A couple of quick questions. What would you do with the information an energy audit might yeild? Would you be happier walking away from the purchase of this house if it is not efficient? Do you have "extra" funds available to have additional materials/work done after you have purchased but before you move in?

If the answer to either of these questions is yes, then INMHO you should have the audit done. Otherwise, especially in a sellers market, you may be opening a can of worms best left shelved for now.

My reasoning is that although likely the house is good enough and to code, possibly some improvements could be made. Those sorts of issues can also be lived with or fixed. If they are cheap, like replacing a door seal anyone can do it, you could easily fix it when you are living there, and asking the sellers to do it adds a PIA factor that will throw a negative cloud over your purchase negotiations. If the audit finds something more complicated (and they often do) like replacing windows, upgrading appliances or systems, or adding additional insulation, if the house was built to code, in a sellers market the seller is unlikely to fix many of these. There is a high potential for conflict introduced here between the sellers and the buyers. All of these things can be fixed by you at a later date if they bother you enough. Living in the house will yeild this information, and you can fix or not, in a manner consistent with your budget.

my realtor just responded to my email--from her tone I could tell that she thinks I am a little over kill--I also asked about having trees on property inspected for problems---they look great but does not mean they might not have problems...she said she had never had anyone ask about a tree inspection before

Regarding the energy audit inspection--she said that the seller would not be held responsible for something like air leaks or insulation "weak points"--I think insulation that is missing or not to code is a problem w/building code.
Just like making sure the bathroom and stove vents run through the roof not just into the attic space...

So I am waiting for the inspector to call me back and I can ask him what exactly he looks for when he does an inspection...

We do have some money left after buying this house--we were willing to spend a good bit more money for house we liked...this house is less because it is older--and lacks features of a new build like radiant barrier and blown cellulose or foam -- I am really more concerned about how the AC system works--there are three units/3 zones because of the upstairs and rooms on ground floor so if the system is not balanced properly or really sized for the house that is a problem...

If we were not afraid of having someone put contract in we might have asked for the past utility bills to see how high they were...
Having the home reroofed won't help w/adding insulation since it is composition roof w/plywood decking already down...will have to walk the stuff into the attic spaces and it is not an easy to entry attic like the house we have now with a walk out attic from the gameroom upstairs..

Just wondered with more people concerned about energy costs, if people were having them done--they are mandatory for an energy star rating on new home...think making the repairs that come up could really throw a wrench into the resale market however, especially for older homes...I am sure realtors don't want to encourage buyers to set any precedents that would slow down buying/selling homes...

but bad insulation, leaky windows, and poor HVAC systems could be like the asbestos or lead paint problems of the past....I is my understanding that any changes in home have to be brought up to code before they can be resold...if that true and is that part of what this inspection is supposed to catch?

loves2read - definetly have the trees checked out. We have done that and if they are nice big ones it really makes sense since they do in TX add value to the property. You also wouldn't want one to be in a shape so that in any of the storms we have it won't fall over on the house.

BTW I responded to your other post too.

What is the cost of an energy audit? It sounds like a great idea to me. If it can be done quickly within your time frame I would say do it. When we sold our last home, the buyer requested the recent electric bill. This might be a good gauge but you really don't know if the electricity was so pricey, whether or not the current owners kept it at 80 or 70.

yes--you are right about bills not being the honest reflection of good/bad in home system...lifestyle is impact point--

our electric bills in summer are not that bad even w/high electric in our area because I keep house hot during the day (and we don't have anyone upstairs in gameroom/bedroom unless our daughter is home for visit---and we don't have a pool at this house like we will at the new one...

don't know how much one costs--that is why i asked the realtor...but know that having the blower door test done is one price, going to the thermal imaging is higher...

Because of its age, this house will probably not even come close to today's energy standards, but it's a used ten year od house. That's not a bad thing, it's just the way it is. If you want to have an energy audit for your own info. go for it but don't be surprised or disappointed at the results.

A good home inspector has the tools and knowldge to test the HVAC system for proper charge, electrical, suction and discharge pressures, properly sized coils, and duct work, delta T across the coils, whether the condensor and evap. coils need to be cleaned, or are leaking, rusty burners, crack heat exchagers, number of returns, etc., etc. If not, you can always hire a seperate HVAC company to inspect that part of the house, just like most of the times you have to hire a separate termite inspection from a licensed pest control company.

Just remember, whether new or old, there's no such thing as a perfect house...some are better than others, but the perfect house does not exist!

well someone has to live in the houses that are already out there...don't see any collective urge to tear down all older homes in name of energy efficiency and build new ones...I am just trying to find out if there are any significant problems before we go through the purchase...I would not want to have to install dampers or a dehumidifier to the system after we are there 3 mo or so...maybe when these need replacing we can get a heat pump and maybe we will add extra insulation or foam the HVAC turbes to insulate the air flow--but that attic looks hard to work in and Inow that anything will be a bit..for the person who does it...

A true, thorough energy audit takes about 3 hours...over and above the home inspection...and usually costs about $500 additonal....and even such an extensive audit is accompanied by a disclaimer that any energy savings mentioned are not guaranteed.

It is very similar to the estimated gas mileage on a new car...the sticker MPG is often higher than most consumers see in actual use.

Since many of the aspects factored in are not visible in an existing home, the info that you will receive will be the result of a lot of estimating and guess work. Case in point...they have no way of knowing if all of the walls are insulated in an existing house...or even what type of insulation exists.

In addition, on a pre-exisitng home that you don't own, the auditor is limited in what he can do...as some of the process would require homeowner approval...and most sellers are not apt to allow such.

