Q: We have a house built in 1850, and I’d love to know where it is and is not insulated. I can’t find a rental center that rents infrared cameras. Any suggestions?
— D. Clay, Richfield
A: You can rent thermal imaging cameras online, but they’re expensive. Besides, you’re not getting the expertise that a pro can bring to the camera’s use, noted Karl S. Balla, a consultant with Energy Pros of Ohio who has worked as an energy rater.
The camera will show you where heat is being lost, but it won’t show you why. For example, a cold wall might be caused by missing insulation, but it also might be due to insulation that’s ineffective because it got wet at some point, Balla said.
Figuring out the cause of air leaks and heat loss can require a knowledge of building science and a bit of detective work. You might be better off hiring an energy rater or energy auditor to perform an energy audit of your home. Or you could ask an energy auditor if he or she would just assess your home with the camera, not do a full-blown audit.
Not all energy auditors use thermal imaging cameras, so ask first.
Q: I am looking for companies that do home inspections for leakage in doors and windows. Can you give me contact info for this job?
— Armond Boyes, Stow
A: You’re referring to home energy audits. Here are a few places where you can search for an energy auditor or rater:
• The Residential Energy Services Network’s website, http://resnet.us./find-a-certified-auditor-rater.
• The federal government’s Energy Star website, http://tinyurl.com/energyauditors.
• The Yellow Pages, under Energy Management & Conservation Consultants.
However, if you’re a customer of either Dominion East Ohio or Ohio Edison, you can take advantage of those companies’ discounted home energy audits.
Dominion contracts with GoodCents to offer audits for $50. You can read more about Dominion’s Home Performance with Energy Star program at http://tinyurl.com/dominionaudit, or call 877-287-3416.
Ohio Edison contracts with Honeywell to offer audits for $100. Read more about the program at http://energysaveohio.com (click on “Energy Audit”). You can schedule an audit at 888-243-6808.
Q: Will I save anything by using the budget plan through Dominion for my natural gas? I have always paid the regular monthly bill because I didn’t want to give them money ahead of time. How do they figure the amounts?
— R.G., Hudson
A: Utilizing budget billing through Dominion helps spread out your gas costs over a year. It does not save you money or change the amount you’ll eventually pay. It’s a budgeting tool that helps you avoid high bills in the winter, when your usage is highest. Dominion calculates your budget amount by reviewing your consumption history and estimating future gas bills based on weather and pricing. The budget amount is reviewed in November, and your account is trued up in May. Dominion monitors budget account balances each month and will adjust your monthly payment if necessary to avoid a large May true-up.
Ideally, account balances begin building up credits leading into the winter months to account for high winter usage. If you begin budget billing just before winter, your budget amount will be higher since the target is to arrive at a zero balance in May. You can cancel budget billing at any time and also ask for a budget review.
While we are discussing budget billing, Ohio Edison only offers budget billing on its own portion of the bill, or about half of the bill, if you buy your electricity from another provider. That even includes FirstEnergy’s own subsidiary, FirstEnergy Solutions. Spokesman Mark Durbin said the company is not required to offer budget billing for competitors. “The rationale when electric choice was implemented was the generation suppliers wanted to be made whole every month, rather than only be given a budgeted amount,” he said.
Questions answered by Beacon Journal home writer Mary Beth Breckenridge and consumer columnist Betty Lin-Fisher.