Remote home energy assessments are an excellent alternative to in-person assessments and will likely continue after the pandemic ends, according to a report released by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE). Well-liked by customers, they can expand the reach of energy efficiency and encourage energy-saving upgrades.

In a remote assessment, homeowners typically use their smartphones to walk the energy assessor through the home while the assessor collects data. At the end of the session or during a follow-up phone call a few days later, the assessor goes over the findings and recommendations, usually including a summary report. Customers generally report the process to be convenient, straightforward, and easy, saying they learned more about their homes.

While the idea of remote assessments has been around for some time, it wasn’t until the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic that they started to become more prevalent. Initially used to continue reaching customers during the pandemic, the remote assessments allowed many efficiency workers to remain employed and showed promise in reducing program costs. Fewer transportation demands and a larger customer base, including formerly hard-to-reach households, can save programs time and money and increase the number of homes assessed.

Continue reading on ACEEE.org.