DIY vs. Professional Home Energy Audits: Which is Better?

Improving home energy efficiency starts with identifying where energy is being wasted, whether with a DIY or professional home energy audit. A home energy audit helps homeowners understand how their home uses energy and where improvements can lead to savings. A home energy audit of both of my properties – both are old homes in Massachusetts – revealed so much about their inefficiencies that caused energy waste, drafts, and even safety problems. Without completing the energy audit first, no amount of smart tech or efficient appliance upgrades would have helped save me money on energy costs. My home energy audits revealed areas in the walls, attics, floors, rim joists, HVAC system inefficiencies, and abundance of dangerous knob and tube electric wiring throughout both homes, which quite literally put us in danger of fire.

But should you conduct a DIY home energy audit or hire a professional? In this DIY vs. professional home energy audit comparison, we’ll break down the pros and cons of each approach, costs, accuracy, tools needed, and overall effectiveness.

Key Takeaways

• DIY home energy audits are affordable and great for spotting obvious issues, but they may miss hidden problems.
• Professional energy audits provide a detailed analysis with advanced tools, uncovering hidden inefficiencies and safety risks.
• A mix of DIY and professional audits is often best—start with DIY for simple fixes, then follow up with a professional audit if needed.

What Is a Home Energy Audit?

A home energy audit is a thorough check of how energy is used in your home. It pinpoints areas where your home is wasting energy and shows what changes would make your home use energy better. Energy audits typically assess insulation, HVAC efficiency, air leaks, appliances, lighting, and windows. The main goals are using less energy, lowering utility bills, making your home more comfortable, and helping the environment.

Think of an energy audit as a health checkup for your home – it finds problem areas and gives you a plan to fix them. But what is better: a DIY vs. professional home energy audit?

DIY Home Energy Audits: The Basics

What You Can Do Yourself

A DIY home energy audit lets you check your home’s energy use without needing special tools or being an expert. While not as complete as having a professional do it, checking your home yourself can still find many common problems.

The DIY approach is particularly beneficial for homeowners who:

• Don’t have much money to spend
• Know some basics about how homes work
• Want to start understanding their home’s energy problems
• Like working on home projects themselves

A Complete DIY Home Energy Audit Checklist

To conduct an effective DIY home energy audit, follow this comprehensive checklist:

Air Leakage Detection

• Check for drafts around windows, doors, electrical outlets, baseboards, and where walls meet ceilings
• Inspect weatherstripping and caulking for deterioration
• Examine attic hatches, basement doors, and mail slots

Insulation Assessment

• Check how much insulation you have in your attic. The right amount depends on where you live.
• Check wall insulation where possible
• Inspect basement and crawlspace insulation
• Look for uninsulated hot water pipes and ducts

HVAC System Examination

• Replace or clean air filters
• Check for blocked vents or registers
• Inspect ductwork for visible leaks or disconnections
• Record the age and maintenance history of heating and cooling equipment

Water Heating Analysis

• Note the temperature setting (120°F is typically sufficient)
• Check for insulation on the hot water tank and pipes
• Measure hot water wait times at fixtures

Lighting Inventory

• Count the number of incandescent bulbs still in use
• Identify high-usage light fixtures for potential upgrades to energy-efficient lighting

Appliance and Electronics Evaluation

• List the age and energy ratings of major appliances
• Check for energy-draining phantom loads from electronics
• Examine refrigerator door seals and coil cleanliness

Best Tools for a DIY Home Energy Audit

Several affordable tools can enhance the effectiveness of your DIY audit:

Limitations of the DIY Approach

While doing your own energy audit is helpful, it has some drawbacks:

• You can’t do special tests like blower door tests or full thermal imaging that show where air leaks are
• You might not know enough to find complicated problems or suggest the best solutions
• You could miss hidden problems inside walls, in air ducts, or in heating and cooling systems
• It’s hard to measure how much energy you’re wasting or figure out exactly how much money you’ll save by making improvements

To address inefficiencies in my home, I started with my own energy audit and quickly noticed drafts around my windows and doors. After replacing the weatherstripping, things got a little better, but the real problem showed up when I had a professional audit. Turns out, my attic, rim joists in the basement, and main entry door had major air leaks that were adding a lot of money to my heating bill every winter. Even worse, my house still had old knob and tube wiring, creating a serious fire hazard — something that I would never know without a professional assessment.

What to Expect from a Professional Energy Audit

A professional home energy audit provides a more detailed and scientific assessment using advanced tools and techniques.

What Happens in a Professional Audit

A typical professional audit includes:

First Look

• Check your utility bills to see how much energy you use
• Talk with you about cold spots, problems, and what you want to fix
• Write down facts about your home (size, number of windows, etc.)

Special Tests

• Blower door test to measure how much air leaks in and out
• Infrared camera to find missing insulation and cold spots
• Safety and efficiency tests on furnaces and water heaters
• Measure leaks in air ducts
• Check if your home has enough fresh air

Report and Recommendations

• List of suggested fixes, most important ones first
• How much each fix will cost
• How much money you’ll save on energy bills
• Information about rebates and ways to pay for improvements

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, when people make the improvements suggested in professional energy audits, they usually save 5-30% on their utility bills.

