DIY home energy audit
Walk through your home room by room and get a prioritized checklist of energy savings, with sources for every recommendation.
1 of 10 ยท Attic
How much insulation does your attic have?
Work through each question in order. The tool covers ten check areas: attic insulation, draft sealing around doors and windows, your HVAC filter, thermostat habits, water heater temperature, lighting, electronics on standby, refrigerator age, window coverings, and laundry habits.
Answer based on what you actually know about your home. "Good" means the area is well managed and unlikely to offer much additional saving. "Fair" means there is room to improve. "Poor" means it is an immediate priority. If you are not sure, pick "fair" and treat the result as a prompt to investigate further.
The checklist that appears at the end is sorted by severity first (poor items come first), then by impact within each severity band. Each item links directly to the relevant US Department of Energy or ENERGY STAR page so you can read the full guidance before taking action.
Heating and cooling improvements tend to have the highest impact in most US homes. If your attic has little insulation or your HVAC filter has not been changed in over a year, those are usually the first things worth addressing. Lighting and standby power improvements are lower cost and still worth doing, but the energy savings are smaller.
Each check area has three answer options (good, fair, poor) based on thresholds from the US Department of Energy and ENERGY STAR guidance. Only fair and poor answers appear in the results checklist. Items are sorted by severity (poor first), then by an impact rating of 1 to 3 assigned to each area. Savings notes quote the source guidance directly; no dollar figures are invented. Source links are included on every result item.
Full formulas and data sources are on the methodology page.
Frequently asked questions
- How long does this audit take?
- The 10-question checklist takes about two minutes to complete. You answer one question per check area, and the tool immediately generates a prioritized list of improvements when you finish.
- Do I need any equipment to do this audit?
- No equipment is required. The questions are designed to be answered from memory or with a quick look around your home. For some checks, such as water heater temperature or attic insulation depth, a quick inspection may help you answer more accurately.
- Are the savings figures guarantees?
- No. The savings notes reference published guidance from the US Department of Energy and ENERGY STAR. Actual savings depend on your home, climate, utility rates, and how thoroughly each improvement is implemented. They are guides for prioritization, not quotes.