Home Energy Audits Offer More Than Just Potential Savings on Monthly Bills

HOUSTON, Oct. 7, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The vast majority of homes in the United States are not as energy efficient as they could be, translating into wasted energy and money every month.  Most people want to make their home more efficient but have no idea where to start.  Windows?  Insulation? A new high efficiency heating and cooling system?  

According to MXenergy, a Constellation Company and leading energy provider, a home energy audit is an excellent tool to help homeowners identify key problem areas in their homes and prioritize the most effective solutions.  While home energy assessments can cost several hundred dollars, taking advantage of various government rebates and incentives can frequently more than cover the cost.

"There are tremendous savings available to homeowners on a city, state and federal level," says Marjorie Kass, MXenergy managing director of marketing.  "We encourage all homeowners to search what is available in their city and state and from their local energy provider.  Many times, consumers can not only receive enough money in rebates and incentives to cover the cost of the audit but also funds towards improvements as well."

Home energy audits generally take between two and three hours and can identify key areas of energy loss, evaluate the efficiency of a home's heating and cooling system and offer concrete solutions to seal and insulate the home to maximize efficiency, often resulting in savings of several hundred dollars a year or more.

BGE Home, a Constellation company in Baltimore, Md., offers home performance energy audits to their customers.

"We have had tremendous response to our home energy performance program," says Kevin Klages, president and CEO of BGE Home. "Most homeowners start the process looking simply for a way to save on their monthly bills.  What they discover through our evaluation is not only will they save money but also improve their indoor air quality, humidity, ventilation and their family's comfort level as well."

Kass says, regardless of a homeowner's goal for the audit, if they want to maximize savings it is crucial to act now.  "Each of the individual programs has its own expiration date and the federal incentives expire at the end of 2011.  Now is the time to act if you want to reap the benefits of all of the available programs."

MXenergy, through their On Demand cable channel, MXenergyTV, provides viewers with an in-depth look at what the home energy audit process entails.  "Home Energy Check-up" can be found in the MXTV archives at http://mxenergy.com/mxenergytv-video-archive.html and BGE Home offers extensive information about the home energy audit process at http://www.bgehome.com/esc_perfomance_audit.php#what. For a comprehensive list of energy saving programs by region, homeowners can visit www.energysavvy.com.

About MXenergy

MXenergy, a Constellation company, is one of the fastest growing retail natural gas and electricity suppliers in North America, serving approximately 500,000 customers in 41 utility territories in the United States and Canada. For over 11 years, the company has provided millions of customers with a choice in how they purchase energy to run their homes and businesses.  Founded in 1999 to provide natural gas and electricity to consumers in deregulated energy markets, MXenergy helps residential customers and small business owners control their energy bills by providing both fixed and variable rate plans. MXenergy is committed to best practices in environmental conservation, supporting local communities through various outreach programs and is a member of the Chicago Climate Exchange.  For more information about MXenergy please visit www.mxenergy.com.

About Constellation Energy

Constellation Energy is a leading competitive supplier of power, natural gas and energy products and services for homes and businesses across the continental United States. It owns a diversified fleet of generating units, totaling approximately 12,000 megawatts of generating capacity, and is a leading advocate for clean, environmentally sustainable energy sources, such as solar power and nuclear energy. The company delivers electricity and natural gas through the Baltimore Gas and Electric Company (BGE), its regulated utility in Central Maryland. A FORTUNE 500 company headquartered in Baltimore, Constellation Energy had revenues of $14.3 billion in 2010.

SOURCE MXenergy