Last but not least...be wary of the home inspectors who offer such an inspection after taking a readers digest version of a Mickey Mouse 8 hour home energy audit course. This type of deal is commonly called a "tune-up", or some such, and is hardly worth the extra money that you will pay...as a competent home inspection will give you most if not all of the info contained in one of these quickie so called "energy tune ups". In addition, more thna likely, the home inspector may not be covered for this by his insurance...as it is beyond the scope of ahome inspection in accordance with national standards and most if not all state regs....so, make sure you verify this with the HI that he is insured for an energy audit.

You can easily go on the web and get that same info on your own, for free...see the link below.

Last but not least..energy audits/ratings were designed for new construction...or for homeowners that wanted professional advice on how to improve their home energy efficiency of the home that they already own.

An existing home that was rated "energy star" 10 years ago when built would not carry that rating today...as materials have improved...so the bar has been raised...and energy efficiency is not a constant.

If you want an audit to determine how to make the house more efficient...fine...wait until you move in to get as thorough of an audit as possible...otherwise, if efficiency is of primary concern, best bet is to pass on previoulsy owned homes, and instead purchase new, energy star rated construction, as that is indeed the only way that the rating given will be the most meaningful in terms of true, current energy efficiency.

Here is a link that might be useful: Home Energy Saver

loves2read: "the staircase comes into the back hall by utility room and garage entrance--not the big open foyers in front of house but there is no way to close off the upstairs which will be used fairly infrequently since we are empty nesters...
... It has a 3 zone system w/14 SEER units but they are the originals from what we saw..."

I forgot to mention, right off the bat I can tell you that if you have no way of isolating one zone from the other, that in itself negates the efficiency of separate zones...
....and as such, overworks the units involved, as they are called upon to heat or cool the areas beyond their zones.

loves2read
having an energy audit on the home you are proposing to purchase is an investment. not only for the cost of the audit, but also for the work that will become apparent once the inspection & testing is done. granted the rating information will be your information to choose when & what items you want to address, but for you at this time, a simpler request would be to ask for copies of utility bills & question the homeowner about temps set on tstats for a starting point.
if the homeowner is moderate with temp settings & costs are high..then would be time for you to consider an audit..or keep looking.

I won't get into all that I don't agree with in some of the responses..hey life is short!..but I will say that most HI's that I know don't check head pressures & wouldn't know a what a delta t was if it bit them..sadly the same goes for many hvac companies in my area.
HI's for the most part work for the reality companies and are a bit biased so they can get the next job..again just my experience with HI's, few are independent--as in work exclusively for home owners.

I am a big fan of zoned systems and while you may think that you would save $$ by stopping air supply to the upstairs areas, it really is best to allow some air flow & movement in these areas. setting tstat for minimal air flow is a better concept for our hot humid climates.

If I were inspecting, testing & making recommendations for
an existing home, these are some of the things I look for & recommend.
upstairs areas..walls shared between 2nd floor and attic.
insulated? sealed? using a foil/foam sheating board serves several purposes. one it adds an additional insulation value to the wall, two it reflects heat back into the attic instead of transferring it into the upstairs areas,and most ..stops air movement.
radiant barriers can always be added, several products on the market, but what I have in my home is a one sided foil paper installed to the bottom of the rafters with the foil facing into the attic space.
these two items will make a huge difference in comfort, and utility costs.
stopping the excessive air infiltration will lower utility costs, although it will take time & effort on your part.
a good hvac company can balance the air flow with a balometer ..fyi, I often use one myself on both new & existing homes, but that is getting more into home diagnostics than the rating service.

a good energy audit will take 2 to 3 hours depending on the size & complexity of the home, and the compexity of what you require. my minimum charge on existing homes is $500. for a basic test & inspection.

best of luck & if I can help to anwser any questions
drop me an email, as I don't get here as often as in the past.

energy rater- You statements:

"...but I will say that most HI's that I know don't check head pressures & wouldn't know a what a delta t was if it bit them..sadly the same goes for many hvac companies in my area.
HI's for the most part work for the reality companies and are a bit biased so they can get the next job..again just my experience with HI's, few are independent--as in work exclusively for home owners."

First off, I stated that you must choose a GOOD Home inspector...which means a state licensed, independent HI, who is preferably an engineer with good references. I agree that you should never hire a HI based on the agent's referal...too much room for conflict of interest issues.

Same goes for HVAC companies, there are good and bad, you get what you pay for. The HVAC companies that "give" you discounted "check-ups" for 29.95 are just using that as an in to sell more services and goods.

I just feel that you are giving bad advice when you imply that homeowners/buyers should stay away from independent home inspectors and qualified trades for inspections/energy audits. Based on your experience and qualifictions, you should be encouraging homeowners on how to select and qualify quality inspection services and trades.

I am sure that you would not want to included in a blanket statement that most energy rating/audit companies just want to find/create situations where they can sell the homeowner more products and services like insulation, radiant barriers, storm windows, air leak sealing, etc.

And yes, I have seen companies start the hard sales pitch before they even finished the energy audit.

rar1

if you feel that I am giving 'bad advice'..well we
all have opinions. I was not implying anything that I have not seen in my years of being in business.
If real life experience is not useful to you, it may be to others.
It is to people who do not have the experience that is the reason (most of us) post information.
Granted it is for the most part general information, but you can't give a haircut online.

and btw I don't sell any products- never have.
This would compromise the code of ethics that I sign every year from my Home Energy Rating Service provider. Which is the state, not some company I created to justify my business.

my post was just for information & yes based on my experience and opinion, it was not a personal attack or
challenge to your post or sensibilites.

best of luck to you.