How Professional Energy Audits Work

Professional auditors follow these steps to check your home thoroughly:

• Outside Check: Look at your home’s exterior, which direction it faces, and things around it that affect energy use
• Set Up Equipment: Install measuring devices and prepare testing tools
• Air Leak Testing: Use a blower door to measure and find where air is getting in
• Thermal Camera Scan: Use special cameras to see heat loss, moisture problems, and insulation gaps
• Heating and Cooling Check: Test how well your heating, cooling, and ventilation systems work
• Air Quality Check: Look for things that could affect your health or damage your home
• Collect Information: Take measurements and organize all the data
• Write Report: Create a detailed document with findings and recommendations
• Explain Results: Go over the results with you and answer questions about how to make improvements

Professional audits are conducted by certified auditors and typically take 2-4 hours to complete. In our case, a professional auditor took about 8 hours to do a complete assessment of our home.

Direct Comparison: DIY vs. Professional Energy Audits

Accuracy and Comprehensiveness

DIY Audits:

• Can identify obvious issues like drafty windows and doors
• May miss energy efficiency problems
• Unable to quantify the severity of problems or prioritize solutions effectively
• Limited to visual inspection and basic measurements

Professional Audits:

• Find hidden issues within building assemblies
• Use calibrated equipment to measure actual performance
• Provide quantifiable data on energy loss
• Identify safety issues that might otherwise go unnoticed
• Apply building science principles to analyze the home as a system

DIY vs. Professional Home Energy Audit Costs

* These costs are rough estimates. Real costs will vary from location to location. Our home energy audit was partially covered by our local utility and we paid about 25% of the cost, i.e. $2,000.

In many areas, utility companies, state energy offices, or local governments offer subsidized or free energy audits to promote conservation.

Time and Effort Requirements

• Research and preparation: 1-2 hours
• Conducting the audit: 3-5 hours
• Analyzing findings: 1-2 hours
• Learning curve for understanding energy efficiency principles

Professional Approach:

• Scheduling and preparation: 30 minutes
• Being present during audit: 2-4 hours
• Review of findings: 1 hour
• Minimal learning curve; relies on expert knowledge

When DIY Makes More Sense

A DIY home energy audit might be the best choice for you if:

• You don’t have much money to spend on an energy checkup or home upgrades.
• Your home is relatively new (built in the last 10-15 years) and already follows modern energy rules.
• You know a lot about how houses are built and how heating, cooling, and electrical systems work.
• You mainly want to find simple, low-cost ways to save energy.
• You plan to use the DIY audit as a first step before potentially hiring a professional later for a more detailed check.

When Professional Audits Are Worth the Investment

Professional energy audits typically deliver better value when:

• Your home is older (25+ years) with unknown insulation levels and efficiency features
• You experience significant comfort issues like rooms that never feel comfortable
• Your energy bills are unusually high compared to similar homes in your area
• You’re planning major renovations and want to incorporate energy improvements
• You qualify for rebate programs that require professional testing or certification
• You have specific concerns about indoor air quality, moisture issues, or HVAC performance
• You want to make data-driven decisions about which improvements offer the best return

A Hybrid Approach: Getting the Best of Both Worlds

Many energy efficiency experts recommend a staged approach that combines DIY and professional methods:

• Start with a DIY assessment to identify and fix obvious issues
• Monitor energy bills for 3-6 months to establish baseline usage
• Consult with your utility company about free or discounted professional audits
• Invest in a professional audit if problems persist or if you’re planning significant home improvements
• Implement professional recommendations in order of priority and ROI
• Consider DIY implementation of simpler recommendations to reduce costs

Final Verdict

DIY home energy audits are great for a quick assessment and low-cost improvements. Professional home energy audits provide a deeper analysis with higher savings potential. If you want the most accurate results and major energy savings, a professional home energy audit is worth it. But if you’re on a tight budget, a DIY home energy assessment can still help cut down on wasted energy.

Wrapping Up

When deciding between a DIY or professional home energy audit, think about your budget, including how much you can spend on the audit and any improvements you might need. Consider the age and condition of your home, as well as your own knowledge and skills about home systems. Think about your specific concerns and goals, and how much time and interest you have to put into the process.

For most homeowners, it makes sense to start with a simple DIY audit to fix obvious problems, then hire a professional auditor later if your budget allows or if issues continue. This combination helps you save money right away while making sure you get a full picture of your home’s energy needs over time.

Keep in mind that the most important thing is not which type of audit you choose, but what you do with the results. Even the best professional audit won’t help if you don’t act on the suggestions. My home significantly benefited from removing the knob and tube wiring, new insulation, and replacement of an old oil-based boiler with a much more efficient gas boiler.

By carefully evaluating your home’s energy use—whether through DIY methods, professional help, or both—you’re taking a key step toward saving energy, making your home more comfortable, and helping the environment.