Home energy audits: what online tools can and can't tell you

Online tools, including ours, can do arithmetic on your bills: your price per kWh, how much you use per day, how this bill compares with the last one, and what a specific appliance costs to run. They can't see inside your home. No online tool can tell from a monthly bill which appliance used the electricity, whether your insulation is adequate or where air is leaking. Those answers need someone in the house, and measuring them needs diagnostic equipment.

What each kind of check can establish

One bill: useful, but limited

A single bill gives you an average across the whole month and the whole house. Our bill check uses it to work out your price per kWh and daily use, then lists what's worth checking based on what you tell us about your home. It frames those as possibilities, not findings, because the bill alone can't confirm them. If you're asking why a bill changed, the bill comparison splits the change into usage, price, billing days and other charges.

Twelve months: ENERGY STAR's Home Energy Yardstick

ENERGY STAR's free Home Energy Yardstick takes your last 12 months of utility bills, adjusts for local weather, home size and the number of occupants, and scores your home from 1 to 10 against national survey data. ENERGY STAR is clear about its limits: it is not meant to replace a home energy audit, it can't pinpoint causes, and data for apartments may not give a valid comparison.

Your utility's free tools

• FPL: Energy Manager is free and shows when, where and how your home uses energy. Its Energy Simulator needs FPL's free online Energy Survey, which gives personalized tips. See FPL resources.
• JEA: JEA's free efficiency assessment starts with a review of your usage, then a representative does an in-home walk-through of habits and equipment for both energy and water. JEA's page says no diagnostic equipment is used, and it doesn't say who qualifies; call 665-6000 to ask or to schedule. See JEA resources.

When a professional audit is the right step

Consider paying for an in-home audit that uses diagnostic equipment when:

• You're about to spend real money on heating and cooling equipment, insulation or ductwork, and want measurements first.
• Some rooms are uncomfortable, or the system runs constantly, and the free steps haven't helped.
• Your bills stay high after the habits and settings in your plan are already in place.

Some utility rebates also require specific contractors. FPL's $200 air-conditioning rebate requires an FPL Participating Independent Contractor, and its $220 ceiling insulation rebate requires existing insulation below R-8 and an FPL contractor. JEA's attic insulation and heating-and-cooling rebates require a JEA pre-qualified contractor. Check the program terms before you hire anyone.

We don't refer you to auditors or contractors, and we don't receive anything from any. When you talk to one, ask what they will measure and with what equipment, ask for a sample report, and ask whether they also sell the upgrades they recommend.

Tax credits and future rebates

The federal Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit (25C) included up to $150 for a home energy audit, but the IRS says the credit is not allowed for property placed in service after December 31, 2025, following Public Law 119-21. Don't plan around it for 2026.

Florida's federally funded HOMES and HEEHR rebate programs haven't launched; the state's Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services says they are expected to launch in the future. HOMES is aimed at upgrades predicted to save at least 20%, which means the savings have to be estimated in advance. Our rebates page tracks what's verified.

How to prepare for an assessment or an online survey

1. Gather 12 months of bills or your utility's usage history. JEA's bill shows 13 months of consumption, and FPL's Energy Manager shows when and how your home uses energy.
2. Work out kWh per day for a hot month, a mild month and a cool month.
3. List your major equipment: how the home is heated and cooled, the water heater, and anything like a pool pump, an electric vehicle or a second fridge or freezer.
4. Write down comfort problems: rooms that are too hot or too cold, drafts, or a system that seems to run constantly.
5. Note your thermostat settings and schedule.
6. Prepare your questions: what will be checked, what you'll receive afterwards, and how any savings estimates are worked out.

Turning recommendations into decisions

Treat each recommendation as something to price, not something to buy. Get the installed cost in writing, subtract only the incentives you've confirmed apply to you (see verified rebates), and estimate the kWh a year it would save. Value those kWh at the price of the next kWh on your bill, then run the payback calculator. Do the no-cost changes first, so later estimates start from how you'll actually use the home.

If a recommendation involves equipment covered by a utility rebate, such as FPL's A/C or ceiling insulation rebates or JEA's heating and cooling rebate, check which contractors qualify before you collect quotes. Those programs require participating or pre-qualified contractors.

A sensible order

1. Do the free arithmetic: bill check, then compare bills if one jumped.
2. Look at 12 months of bills and your utility's usage tools to see when and in which seasons you use the most.
3. Ask your utility about a free walk-through.
4. Before a big purchase, get measurements, then check the numbers with the upgrade payback calculator.