‘Tis the season for DIY home projects! While we love a good do-it-yourself undertaking involving a trip to the home store and hours on YouTube, a Home Energy Assessment is just one of those things best left to the professionals.

“A professional home energy audit is the best way to determine where your home is losing energy and where you can save. A ‘do-it-yourself’ home energy audit will not be as thorough as a professional home energy assessment.” – The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)

Here are 7 reasons why you should call HomeWorks Energy for a no-cost virtual or in-person Home Energy Assessment and set the tool belt down for a couple of hours this summer.

Proper Equipment

Unless you’re an energy efficiency geek like us, you will be missing some key tools that lead to the most accurate results like an Infrared Camera, Combustion Analyzer, and Manometer. While you might be convincing yourself that you don’t need some of these tools, these are some of the resources a specialist uses to test the safety of your systems- a step you do not want to skip! For example, a Manometer reads the draft of the system and checks to see if the flue gases are leaving the home. A Combustion Analyzer measures ambient carbon monoxide to check what the system is producing and what’s in the air around the system and in the home.

Comprehensive Training

Our Home Energy Specialists have completed more than 128,000 Home Energy Assessments for Massachusetts residents. They have a well-trained eye, the experience to know what to look for, and the certification to understand what they see. YouTube videos and instructional blogs cannot make up for years of hands-on experience in the field and specialized job training that make our specialists, well, specialists! With a DIY assessment, there is the potential for missed opportunities and it will not be as thorough and in-depth as it would be with an expert leading the way.

Incentives and Rebates

As a Mass Save® partner, HomeWorks Energy has access to special energy efficiency rebates and incentives that can only be unlocked after a professional Home Energy Assessment is completed, virtually or in-person. Incentives include up to $2,750 in heating and cooling equipment rebates, 100% off home air sealing, 75% off approved insulation upgrades, no-cost items like programmable thermostats, and 0% financing (up to $25K for 7 years) for energy efficiency improvements. A Home Energy Assessment is no-cost through the Mass Save program, so there’s no reason to skip the generous rebates and incentives offered to Massachusetts residents.

Time and Money

You will save time when you schedule an assessment with HomeWorks Energy, rather than doing it yourself and spending hours researching and trying to interpret what you find. A virtual assessment with HomeWorks Energy typically takes 60-90 minutes and an in-person assessment can take up to 2 hours. It’s complete and thorough and done in a timely manner so that you can get back to your day. Besides, you won’t have to buy any tools that you don’t already have in the garage so it’s a money-saving option, too! The assessment is designed to make energy efficiency easy for homeowners and renters and we’re able to fit into just about any schedule!

Immediate Savings

When a Home Energy Assessment is completed by a HomeWorks Energy specialist, you will have the opportunity to start saving immediately with items like LED light bulbs, energy-efficient showerheads, faucet aerators, programmable thermostats, and advanced power strips. These items are available to you at no-cost through the Mass Save program and are given to you at the end of your assessment. These items will start saving you energy and money immediately, and you won’t even have to go to the store or break out your wallet!

Energy Saving Recommendations

When you sign up for a Home Energy Assessment with HomeWorks Energy, you get expert recommendations at the end of your assessment along with a custom home energy report. Your assigned specialist will tell you how your home is consuming and losing energy, explain their findings, give you recommendations to save energy and money year-round, and show you which incentives and rebates you qualify for through the Mass Save program. There is also time to ask your specialist any questions so that you understand everything clearly and it’s up to you to decide if you want to take any next steps – always no cost and no obligation.

Easy Next Steps

If you decide to go through with updating your cooling equipment with rebates and 0% financing or if you want to take advantage of the 75% off insulation upgrades, it’s an easy transition because HomeWorks Energy is a one-stop-energy-efficiency-shop. You don’t have to look for a contractor or have another company come out to your house for any energy efficiency improvements that you’re interested in. At HomeWorks Energy, we do it all. Whether you’re ready to move forward with next steps right after your assessment or a few weeks later, it’s a simple switch to get the appropriate professionals out to your home to get started so that you can start saving as soon as possible.

We support all of our New England DIYers out there, but let us handle the Home Energy Assessment for you this summer! We live and breathe energy efficiency and it’s what we love to do. We are a Mass Save partner to better serve you, which means we have all of the best rebates and incentives that you need to make energy efficiency affordable. All you have to do is sign up by calling us at (781) 305-3319 or go here for our online scheduler. We’re looking forward to meeting more of our neighbors as we make our planet and your wallet greener!