Let me first point out that I would absolutely love to win this giveaway. Unfortunately, I'm not eligible to enter. But, for you, my glorious readers, I have arranged with Pro Energy Consultants, the only national energy auditing company, to perform a FREE energy audit on the home of one lucky winner.
A professional energy audit (which usually costs $350 and up) can pinpoint where your home is "leaking" energy and tell you what steps you can take to live greener and save money. If you've been suffering along at low indoor temperatures in the Freeze Yer Buns Challenge, fixing those leaks can help you stay much more comfortable at a lower thermostat setting.
An energy audit can help pinpoint the reasons why you maybe be experiencing any one or more of the top three building performance problems: comfort issues (such as rooms difficult to heat or cool), excessive energy usage issues (high utility bills) and poor indoor air quality issues (excessive humidity or constantly dusty rooms).
By identifying where a home is leaking energy and what improvements will make the home more comfortable and energy efficient, an audit can help you can lower energy bills and reduce your carbon footprint.For more information about the home energy audit services provided for this giveaway you can check them out here. It's the full meal deal including installing a blower door and using infrared to determine where you need help. A detailed energy audit report including an explanation of their findings and suggestions for improvements, based on your budget, your goals and your interest in some DIY fun, wraps up the giveaway.
The Giveaway
The winner of this giveaway will get a free home energy audit. A few days after the energy audit, the winner will receive a list of prioritized, recommended improvements to make their home more comfortable and energy efficient.
To Enter
1. You must be a U.S. resident
2. Your house must not exceed 5,000 square feet (snicker).
3. You must live in one of the following cities/markets:
Austin, TX
Boston, MA
Waynesboro, VA (near Richmond)
Chicago, IL
Cincinnati, OH
Cleveland-Akron, OH
Columbus, OH
Denver, CO
Detroit, MI
Greenville-Spartanburg, SC
Kansas City, MO
Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN
Nashville, TN
Phoenix, AZ
South Bend, IN
Tampa, FL
Topeka, KS
Washington, D.C.
Updated! New cities added 3/7/10
Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX
Dayton, OH
Des Moines, IA
Evansville, IN
Philadelphia, PA
Piscataway, NJ
Portage, IN (northwest area of IN)
Reno, NV
Richmond, VA
St. Louis, MO
Tulsa, OK
[If you are not sure whether or not you are in a participating market, you can use this zip code finder tool to see if you qualify for the cities listed above.]
4. To enter, leave a comment on this post letting me know your zipcode and your biggest home energy concern (like leaky doors and drafty windows) by midnight PST, Friday, March 11th.
Good luck!!
Note: If your city isn't listed above, check back later this week as I may be adding additional participating cities to the list. I'll announce them on Facebook and Twitter as well.
i would love this - my doors are so leaky, one has such a wide gap at the bottom ....i have no idea how one might find a solution for it
ReplyDelete61701
I'm not entering the contest, but I thought I'd comment real quick on the audits. We just had one done in December. It took about 1-1/2 hours and they used fancy infrared cameras and things to evaluate the situation. the biggest problems were identified by inspection that could be done ourselves (with a bit of research), but the testing was quite comprehensive. There are also significant tax and rebate incentives for having your house then upgraded to meet the audit. Now, the costs there are significant and in Maryland you must use a contractor from the list of blessed ones and you must have a formal audit (which is costly). Just for readers info, our audit was $400 (yikes!) but $100 rebate on that, they recommended repairs that come to about $3000 and about $1700 of that have State rebates available, there is a $500 tax credit (which I haven't researched yet), then we have to prove the repairs work, which is another $175 - $150 rebate. So, making the audit really worthwhile for us will cost about $1500. For those who are handy or don't have the money to spend required to get the rebates, the dept of energy offers detailed info about auditing your home yourself online.
ReplyDeleteJust a minute here...Waynesboro, Va...? Almost my entire family lives there! It is closer to Charlottesville, Va than Richmond, that's for sure! I found it kinda funny to see it mentioned with all those *big* cities as Waynesboro is rather small in comparison.
ReplyDeleteI am, unfortunately, not close to any of the cities mentioned...but just had to comment on my hometown being included in such company! I will share this with friends still living there, however!
Oh my goodness, what an awesome giveaway! I live at 29640 near Greenville, SC. I am concerned most about our windows.
ReplyDeleteWe live in 85139, just south of Phoenix. Some of our rooms are difficult to heat/cool and our house is so dusty all the time.
ReplyDeleteWOW! Just when I think you've done the best giveaway ever you prove me wrong! Thank you, Crunchy! My zip code is 54016 and I'd say the biggest concern here is uncertainty about the quality or adequacy of our insulation ... walls, attic, etc. are just kind of mysteries and I'd love help figuring them out.
ReplyDeleteDarn it! I desperately need one but here we are - no where near any of the listed cities! :(
ReplyDeleteMy zip code is 66547. I am less than 30 miles from Topeka, KS. I tried putting in my zip code, but it just gave me a screen that asked for my contact info. I'm not sure if this means I'm in that market or not?
ReplyDeleteAnyways, this would be fabulous. I know we need new windows, siding, etc. but we can't afford to do it right now. I'm hoping to find some more inexpensive ways to make our home more energy efficient.
Thanks! Melissa
Great prize, I love the idea of winning something that can save me money!
