Energy 101: Home Energy Assessment

EERE, U.S. Department of Energy

This video explains what is involved in conducting a home energy audit. Such an audit evaluates how much energy you use in your house and suggests the most cost-effective measures you can take to improve the energy efficiency of your home. The outcomes are the use of less energy resulting in cost-savings on your energy bills.

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Notes from our reviewers

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Great introduction to energy audit/project-based learning by students/student teams for schools, houses, and communities. Good resource that can supplement implementing this video: [link http://energy.gov/energysaver/articles/professional-home-energy-audits]
A home energy checkup helps owners determine where their house is losing energy and money - and how such problems can be corrected to make the home more energy efficient. Specific items in an audit include checking for leaks, examining insulation, inspecting the furnace and ductwork, performing a blower door test and using an infrared camera. Comments from expert scientist: Basic principles of home energy auditing as presented in the video are sound, but it leads the viewer to believe that if they implement the suggested measures they will see significant changes to their energy bill. This may not be the case.
Educator could use a website such as [link http://energy.gov/science-innovation/energy-efficiency] to supplement the video with other curricular tie-ins, like home energy audits for students to implement in their own homes. 508 compliant. Captions and interactive transcript provided only on the Youtube version (see caution below).