Services

What is a Home Energy Audit?
What happens during a Home Energy Audit?
Rebates and Incentives

NJRHS is offering Home Energy Audits to New Jersey homeowners!* Call us now at 1-877-466-3657 for more information or to get started on your way to savings today.

 *Program details and financial incentives are subject to change without notice.

Did you know that heating and cooling consumes nearly half of the energy you use in your home? Where does it all go, you ask? Well, your home may not be running as efficiently as you think.

Have you noticed that your energy bills are on the rise while some of the rooms in your home feel less than comfortable? How old is your heating and air conditioning equipment? Do you know what's going on in your ductwork? If some of these questions have you scratching your head, we have good news. All of these areas of potential energy waste leave plenty of room for improvement - in even the newest homes.

NJRHS uses a whole-house approach to analyze how energy-efficient your home is today, recommends steps to improve your home's efficiency and, if you like, even helps you make those improvements. Our primary goal is to collect detailed information on the current conditions in your home and provide you with the information you'll need to make smart, cost-effective decisions.

A Home Energy Audit can help you make your home feel more comfortable year-round, reduce your energy costs and lessen your impact on the environment. Now that's what it means to go green!

A Home Energy Audit is a thorough assessment of your home's energy efficiency performed by a certified NJRHS Building Performance Institute (BPI) auditor. It allows us to identify sources of energy waste in your home, make recommendations for correcting existing problems, set priorities for those corrections and, if you like, make all the necessary improvements. Through the NJRHS program, you will be able to create a more comfortable, energy-efficient home for you and your family, reduce your carbon footprint and save money on your energy bills.

What happens during a Home Energy Audit?

Once you've called us to schedule a Home Energy Audit, and have answered a few simple questions over the phone, a certified auditor will visit your home to give it a complete inspection. He or she will look carefully at every inch of your home paying special attention to moisture levels, insulation, heating and cooling equipment, ductwork, air infiltration and more. 

Step One
The first step consists of the auditor taking inventory of, and reporting on, the current conditions in your home, including the following:

• Health and safety check (carbon monoxide levels, moisture and indoor air quality problems)
• Overall comfort level (cold/hot spots and indoor air quality - stuffiness/stale odors)
• Air sealing opportunities
• Insulation levels
• Heating system efficiency
• Cooling system/central air conditioning efficiency, if applicable
• Domestic hot water system efficiency
• Major appliances
• Lighting

Our certified auditor uses a number of diagnostic tools during your Home Energy Audit including the Carbon Monoxide (CO) Analyzer, an important health and safety tool.

Step Two
As long as no health and safety issues are present, the second step of the program consists of a two-person NJRHS crew performing air-sealing work if necessary. This includes a before and after Blower Door Test,** which measures the air tightness of a home and aids in identifying areas where air leakage is occurring. If health and safety issues have been identified during your Home Energy Audit, these will need to be remedied before step two can proceed. 

Step Three
The third step will include additional, more extensive home improvements for energy efficiency. Steps two and three can be combined into one visit. In step three, the homeowner reviews the recommendations listed in the Home Energy Audit Report to determine which initiative is the most cost effective and fits the family's budget. These actions may include additional insulation, the replacement of the heating or cooling system, the replacement of the hot water heater and all other actions identified.  

**A blower door is a diagnostic tool designed to measure the air tightness of buildings and help locate air-leakage sites. A blower door consists of a calibrated fan for measuring an airflow rate and a pressure-sensing device to measure the air pressure created by the fan flow. The combination of pressure and fan-flow measurements are used to determine the building's air tightness.

Rebates and Incentives*

Scheduling a Home Energy Audit says a lot about your house smarts. Not only will an audit help you to determine how energy-efficient your home is, it will also help reduce your energy costs, save money and make your home more comfortable year-round. But the good news doesn't stop there! Several state and federal agencies want to encourage homeowners to make these energy-saving improvements, so rebates and other incentives are available to help offset the cost of those improvements. 

After inspecting your home, your NJRHS Home Energy Auditor will review the rebates and incentives available to you through New Jersey's Clean Energy Program. Eligibility for rebates and incentives is determined by the magnitude of projected energy savings. For more information visit New Jersey's Clean Energy Program.

 *Program details and financial incentives are subject to change without notice.

*Program details and incentives are subject to change without notice.  Commitments not to exceed budget.

**If the project is selected for a quality control (QC) inspection, the rebate will be processed after the QC inspection is complete, and the project has passed inspection.