ReplyDeleteI don't live in one of the areas but I believe many electric companies will offer these audits for free. We had a very extensive one done (including analysis of our energy bills and where we can save money) and it didn't cost us a penny. People should call their energy companies and see what they offer.
ReplyDeleteMy zip code is 23102 (near Richmond, VA). It is so funny this comes up right now. My wife went to the Richmond Home and Garden show this past Saturday and brought home a flyer and a business card for ProEnergy Consultants. We just moved to this home in June and were disturbed at the electric bills in the winter. We know some of the doors and windows are not sealed as good as they could be. We both agreed the money to do the audit would be money that we would quickly recover. But winning it and not having the initial expense would be even better! Come on...winner, winner, chicken dinner!
ReplyDeleteI live in 43202, Columbus OH! My biggest issue is walls. I know the plaster and lathe is lacking in insulation because I can actually feel wind through some of them!
ReplyDeleterachel AT houndsinthekitchen DOT com
Our zip code is 20106 in the greater Washington DC area. Our biggest concern would be the windows as most of them are original to the house (1976) and some of them are clearly losing or have lost their seals.
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty sure I'm in the Boston market, though that search page seems to give no info w/o filling in more info.
ReplyDeleteI would LOVE an audit, I have some guesses as to where we loose energy, but I would love to hear from a specialist
I don't live anywhere near these areas...bummer! But what a great giveaway!
ReplyDeleteI live in 43219 in Columbus, OH! My biggest concern is the noticeable temperature difference between the upstairs and downstairs. During the summer the upper floor never cools unless there is frost on the lower level. It should be raining in the stairway.
ReplyDeleteOkay, after this winter, I'm convinced this would do us some good! I'm in Minneapolis, 55418, and our biggest issue is just figuring out where to even start. Our house was built in the 50s and seems to leak cold air everywhere, so prioritizing what would do us the most good on a small budget is tough.
ReplyDelete--Angela
Zip 23231. Our house is 60 years old with two enclosed porches and lots of leaky doors and windows I'm afraid.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI would love to in on this give away! I live in Loveland OH (45140) and my home is over 100yrs old. Due to its age and the additions that have been added over the years (before we purchased it), we are unsure how much insulation it has. The doors are older and do not seal well. We heat predominately with wood and keep the temp around 55... and do our best to live as sustainably as possible but would love to check the house for it's energy efficiency!
ReplyDeleteHi Melissa Anderson -- I'm the PR agency working with Pro Energy Consultants on this giveaway. Yes, you would be close enough to the Topeka area to qualify for this contest. And just a quick word about thinking you may need new windows: This is a common misperception. It's usually the caulking around windows that's the issue. That's why an energy audit is always the best first step to learn how to make a home more energy efficient. It will pinpoint where your house is leaking energy and give you a list of prioritized, recommended improvements.
ReplyDeleteJeff PIzzino, APR
www.pizzinovations.com
64118 (KC/Gladstone, MO)
ReplyDeleteI've got great windows but I think foundation shifting has caused some leaks around my windows :(
47460 - south central Indiana. I hope we are close enough to Evansville to count. I'm worried about a lack of insulation, and improperly installed insulation. In addition to older windows, and an addition.
ReplyDelete85379 - Surprise, AZ. My biggest concern is insulation and leaky windows (my seals have failed). I was going to have an audit done through my utility company, but this would be better. :)
ReplyDelete-Melanie
Hi Anonymous from Surprise,
ReplyDeletePro Energy's PR agency here. The Phoenix franchise is an approved vendor with both SRP and APS.
- jeff
"Yay! There is a Detroit location. My zip code is 48170. We have lots of issues but my biggest concerns are windows, roof/attic,... and air quality. Thanks for a fantastic giveaway, Crunchy!"
ReplyDeleteWow! This would be great. My daughters' room gets so hot in the summer that they can't sleep in it.... really horribly hot. We tried installing solar screens. It didn't help. 78731
ReplyDeleteoh! Mememememe!
ReplyDeleteI'm a little afraid to hear where our weak spots are, but it would be good for us.
55407
That was me! I was so excited I forgot to put my name! (55407)
ReplyDeleteWoot, woot! My town is on the list. While we have replaced the roof, insulation, furnace, and many windows in our 1912 house, all the exterior doors are odd sizes to they have not been replaced and are definitely energy sappers. You can just feel the cold air come in around them. I'm curious what other areas we could work on as well.
ReplyDeleteI have a crawl space with HVAC heating ducts running through it her in 07722, Colts Neck NJ. I would love to find something to insulate the ducts and the floor above it.
ReplyDeleteI hope I am selected. My wife is planning a visit from that company in the next week or two. Sure would be nice to make it FREE! Zip code 23102, outside Richmond, VA.
ReplyDeletePick me in Denver (80113)! Though I'm almost afraid of what I'd find out. We've wanted to do this for so long, but the cost has kept us from it. I'm sure we have leaky windows. Possibly the attic too. Yow.
ReplyDelete80127 Yay Denver! Our biggest concern is improper wall insulation.
ReplyDeleteDrafty windows are our problem! My zip is 20902.
ReplyDeleteAnother Denver! 80232. Biggest concern is exterior walls.
ReplyDeleteI'm in the Kansas City market; zip is 64012.
ReplyDeleteI think the biggest energy concern in our home is our windows.
I live in 02445, just outside of Boston. It would be great to have a thorough audit! I'm most concerned about my windows.
ReplyDelete