A Better Energy Audit
Having your house energy audited is a great way to find out where you are losing heat in the winter and cold air in the summer. Whether you have high utility bills, ice damming, or you are just too uncomfortable in certain rooms (or possibly the whole house), there are ways to make you happier with your home. Many areas are easy to see -- but some can be harder to find. You will find many companies that offer this service for you. However, you should expect certain things to be done during your audit.
Second, they should check for health and safety concerns. Some of this is visual, some will require testing equipment. The visual inspection should look for hazards such as mold and asbestos. A portion of the audit may not be able to be completed if mold or friable asbestos is present in the home (more on this later). Other visual inspections could be as big as structural problems with the foundation to as easy as not having a drain tube on your hot water tank’s pressure relief valve. First, you and your auditor should sit down and discuss what is going on in your home. Is the back of your house cold in winter? Is the upstairs hot in summer and cold in winter? Do you ice dam on the front of your house but not the back? These and other items can lead your auditor to the areas of greatest concern. Be truthful. This part is designed to get to the root of the problems you are having. The more honest you are and the more information you can give, the easier it will be to find the problems.
The diagnostic equipment will help your auditor test for air-flow, gas leaks, and carbon monoxide problems. You do not want a company to tighten up your house only to have your furnace or hot water tank start pumping carbon monoxide into your home when it is supposed to blow the gases out. During this inspection, your auditor should go into accessible open areas. These include attics and crawl spaces. 
I was at a client’s house in Farmington the other day. She was confused when I said I needed to grab my ladder for the attic. She was shocked when I climbed in and crawled to all corners of the attic. She said I was the only inspector out of the ten she had look at her house that climbed in. Needless to say, I was the only one that found the bathroom exhaust fan had detached from the exhaust hose.
Lastly, your home should be tested for leaks with a blower door. A canvas sheet will be placed over a temporary frame on an exterior door. A fan gets placed in the frame and turned on. This fan blows the air out of the house so natural leaks exaggerated, which makes them easier to find. (Note: if mold or friable asbestos is found in your home, the blower door should not be used. You do not want either of these blowing thru your home) 
Using an infrared camera and a smoke pencil while the blower door is running are great ways to look for leaks and lack of insulation in areas that may not be visible. Most people I run into love to walk with me to see where the problem areas are during this step. I was at a home in Victor the other day where the previous auditor turned the fan on, took the readings, then turned the machine off.
The homeowner was curious why I left the fan running when I started walked around her house. She was surprised with the areas we found where air was leaking. Let us just say, she was so happy with the inspection, she chose us as her contractor. We just finished the work to her home last week, and she’s very happy.
If it’s done correctly, a home energy audit is a great start to making you more comfortable, improving health and safety, raising the value of your home, and lowering your energy bills.