Four assessment types cover nearly everything that can go wrong with a home. Here is what each one actually involves, what the assessor is looking for, and when it earns its fee.
An energy audit measures how — and where — your home wastes energy. The centerpiece is a blower-door test: a calibrated fan depressurizes the house so the auditor can measure total air leakage and trace individual drafts. A thermal-imaging camera then makes missing insulation and hidden gaps visible as cold or hot spots on walls and ceilings.
A good audit also reviews insulation levels in the attic and walls, checks ductwork for leakage, and looks at how your windows, doors, and mechanical equipment contribute to the bills. The deliverable is a prioritized plan: which fixes save the most per dollar spent, in what order.
WHEN: high bills, drafty or uneven rooms, before an efficiency projectMeasured air leakage for the whole house, with the biggest leaks located.
Missing insulation and hidden gaps made visible, room by room.
Attic and wall insulation depth, plus duct leakage and condition.
Fixes ranked by savings per dollar, so you start with the winners.
Your roof, siding, and drainage are the envelope that keeps water out — and water is the most expensive thing that gets in. An exterior inspection examines shingle condition, flashing around chimneys and vents, and the state of gutters and downspouts, then follows the water down: is the ground graded so runoff flows away from the foundation, or toward it?
Inside, the assessor checks the attic for daylight, stains, and ventilation problems, because most roof failures announce themselves there first. The goal is to catch small failures — a lifted shingle, a clogged downspout — while they are still cheap.
WHEN: every 2–3 years, after major storms, before buying or sellingShingles, penetrations, and the seals around chimneys, vents, and skylights.
Clogs, slope, and downspouts that discharge far enough from the house.
Cracks, rot, failed caulk, and anywhere water can slip behind the envelope.
Stains, daylight, moisture, and airflow — the early-warning zone for leaks.
A systems checkup looks at the equipment your home depends on every day: the furnace or heat pump, air conditioning, water heater, and electrical panel. The assessor evaluates each against its age, measured performance, and typical service life — a furnace nearing twenty years is a planning item even if it ran fine last winter.
The most useful output is a set of remaining-life estimates. Knowing your water heater likely has two to three years left turns a midnight emergency into a scheduled, comparison-shopped replacement — usually at a much better price.
WHEN: annually, ideally before heating or cooling seasonOperation, safety, filters, and signs of wear on the equipment you rely on daily.
Age, corrosion, relief-valve function, and evidence of leaks at the base.
Panel condition, breaker behavior, and visible wiring red flags.
Roughly how many years each system has left, so replacements are planned, not panicked.
This is the assessment that protects people rather than property. It verifies working smoke and carbon-monoxide detection on every level, tests for radon where it is a regional concern, and looks for moisture and mold risk in basements, bathrooms, and crawl spaces — the slow problems that affect air quality long before they show on a wall.
It also covers the ordinary hazards that cause most home injuries: trip risks on stairs and walkways, overloaded outlets, blocked egress windows, and combustibles stored near heat sources. For households with young children or older adults, this is the assessment to schedule first.
WHEN: at move-in, then every few years or after major life changesWorking, correctly placed units on every level, none past their service age.
Testing where radon is a regional concern, plus ventilation basics.
Basements, bathrooms, and crawl spaces checked for the slow, hidden problems.
Stairs, egress, outlets, and storage — the everyday risks that cause most injuries.
Your symptoms usually decide for you. Our step-by-step guide walks through choosing the right type and finding an independent assessor.
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