DIY home energy audit: a room-by-room checklist

Before you start: gather your baseline

Pull the last 12 months of electricity and fuel bills. Most utilities show monthly usage in an online account. Note the highest and lowest months. A big winter spike points to heating losses; a big summer spike points to cooling and possibly poor attic insulation or ductwork in a hot attic.

Tools that help:

• A plug-in electricity usage meter for measuring appliances
• A bright flashlight and a stepladder
• A thin strip of tissue paper or a damp hand for feeling drafts
• A tape measure or ruler for insulation depth
• An optional infrared thermometer for spotting cold surfaces

Pick a cold, windy day if you can. Drafts are far easier to feel when the temperature difference is large.

The room-by-room checklist

Attic

• Measure insulation depth in several spots. If you can see the tops of the ceiling joists, you almost certainly need more.
• Look for dark, dusty patches in the insulation. They mark spots where air is leaking up from the house and the insulation is filtering it.
• Check around plumbing vents, wiring holes, recessed lights, chimneys and the attic hatch for open gaps.
• Confirm bathroom and kitchen fans vent outdoors, not into the attic.

Safety: step only on joists or boards. If you see loose, grey-brown, pebble-like insulation, it could be vermiculite, which may contain asbestos. Do not disturb it; have it tested by a professional.

Living areas and bedrooms

• Run a tissue strip slowly around window frames, door frames, baseboards and electrical outlets on exterior walls. Movement means a leak.
• Check that windows close and latch tightly and that weatherstripping is intact.
• Count bulbs that are not LED.
• Note rooms that are always too hot or too cold. That can signal duct problems or missing wall insulation.

Kitchen and laundry

• Check the fridge door seal: close it on a sheet of paper. If it slides out easily, the gasket may need replacing.
• Look at the dryer vent: it should be short, rigid or semi-rigid, and clear of lint.
• Measure an older refrigerator or freezer with your power meter over 24 hours.

Basement, crawlspace and utility room

• Inspect the rim joist, where the house framing sits on the foundation. It is one of the leakiest spots in many homes.
• Look for duct joints wrapped only in cloth duct tape, which tends to fail. Disconnected or leaky ducts in unheated spaces waste a lot of heat.
• Check the water heater temperature. Many are set hotter than needed.
• Note the age of the furnace, boiler, or air conditioner and when the filter was last changed.

Home office and entertainment areas

• Use your meter on TV setups, game consoles, computers, and chargers when they are "off." These standby loads run all year.

Worked example: what your findings are worth

Measurements turn vague hunches into dollar figures. Here are two common findings, using electricity at $0.17/kWh, close to the 2025 US residential average reported by the US Energy Information Administration.

An old second fridge in the garage. Your meter shows it uses 2.2 kWh per day.

2.2 kWh × 365 days = 803 kWh a year × $0.17 = about $137 a year

If that fridge holds only drinks, unplugging it is free money.

Ten old 60-watt bulbs, used three hours a day. Equivalent LEDs draw about 9 watts, saving 51 watts each.

10 bulbs × 51 W × 3 hours × 365 days = 558,450 Wh = 558 kWh × $0.17 = about $95 a year

Heating and cooling losses are harder to measure at home, but they are usually the largest opportunity. Our home energy score tool helps estimate where your biggest losses are likely to be.

Ranking what you find

Not every fix is worth the same. Sort your list by cost and likely impact.

When to call a professional

A DIY audit finds the obvious problems. A professional energy assessment finds the hidden ones. According to the US Department of Energy, a professional assessment typically includes a room-by-room inspection plus tools such as a blower door, which depressurizes the house to exaggerate leaks, and an infrared camera that shows missing insulation inside walls.

Consider a professional audit if:

• You are planning a major upgrade such as a heat pump or rooftop solar.
• Your bills seem high but you cannot find an obvious cause.
• You have fuel-burning appliances and plan significant air sealing. A pro can test for safe venting.
• Your utility or local program subsidizes audits. Many do; check our incentives page.

Carbon monoxide: if you have any fuel-burning appliance or an attached garage, make sure you have working carbon monoxide alarms. This matters even more once you start sealing air leaks.

Turn your findings into a plan

Group your fixes into three buckets: do this weekend (weatherstripping, LEDs, unplugging), do this season (attic air sealing, duct sealing, insulation), and plan for later (equipment replacement, windows, solar). Re-check your bills a year later against your baseline, adjusting for weather.

The US Department of Energy's home energy assessment guidance covers both DIY and professional options. For more ways to cut costs after your audit, see how to lower your electric bill.

This guide is general information, not financial, tax or engineering advice. Prices and incentives change — confirm with qualified local professionals and official program sources. See our methodology and disclosures.