Get matched with top energy efficiency auditors in Minot, ND

While parts of the appraisal are out of your control, there are some things you can do to potentially raise the home’s value. You can make necessary repairs and upgrades before the appraiser visits—an appraiser can only value what is currently part of the home, not its potential. You can also provide the appraiser with the cost of recent upgrades. The appraiser will likely increase the value of your home by about 50% or more of what you paid for those improvements.

Motion-sensor lights use one watt while on standby and five watts while turned on. They’re usually on for one hour over a 24-hour period, bringing the total wattage to about 28 watts per day. LED lights use around 6.5 to 8 watts while on. If you leave an LED light on all night, with night ranging from 10 to 14 hours, you’re looking at using 65 to 112 watts a night. You can minimally cut your wattage in half by switching to a motion-sensor light.

Window AC units use a fair amount of electricity during use, but the usage pales in comparison to central units. As a matter of fact, window units use around a third of the amount of energy as a central AC. On average, a window air conditioner costs between $15 and $40 per month to run, though this depends on a number of external factors.

Audits typically take 2-4 hours, depending on the property size and energy systems.