CarbonStop.org will develop and use a single-family home net-zero carbon audit tool that focuses on the identification of all technology options appropriate for each home and home conditions. Prior to the audit, CarbonStop.org will review building codes and neighborhood building covenants if any. These two steps are required to determine if there are codes or covenant restrictions that might impede the ability to convert to a net-zero or low carbon condition. As these conditions are identified they will be brought to the attention of local code officials or neighbor organizations with suggestions to address the limitation issue. If there are non-blocking code or covenant associated limitations associated with the client’s home the audit will proceed.
The audit will first interview the decision makers within the family to identify technology or behavior limitations that might limit the degree of carbon reduction achievements for that home.
Next the audit will examine the home and all energy related technologies currently used in the home including transportation associated technologies. Next, the audit will inventory and assess each energy consuming technology used within and by the family associated with that home’s space conditioning, water heating, refrigeration, and transportation.
Within each home audited, these technologies will be carbon baselined using the CarbonStop audit tool. They will be compared with the more efficient or zero-carbon CarbonStop.org recommended technologies available for cost effective conversion. From this assessment, the CarbonStop.org home audit tool will generate two technology-focused priority lists for converting the home to a low-carbon or net-zero carbon home:
- The Carbon Impact Order List, and
- The Conversion Cost Order List
The Carbon Impact Order List will prioritize the technologies offering the greatest carbon reduction potential, along with the estimated costs to convert the home to each of those technologies individually and as a group. The Conversion Cost List will prioritize technologies by their cost, with their carbon reduction potential added to each technology for comparison.
The audit tool will inform a discussion with the household decision makers to build a home-specific implementation plan to include estimated plan costs and an associated timeline for converting the home to a low-carbon or net-zero carbon home.