Hi Neighbors,

Thanks for all of the responses on this. I've done a fair amount of research on this and will try to share some of what I've learned.

First of all, anyone interested in knowing more about Energy Audits should look at the PA Home Energy web site at http://www.pahomeenergy.com/ The site has a lot of good information and if you click on the link Find a qualified service provider you'll get a few responses and may even hear from one of their trainers who will help you understand the process and will do whatever he can to verify that you will be getting an audit that follows Energy Star standards. The guy who called me was great and very helpful. In addition, the web site has a PDF file of approved "Energy Star" Service Providers.

Another resource is an article written by one of our neighbors: "Hi Claudette: I did a story on this: Check out: http://www.wqed.org/ondemand/onq.php?cat=&id=55&search=energy Hope this helps. Pierina Morelli"

Here are the recommendations various people made:

1. By far the most often recommended was: Conservation Consultants, Inc. (CCI) on the South Side. They are a non-profit group. Phone number: 412-431-4449. Web site: http://ccicenter.org/ They are on the PA Energy Audit Provider List.

2. "Michael Ashburn (http://www.ashburnhomeinspections.com/Home_Page.html) also does residential energy audits in this area. He provided us with a very thorough home inspection when we bought our house this spring and included lots of energy improvement tips during his inspection and in the report." When I called Michael, he was very friendly and provided me with lots of information. However, he is not on the PA Energy Audit Provider List.

3. "i know michael merck is great. i use him at work, reasonable pricing and very informative!"
http://www.westpennenergyaudits.com When I talked to this Michael (of West Penn Energy Audits), he, too, was very friendly and informative. He is also a contractor and can do the work he recommends. He is on the approved list.

4. "Envinity (http://envinity.com/index.html), specialize in residential and commericial energy auditing and provide Energy Star home certification for new construction. They are based in State College, PA
but work in this area." While this company will do audits in the area, it's very expensive unless they have other jobs that help pay for their travel time.

5. I called a couple of others on the Provider list and got the following. The second one provides a fairly complete outline of what to expect in an audit:

From Tom Branch at Comfy House (412-423-9034): "While 'walk through evaluations' to point out obvious energy wasters start at $75.00, PA Home Energy Audits start at $350.00 and increase with the size and complexity of the structure. Safety is a major concern with all home energy conservation measures. Our advanced techniques enable us to predict how much we can tweak your homes energy performance, while improving healthy ventilation and reducing dust levels. These audits are about increasing comfort while preparing for an expensive energy future. In many cases we can help you bring old homes up to nearly new energy standards."

From Rob Hosken at Building Performance Architecture (412-576-3743): "As you requested, I have written a summary of what you will receive when you hire Building Performance Architecture to perform an energy audit of your home. Building Performance Architecture is uniquely positioned among energy audit providers, giving unbiased, professional recommendations for improving the energy efficiency of your home. As an architecture firm, BPA brings a well-rounded view of energy-efficient building science to each energy audit, without feeling the need to recommend one type of improvement over another based on profit motive. A Building Performance Architecture residential energy audit includes the following:

- Generation of reports showing existing energy use and potential future energy cost savings based on improvement “packages”
- Report on energy & financial rate of return, or “Savings-to-Investment Ratio,” of improvements & improvement packages

Unfortunately, public utilities do NOT provide Energy Audits for free. To get an Energy Star audit (versus a simple "visual" or "walk-through" audit), you will need to spend anywhere from $200 to $500 (the range is due to a variety of factors including equipment used). The basic "state-of-the-art" equipment includes something called a "blower door" (you can find many explanations online) and some kind of computerized reporting.

The GOOD NEWS, however, is that currently CCI has a grant that helps pay for work done after an audit. They charge $400 for an Energy Star audit and if you then spend $500 on following through on their recommendations, they REBATE THE ENTIRE $400!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I couldn't resist, so I have my audit scheduled for later this month.

I will let you all know how it goes.

Claudette