Energy Audit - Do it Yourself Guide

Energy Star Home Energy Yardstick

Assess the energy efficiency of your home and see how it measures up. EPA’s Home Energy Yardstick provides a simple assessment of your home’s annual energy use compared to similar homes. By answering a few basic questions about your home, you can get the following:

  • Your home’s Home Energy Yardstick score (on a scale of 0 to 10)
  • Insights into how much of your home’s energy use is related to heating and cooling versus other everyday uses like appliances, lighting, and hot water
  • Links to guidance from Energy Star on how to increase your home’s score, improve comfort, and lower utility bills
  • An estimate of your home’s annual carbon emissions

Learn more about how the Home Energy Yardstick works on their website.

Getting Started

To calculate your Yardstick score, all you need is the following basic information about your home:

  • A list of all the different fuels used in your home (e.g, electricity, natural gas, fuel oil)
  • Number of full time home occupants
  • Your home’s last 12 months of utility bills (usually found in the 12 month summary provided on your bill or through a Green Button file)
  • Your home’s square footage
  • Your ZIP code

Having trouble with the Home Energy Yardstick? Contact us by emailing Home Yardstick.