Energy audits can offer big paybacks

January 19, 2014|Mary Ellen Podmolik | The Homefront


An energy audit can help homeowners and owners of multifamily buildings determine how to better keep a property warm in the winter and cool in the summer by tightening the building's envelope. The fixes typically cost a few thousand dollars, and area utility companies offer rebates tied to the work.


Valentine, who has owned a two-flat in Chicago's Austin neighborhood for 30 years, already had undertaken several projects to make the building more energy efficient, such as installing new windows and exterior doors. She still felt a draft on certain days.

"I was still getting air," Valentine said. "Depending on what direction the wind was coming from, I could feel air on my legs."


That diagnostic test involves mounting a temporary panel with a powerful fan to an exterior door frame. As the fan pulls the air out of the home, lowering the air pressure inside the building, the higher air pressure outside is drawn into the house, showing where the leaks are.

As a result of the findings, Valentine hired a company in November to add 18 inches of blown-in insulation to the space between the second-floor ceilings and the building's flat roof. Adjustments were made to the windows, and weatherstripping was installed around doors that led into heated rooms. Because the gas fireplaces on each floor were rarely used, workers shut them off and added a foam seal to prevent air from coming down the chimney.

The $4,713 project's cost was offset by a Peoples Gas rebate of $942 and a CNT grant of $1,800 (that is no longer available). Diagnostic tests performed after the work showed that air leaks in the building had been cut in half.

"There's definitely a difference," Valentine said. " You don't feel the air coming through. I'm never eager to get a bill, but I'm actually looking forward to seeing what the bill looks like."

No income restrictions. CNT's Energy Impact Illinois program, which operates in the seven-county Chicago area and in Rockford, is designed for single-family homes and two- to four-unit buildings, and does not have any income restrictions.

Participants pay $99 for an energy assessment, which is free if a homeowner has a "house party," inviting friends or neighbors to the assessment. The group also has a list of vetted contractors to perform work, and rebates for improvements are available from Nicor Gas, Peoples Gas and North Shore Gas.

Energy Savers, a separate program, is designed for owners of small, multifamily buildings. Staff members at CNT can help homeowners and building owners decide which program would be most appropriate.

"People are concerned about their energy bills," said Anne Evens, CNT Energy's CEO. "It's confusing. People don't know where to start.

"It makes a lot of sense to make these investments," Evens added. "We're in our homes for so long and it's such a low-cost upgrade. You're not only getting the dollar savings but you're getting more comfortable homes. Our homes are so old."

Nancy Buik knew she needed better insulation in her attic, but she "dragged her heels," as she put it, because she didn't know how to find a reputable contractor. After attending someone's "house party," she called CNT Energy.

That was in September 2012, and it led to the installation of $3,400 of attic insulation. She hasn't seen a dramatic decline in her heating costs, but "we're definitely more comfortable," she said. "It was well worth it."

In Chicago, there's one other incentive for thinking about improvements. For-sale listings of homes within the city now include a home's energy costs so potential buyers can get an estimate of not just how much it would cost to buy a house in the city, but how much it costs to operate.

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