12.1 Lesson 12 Introduction

Welcome to Lesson 12

In this lesson we will learn what you might expect from a residential home energy audit. You will learn about what things you can do to help reduce your energy costs.  In earlier lessons we learned about your electric use, and how to calculate your usage.  In this lesson we will bring it together with your whole home energy use. 

• Interactive Infographic: U.S. residential energy use breakdown (EIA data) with the End-use Consumption Shares by Type of U.S. Homes, 2015 infographic on this page. Use of energy explained: Energy use in homes
• Read the U.S. Department of Energy Energy Saver “Tips on Saving Money and Energy in your Home""

Learning Objectives

By completing this module, students will be able to:

1. Explain how residential energy use connects to climate change, household budgets, and indoor comfort
2. Identify the three primary pathways of energy loss in buildings (air leakage, insufficient insulation, inefficient equipment)
3. Conduct a no-cost DIY energy audit of their current living space using household items
4. Analyze a utility bill (real or sample) to establish energy consumption baselines
5. Prioritize energy improvements using a simple cost-benefit framework