Seacoast Consulting Engineers is pleased to announce we now perform professional energy audits for homes and businesses. Additionally we provide Energy Star rating services for new homes.

What is a home energy audit?

A home energy audit is the first step to assess how much energy your home consumes and to evaluate what measures you can take to make your home more energy efficient.  An audit will show you problems that may, when corrected, save you significant amounts of money over time.  During the audit, we can pinpoint where your house is losing energy.  Audits also determine the efficiency of your home's heating and cooling systems.

But remember, audits alone don't save energy. You need to implement the recommended improvements! Our energy audit includes an analysis report which summarizes the results of our audit and recommends corrective actions that you or a contractor you hire may correct.

Did you know?

Northern Utilities has a residential energy efficiency program.  If you are a Northern Utilities natural gas customer, they will reimburse you for a professional energy audit and subsequent improvements made to your home.  Simply submit the rebate form, a copy of the audit report, and your receipt and Northern Utilities will reimburse you up to $150 per audit and half the cost of subsequent improvements (up to $1500). 

You can find more information about this program on the Northern Utilities website listed below.  Their rebate offer runs through April 30, 2009, so take advantage of it this winter!

Useful sources of information for homeowners:

U.S. Dept of Energy: Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE)   http://www.eere.energy.gov/consumer/

Energy Star:  U.S. EPA & Dept. of Energy   http://www.energystar.gov, click "Home Improvements"

Northern Utilities:  Residential Energy Efficiency Programs   http://www.northernutilities.com/forhome/NHeneraudit.htm

Home Energy Audit  Fees:

Our fees start at $375 for homes up to 2,500 square feet, (plus $50 for each additional 1,000 square feet) for a comprehensive audit which includes:

* Blower door test to locate and quantify air leakage from the thermal envelope

* Duct Blaster test to diagnose and quantify leakage from the ducts

* Thermographic infrared scanning to evaluate the flow of heat through your home and pinpoint problem spots due to leaks and missing insulation

* A comprehensive inspection of the house from attic to basement to identify issues affecting your home's energy efficiency. Visual inspection of the home will include: doors, windows, walls, attic space, insulation, heating/air conditioning equipment, appliances, and lighting.

* A report summarizing the results of the diagnostic testing, energy efficiency issues that are specific to your home, and outlining your best money-saving improvement opportunities.

Energy Star Rating Service:

In order for a new home to receive the Energy Star rating, our energy specialists need to be involved in all phases of design and construction of the home, including the initial design. 

A "projected" rating can be determined from the builder's drawings as long as the drawings provide adequate details, including window types, wall insulation, etc. During the construction phase of the home, our energy specialists need to monitor and verify quality of installation of insulation, etc in order for the rating to be confirmed. Once the construction of the home has been completed, our energy specialists will perform a typical energy audit to verify the home meets the Energy Star requirements.

The builder qualifies to receive a $2,000 tax credit for building an Energy Star rated home.

For more information about our Energy Star rating program and an estimate of our fee, please call or email Lee at 207-439-1721, ext 2, or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Business Energy Audit:

For more information about energy audits for businesses, including an estimate of our fee, please call or email Lee at 207-439-1721, ext 2, or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .