Over the last month I have solicited input from areas where home energy audits are used extensively. This was done through a nationwide online forum for construction professionals that I am a member of. Most of the feedback came from Canada, Alaska, and California.
The feedback I received indicates that the primary focus of energy audits in these areas is not on a single-number energy rating, but instead is a series of recommendations to the homeowner on what to fix/improve. The tools used include proprietary software and processes.
There appear to be some serious problems with energy audits implemented along these lines. First, the construction professionals who responded, who also tend to be individuals versed in building science were highly critical of the quality of the improvement recommendations. They felt that some of these energy auditors were making recommendations that could actually harm the structure by trapping moisture. Secondarily, they felt the recommendations were not prioritized properly or spelled out correctly because the auditors, in general, had no experience with real-world construction.
The second problem was a matter of corruption. Many of the auditors also owned companies that would implement the recommendations, or they would get a kickback for referring the owners to certain contractors. This in turn, would affect their recommendations. For example, they would state something like "The first thing you should do is tear out all your historic wood windows and replace them with vinyl windows. And I can give you a great window contractor that can handle all that for you". When the reality was that inexpensive storm windows might have been far more cost effective.
This type of thing was happening even in locales that banned auditors from making referrals.
I think the solution to these problems is to implement a program that has a single-number industry-standard energy rating as its primary deliverable. The homeowner would then have to consult with a contractor or another party for specific improvement recommendations as a separate process. These recommendations should NOT be part of the official, mandatory energy-rating process.
Although that seems to place an additional burden on the owner who is trying to improve energy efficiency, by requiring them to get more parties involved, this is the only way IMO to minimize corruption and ineptitude in the official program.
In summary, I believe a mandatory energy-rating process should generate a single, numeric, industry-standard energy efficiency score as its only deliverable. That number should be produced by a credentialed, licensed energy rating professional who does not make home improvement recommendations as part of the process.
