Invest Wisely with an Energy Audit

By Sara Vinson, Sustainable Newton Co-Founder

My husband and I contracted with Energy Consulting Services to perform an energy audit of our home earlier this summer, and the findings were totally unexpected. We thought we knew our house and its weak spots in terms of energy efficiency/loss. However, the audit revealed problems we were unaware of and could not have discovered on our own. The information from the energy audit will guide improvements we plan to make over the coming months.

​We were inspired to pursue the audit by my involvement with Sustainable Newton's Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) Committee, which is working to make the home energy financial incentives of the IRA more understandable and accessible for Newton County residents.

The new law offers tax credits for a number of home improvements, such as electric heat pumps and water heaters, induction cooking, solar panels, EV charging, and weatherization.  But the U.S. Department of Energy recommends you start with an energy audit for your home. This process will identify trouble areas in your home and is recommended before contracting with insulation, window and HVAC installers.

Our committee has screened a number of energy audit companies serving our area and worked with ECS to develop a special deal for Sustainable Newton members/followers. For a limited time, ECS will offer $300 home energy audits for homes that are less than 5,000 square feet and $400 energy audits for homes between 5,000 and 7,000 square feet. The price is a $150 savings! Plus, home energy audits qualify for a 30 percent tax credit under the Inflation Reduction Act.
  
The final report from each audit will provide lists of best and good recommendations for improvements, giving homeowners a range of options for making their homes more comfortable and more energy-efficient.
 
Audits under this special pricing will be scheduled for either Monday, October 23, or Monday, November 6. Additional dates will be added as needed. To schedule your audit, contact Shane Matteson of ECS at 404-931-9593 or [email protected]. To get the special rate, be sure to mention Sustainable Newton! 
 
Homeowners with a larger home (7,000+ square feet) or those interested in a more extensive report that includes photos of specific trouble areas can contact ECS to discuss those options as well. 

To learn more about available IRA tax credits, check out this concise overview from Our Climate Moment. To learn which tax credits your household qualifies for, try out Rewiring America's interactive calculator.

Please share this opportunity with friends and let us know if you have any questions.