Priorities for New Homeowners - Home Energy Score 1
So you just moved into a new home. Congrats!
You have a lot going on right now, more than most people. What projects do you prioritize, and what goes on the back burner?
In this article, we’ll share an overview of priorities for projects that have the most potential to reduce your energy bills (and carbon footprint) as well as add value to your new home.
The projects are especially important if you got a Home Energy Score of 1, 2, or 3 out of 10. No need to press the panic button, but you have lots of opportunities. We’ll explain what that means.
If you have questions about your new home, the first step is to give us call at (541) 330-8767, or send us a message anytime. We’re happy to help.
Primer: What’s a Home Energy Score?
A Home Energy Score is a rating system that evaluates the energy efficiency of a home on a scale from 1 to 10, with 10 indicating the most efficient homes.
It’s like a miles-per-gallon rating for a car, giving you insight into a home’s energy use and potential cost savings from energy improvements.
In Portland and Bend, Oregon, a Home Energy Score is mandatory for any home listed for sale. The requirement helps to promote transparency regarding the energy costs associated with homes and encourages the adoption of energy-efficient features.
How to Interpret Home Energy Score Results
First off, you can find a home’s Home Energy Score by searching for the address in the Green Building Registry.
Home Energy Score 10
Homes that achieve a perfect score of 10 are among the elite 10% with the lowest energy consumption.
Home Energy Score 5
A score of 5 indicates that your home’s energy efficiency is on par with the median for Portland homes.
Home Energy Score 1
On the other hand, a home with a score of 1 is in the high-consumption bracket, using more energy than 85% of homes.
A score of 1 doesn’t imply poor construction quality. Even a well-designed home with modern amenities might receive a lower score if it has a large area or lacks proper insulation.
A lower score simply identifies potential for significant energy use reduction, and even homes with higher scores could benefit from further energy efficiency improvements or renewable energy additions.
What to Do About a Home Energy Score 1
#1. Get a Home Energy Audit
A Home Energy Score comes from a 45-minute to one hour visual inspection of the home called a “Home Energy Assessment.”
A Home Energy Assessor collects about 70 data points related to the home’s age and structure (e.g. the foundation, insulation, walls, and windows) as well as details about the heating, cooling, and hot water systems.
A Home Energy Assessment is a good starting point, but it has important limitations. For example, in general, larger homes tend to have lower home energy scores, even with updated insulation and HVAC, because they consume more energy than other homes in the market.
If you have a Home Energy Score 1 or just want to make sure you have a draft-free, energy efficient home, the best thing you can do is schedule a Home Energy Audit.
With a Home Energy Audit, you get three to four hours of diagnostic testing with a comprehensive report that breaks down the priorities, costs, and cash incentives for energy saving upgrades.
Home Energy Audit Video Overview
Here are the main differences between a Home Energy Audit and Home Energy Assessment:
Timing:
A Home Energy Assessment takes an hour or less, while a Home Energy Audit lasts for up to 4 hours.
Diagnostic Tests:
A Home Energy Assessment does not include any diagnostic test. By contrast, a Home Energy Audit includes a Blower Door Test, Infrared Camera Scan, Combustion Safety Test, Gas Line Inspection, and more. For a detailed breakdown of the tests, check out our Home Energy Audit page.
Recommendations:
Recommendations from a Home Energy Assessment tend to be generalizations. Without detail diagnostics, it's tough to say, for example, how much air ceiling or insulation do you need.
When you get a Home Energy Audit, you get actionable advice on the most cost-effective project you can do to save energy at home. Check out this sample Home Performance Report, which every client gets after completing a Home Energy Audit.
Sample Home Performance Report
#2. Insulation and Air Sealing
Without knowing the details of your home, take the following recommendations with a grain of salt. That said, we want to give an overview of the priorities that tend to matter most to homeowners who recently moved into a new home.
We’ll focus on projects that offer the greatest return on investment as well as the greatest potential to recoup your investment when you go to sell your home many years down the line.
Especially if you live in an older home with the original insulation or holes, gaps, and cracks that have not been sealed up, then you have a huge opportunity.
Adding insulation to an under-insulated attic is the most cost-effective upgrade that most homeowners can do to improve the energy efficiency of their homes. It's like putting a hat on your head on a cold winter's day.
ENERGY STAR estimates that most homeowners in our region of the country will save about 17% on their heating and cooling bills by sealing air leaks and adding insulation. It's a smart place to start.
#2. Install a Heat Pump
There are a few reasons to swap out your gas furnace (especially an older furnace) with a heat pump.
First off, for homeowners in the Pacific region of the United States, Remodeling Magazine ranks heat pump conversions as #1 on their list of projects ranked by cost vs. resale value.
Heat Pumps Rank #1 on the List of Cost vs. Resale Value
Why do heat pumps offer so much value for homeowners?
First of all, they can deliver targeted heating and cooling to even out temperature differences across floors and between rooms of a home, plus they do a better job of improving indoor air quality
What’s more, opting for an energy-efficient heat pump over a gas furnace is one of the most effective actions a homeowner can take to cut carbon emissions at home.
In an average home, space heating and cooling are the biggest contributors to the energy bills and carbon emissions. Estimates suggest that in the Pacific U.S., replacing a 96% efficient furnace with a heat pump could result in a reduction of CO2 emissions ranging from 76% to 81%.
#3. Go with a Heat Pump Water Heater
Discuss recommendation may be a higher priority, especially if you have an older water heater.
Here’s the thing - Water heaters are often underestimated in terms of energy usage. They rank as the second-largest energy expense in many homes, accounting for a fifth of the average U.S. energy bill.
Switching to a heat pump water heater can yield significant savings because of the energy efficiency, with an average family of four potentially saving $350 per year, or $3,750 throughout the system’s lifetime, as per ENERGY STAR’s calculations.
Home Energy Score 1: Final Thoughts
The recommendations in this article are not meant to be exhaustive, But we hope that we are pointing you in the right direction to make the best decisions for your new home.
The first step is to get a Home Energy Audit to understand how much energy you're actually using and losing. You'll get a list of priorities, costs, and cash incentives for home energy upgrades.
After your audit, you'll know exactly what you need to do at home. If you have questions, we're here to help. feel free to give us a call anytime at (541) 330-8767, or send us a message.
Special thanks to Wren Shiffler and Dill Ward for the conversations that helped to inspire with this article.
