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Residential Energy Audits
Abstract
A series of events coupled with the last five years experience performing Residential
Conservation Service (RCS) audits have resulted in renewed efforts by utilities to evaluate
the role of residential energy audits. There are utilities where the RCS program is considered
very successful; however, the majority of utilities have found that the costs far
exceed the benefits. Typically, the response rates are low (less than 1% per year for
Texas utilities), the audits primarily reach upper income persons, and consumers only implement
the low-cost recommendations. The Texas PUC is on record as being opposed to the RCS
as well as the Commercial and Apartment Conservation Service (CACS) and now requires Energy
Efficiency Plans with detailed cost and savings information on utility end user programs.
Citation
Brown, W. (1985). Residential Energy Audits. Energy Systems Laboratory (http://esl.tamu.edu); Texas A&M University (http://www.tamu.edu). Available electronically from https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /6856.