FEEDBACK for the Home Energy Inspection Tool & Report

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BcQpOGpxcI :mrgreen:

What does an “edible garden” have to do with home energy? How do we prove a blocked chimney? Do we buy scope equipment? How do we determine if an appliance is energy star rated? Combustion equipment? Flame roll out? Attic type?

Your descriptions vary from state to state, and city to city. IMO, confusing for the client. This seems to be an opinion, and estimate, and will not be a true rating/audit.

IMO, this is a basic Kansas home inspection report.

Where is the “stuff” coming from?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BcQpOGpxcI :mrgreen:

LMAO. Exactly. Or, we could apply this to the dude on TV selling the Sticky, “And right now we’ll include the Big Sticky for free cause you know we can’t do this all day”

Good Points…Not too complicated to produce…
It’d be nice to have some pos. impact on the environment
Pretty decent report format for clients…

Not so good…I can’t offer a service that I can’t explain…ie: Why does
the water heating savings change from $136 to $67 when listed in the
recomendations?
When I added up the lg apliances upgrade recomendation savings I got $76 compared to the pg 2 potential savings of $142. How do I explain that?
I agree with prior statements about MEF=1.42 etc…
Adding a few remarks in the Pay Back Period area in recomendations would help, such as Estimated Cost (P/Y)…Pay Back Period : 5 Yrs ($200)

Maybe you could at leat color code (or box out) the data selections having to do with energy use vs appliance age so recomendations don’t appear for a 95% efficient furnace…my bad during input, I guess…

I was trying to go back to my test report to review the input but couldn’t find a way. There is a way to return to prior reports to make changes, right?

On hold for now…

Bill O

Good question.

And who is paying the inspector for;

Visit InspectorSeek.com to find your local home inspector to provide a Home Energy Inspection and you’ll receive:

  • [size=3]free in-home visit and consultation;[/size]

Is anyone offering consultation for FREE? Or is this part of the $50 Home Energy Inspection?

www.solargreenenergygroup.com

There seems to be little emphasis on adding insulation to the attic space. Here in Florida that can be a great help in energy savings. Can more emphasis be placed on adding insulation in the future?

This is a U.S. Dept of Energy funded program local only to Boulder County, Colorado. InterNACHI and Boulder County EnergySmart Join in Partnership

Oh. Specific State, location, Colorado, none of these are mentioned on original page in question. It only has a link to InspectoSeek, which is for All inspectors located in the USA and Canada.

I just used the tool on my own house. The tool said my cooling annual bill was $114. It’s actually more like $200 a month for the 3 summer months. Is there a way to adjust the factors without getting a actual utility bill?

Lyle Harbertson
A-1 Complete Home Inspections, LLC
Sandy, UT

How big is your house?? My total electric bill doesn’t get that high and I have a medium sized house.

Leon,
You are correct.
The Home Energy Report tends to address both insulation and air leakage. A home inspector should not recommend adding insulation without mentioning the benefits of sealing air leaks. Here’s why. Think of air leakage as money leakage. Without sealing the air leaks, the additional insulation just becomes a thicker air filter. Air moves through insulation. (see photos)

insulation-dirty-1.jpg

IMG_0284.jpg

Dirty insulation is an indication that air is flowing through the insulation and pulling dust with it. Next time you’re in an attic, lift the insulation carefully and observe.

We have available for free as a PDF download “Air Leaks and Air Sealing: A Homeowner’s Guide.” It is available at http://www0.nachi.org/home-energy-inspection.htm

Lyle,

  • Taking into consideration that a house operates as a system, the $114 cooling bill might be a little low because of other factors, including occupant behavior. My wife likes the thermostat set to 76 in the summer time. Chilly. Which results in making the estimates within the Report seem a little low.
  • And also, the input data will have an impact on the cooling costs, including the accuracy of the R-values, the “leakiness” of the house, efficiency of the duct system, orientation of the house, etc. All of the data inputed into the tool will have some effect on the estimated operating costs.
  • And, be sure to use an addendum/agreement for the Home Energy Inspection service. Set the expectations of your client by informing them that the Report includes estimates, and the estimates and recommendations are actually produced by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. I highly encourage the use of InterNACHI’s free online agreement system - InterNACHI® - International Association of Certified Home Inspectors.
  • For more information about the accuracy of the Home Energy Report and the engine that drives it, please visit http://www.nachi.org/energy.htm#accuracy.

I would really like to start using this, but I don’t feel comfortable with it. My hypothetical report on my home shows me a negative savings (see attachment). If the cooling cost after savings is more than before the savings, I think we have a problem.

How would we explain this to a customer? Also, the $22 estimated yearly cost can’t be correct, as my electric bill in the three summer cooling months jumps over $150/month.

What am I missing?

Jeff Chase
Chase Home Inspection and Radon Testing
Canonsburg, PA

Just used it. I received an error message. Soooooo, I did not receive any report and my client is waiting

What did the error message say?

Internal server error. We are working hard to fix it

I love it! I see it as another tool to give me the edge over other inspectors in my area. Its very simple and easy to put together and I am going to use it as a free service and a marketing tool. The presentation you have provided is very beneficial in helping me implement and market the home energy audit on my website. Thank you for keeping us one step ahead of the competition. Another fantastic job!

Ben-I love it! It’s another tool I can you that gives me an edge over other inspectors in my area. Very simple and fast to use and it provides the perspective home buyer with some nice simple tips on how to conserve energy and save money. It is a very nice service I am going to include as part of my home inspection service and utilize the service as a nice marketing tool. I love the simplicity of the service and how easy it is to add and market on my website. Another job well done. Thank you for providing me with the tools to stay ahead of the competition.