Understanding Your Energy Assessment Report

You scheduled your free energy assessment. An advisor walked through your home, looked at the attic, basement, walls, and heating system, and talked you through what they found. A few days later, you received a report with recommendations, cost ranges, and rebate information.

Now you are looking at it and wondering: where do I start? What matters most? What can wait? And how do I know if this is actually worth doing?

These are the right questions. An assessment report is a roadmap, not a sales document. Understanding how to read it helps you make decisions that fit your budget, your timeline, and your comfort goals. This guide walks through each section of a typical report and explains what the numbers and priorities mean.

What the Report Includes

Every assessment report from Horizon Homes covers the same core sections, customized to what your advisor found in your specific home.

Current Conditions Summary

This section describes what your home looks like right now from an energy perspective:

• Attic: Current insulation type, depth, and R-value. Air sealing status. Notable gaps or issues
• Basement/Crawlspace: Rim joist condition, foundation wall insulation status, moisture observations
• Walls: Whether wall cavities appear to have insulation, and what type
• Heating system: Type, age, efficiency rating, fuel, and distribution
• Hot water: Type and age of water heater
• Notable comfort issues: The problems you described plus anything the advisor observed

This is the baseline - where your home stands today. It gives context for everything that follows.

Priority Recommendations

This is the core of the report. Each recommendation includes:

• What the improvement is (air sealing, attic insulation, basement insulation, boiler replacement, heat pump addition, etc.)
• Why it matters for your home specifically
• Estimated cost range before rebates
• Applicable rebates (with the note that amounts are income-dependent)
• Estimated annual savings expressed as a range
• Priority level - which improvements deliver the most impact

The recommendations are listed in priority order. The first item is typically the one that will make the biggest difference in comfort and energy savings for your home.

Priority Levels Explained

We rank improvements by their return - meaning how much comfort and energy savings you get relative to the cost.

Priority 1 - Highest impact. These are the improvements that address the biggest energy losses in your home. In most Maine homes, this is attic air sealing and insulation. The cost is moderate, the savings are significant, and the comfort improvement is noticeable immediately.

Priority 2 - Strong return. These improvements have good payback but may cost more or deliver slightly less dramatic results than Priority 1. Examples include basement insulation, wall insulation, or heating system upgrades.

Priority 3 - Recommended when budget allows. These are legitimate improvements that will save energy and improve comfort, but they have longer payback periods or address less critical issues. They make the most sense as part of a phased plan or when combined with higher-priority work.

Cost Ranges and Why They Are Ranges

Every estimate in the report is a range (for example, "$3,500-$5,500") rather than a single number. This is intentional. The assessment is a visual walkthrough, and final costs depend on factors that become clear during detailed measurement and planning:

• Exact square footage of areas to be insulated
• Accessibility challenges (tight attic spaces, finished areas that need creative solutions)
• Material quantities based on precise measurements
• Any conditions discovered during the work that were not visible during the walkthrough

When you decide to move forward, we provide a detailed, line-item estimate with exact costs before any work begins. The assessment range gives you a realistic budget expectation for planning purposes.

Rebate Estimates

The report notes which improvements qualify for Efficiency Maine rebates and federal tax credits. Important things to understand about rebate numbers:

Rebate amounts are income-dependent. Efficiency Maine's rebate programs offer different levels based on household income. The report typically shows two scenarios:

• