Home & Garden
Is Your Home Energy Efficient? Here's How You Can Find Out Free
PSEG Long Island offers a free home energy efficiency assessment to all customers, regardless of heating fuel source.
As we celebrate Energy Efficiency Month this October, it’s the perfect time to evaluate how energy-efficient your home is and make any necessary adjustments. Here’s a way to cut energy costs by up to 20%!
If you’re a PSEG Long Island customer, you can leave the guesswork out of your home’s energy efficiency with a free home energy assessment. PSEG Long Island will gauge how energy-efficient your home’s appliances are and can offer ways to enhance your home, like installing a heat pump system via PSEG Long Island’s Home Comfort program.
How Does PSEG Long Island’s Free Home Energy Assessment Work?
A free home energy assessment by one of our independent energy experts can help you identify ways to save energy and money. No matter your heating fuel source, these energy audits go room-by-room to determine your energy use and uncover inefficiencies. Then, your contractor can offer guidance on the best ways to reduce your energy use, making your home — and your carbon footprint — greener.
Below are some areas of your home that are evaluated during the assessment:
- Heating and cooling equipment. Malfunctioning equipment can lead to increased energy use and cause quicker wear and tear of your appliances.
- Heating and hot water systems. Incorrectly insulated water systems can cause heat loss, leading to higher energy costs.
- Air filtration and ventilation systems. Clogged ventilation can lead your systems to overwork and underperform.
- Building shell and insulation quality. A critical component of your home’s energy efficiency is the building shell. Older homes with insufficient insulation or drafty exteriors may hinder the performance of modern heating systems. Professionals will assess the insulation, walls, windows, and doors to ensure that air leaks or drafts are minimized for optimal heating and cooling efficiency.
- Carbon monoxide levels. Contractors will test your carbon monoxide levels and ensure your home doesn’t have moisture problems that may impact its air quality or structural integrity.
If applicable, the energy assessment will also look at your home’s central air conditioning efficiency and examine your ductwork or distribution system for any problems causing it to work harder or improperly.
If you're a PSEG Long Island customer, you can schedule a free home energy assessment through their website. These professionals can evaluate your home, provide recommendations to improve its energy efficiency — such as installing a heat pump — and offer information on enhanced rebates based on your income to alleviate upgrade costs. They can also advise you on available financing options through New York State.
Can Installing a Heat Pump Increase Your Home’s Energy Efficiency?
Before suggesting a heat pump replacement or installation, contractors will emphasize the importance of ensuring your building shell is properly insulated and airtight. A poorly insulated home — especially an older one — can result in energy loss, making your heat pump less effective. Addressing air leaks and insulation issues is the key to fully benefiting from a heat pump's energy efficiency. Despite its name, a heat pump offers both heating and cooling benefits using an internal compressor to move energy, rather than generating it. This provides a more energy-efficient, and affordable, temperature-control solution for homeowners.
A heat pump moves heat in or out of a space as needed. In the winter, the pump takes heat from the outdoors — although the outdoor temperature is cold, there is still heat energy to be found in the air— and transfers it inside. During warmer months, the system transfers indoor heat to the outdoors, efficiently cooling the home.
Heat pumps work in both ducted and ductless homes, making them a versatile option regardless of your existing setup. In ductless homes, installing a mini-split system offers heating and cooling — including advanced zone controls — through a small and quiet system. Plus, you can continue to use your existing heat source as a backup.
The right heat pump for your home can provide year-long savings and eco-friendly benefits. To see how much you can save, use PSEG Long Island’s HVAC Comparison Calculator to compare your current costs against more energy- and cost-efficient alternatives.
Are Heat Pumps Effective In Winter? Let’s Separate Fact from Fiction
There’s a common misconception that heat pumps aren’t effective in certain conditions, such as cold winter months. However, today’s modern heat pumps are highly efficient even in the coldest temperatures, making them a reliable choice for year-round comfort and energy savings.
Below, we’ll debunk some other misconceptions about heat pumps:
Myth: Heat pumps are loud and disruptive.
Fact: Though earlier models may have caused a ruckus, modern heat pumps are specifically engineered to be quiet. A heat pump installed by a PSEG Long Island partner shouldn’t be louder than the average refrigerator.
Myth: Heat pumps are expensive to buy and run.
Fact: While a heat pump may cost more upfront, it acts as a heating and cooling system in one, meaning there are fewer appliances to maintain overall. Plus, you’re likely to see energy bill savings all year long. Factor in any potential rebates and incentives, and you’ll find a heat pump system is an economical option for many homeowners.
Myth: Heat pumps aren’t effective when temperatures hit below freezing.
Fact: Modern heat pumps are efficient in all weather conditions, but to maximize their effectiveness in cold weather, it’s important that your home’s building shell is properly insulated and airtight. Even the best heat pump will struggle if your home is drafty or poorly insulated, so be sure to address these issues first for optimal performance.
Get Your Heat Pump Up and Running with PSEG Long Island’s Home Comfort Program
PSEG Long Island’s Home Comfort Program makes maintaining a comfortable space more affordable than ever. Energy efficiency upgrades are accessible to all PSEG Long Island customers, regardless of their financial situation, by providing rebates on whole-house ENERGY STAR®-rated heat pump projects.
Income-eligible customers may qualify for enhanced savings through PSEG Long Island’s Home Comfort Plus Program. This program provides additional rebates and incentives, including free system installation with minimal to no out-of-pocket expenses. Homeowners can save anywhere from $4,000 to $11,000 with rebates, depending on the project scale.
Read PSEG Long Island’s income guidelines to determine if you qualify. Then, contact a PSEG Long Island contractor to take the first step toward improving your home’s energy efficiency.
