one year.  That's significant.
    - new coal plants are simply not being built.  As much as I love coal and the cheap energy it produces, coal has a bad name in much of the rest of the country.
    - and if you thought coal had a bad name, think about the last time a nuclear power plant was built.  None are on the horizon, and some currently in operation will be shutting down as they approach the end of their useful lives.

Which leads me to the unmistakable conclusion that ENERGY PRICES WILL NECESSARILY SKYROCKET.  If that sounds familiar, that's because those are the words of then-Candidate Obama, who reached the same conclusion.

There are a few things you can do to combat this inevitability.  The first is to produce your own energy, and the most popular forms of that production are wind, solar, or micro-hydro.  Unfortunately, as I have studied the historical meteorological data, Kentucky is not great for wind (it's just not windy enough to be cost-effective), and the solar data is similarly discouraging.  There may come a time when those methods are indeed cost-effective, but it will likely be because the cost of traditional electricity production has become so very expensive.

WHAT'S A GIRL TO DO?

There are two sides to the energy equation, of course:  production and consumption.  As a general rule of thumb, every dollar one spends in energy efficiencies (in the form of insulation, better lighting, or more efficient equipment) produces the same net gain of spending 3 dollars in production.  So my money is on efficiencies.  Not quite as sexy as solar panels, but much, much more cost effective.

An energy audit will help identify ways you can save money on your energy consumption.  The focus is on lighting, heating and cooling, insulation, windows, water heaters, and appliances. 

Next week I'll fill you in on some nice-to-know numbers and some things you can do before an energy audit.  I'll also discuss what we typically find in an energy audit here in Louisville, Kentucky.

Is this house up to code?

Thanks for asking!   This is a very common misconception about home inspections.  In fact, I have had highly experienced realtors ask me this question (they had formerly used other inspection companies), and it always makes me wonder what other inspectors are saying in the walkthrough.

The easy answer is, "No, this house is almost certainly not up to code."  And we can say that with a fair degree of certainty since code changes quickly, and "code" can apply to plumbing, electrical, structural, and other aspects of the home.

Here is the bottom line:  a home inspection is not designed to be, nor should it be misconstrued as, a code inspection.  Home inspections are much more broad, and frankly if there were some law that required a home to be brought up to the current codes prior to sale, the expense of doing so would be so overwhelming that most sellers would probably reconsider and would not sell their homes after all.

From the Kentucky statute:
KRS 198b.738 states that home inspectors are prohibited from indicating compliance or non-compliance with building code

Did you catch that?  The statute is not silent and does not even give an inspector leeway in deciding whether he wants to go farther than the scope of the inspection.  It prohibits him from doing so.

Fortunately for the consumer, many items that may be of concern are also included in the "safety" realm.  For example, some amateur wiring may be pointed out as a deficiency in the home inspection due to safety concerns, but the inspector should not address it as a code violation; he is not licensed to due so and is expressly prohibited from doing so.

Most good home inspectors in Louisville know the rules, and the better ones make sure their clients also understand them.  One of the most important things for the inspector to do is to communicate to the client not only the scope of the inspection but also what it is not.  At HomeTeam we always take time during the walkthrough to make sure the client understands the home inspection is not a code inspection.  Clear understanding builds trust, and we are in the business of trust.

Next week:  energy audits, and why you should get one.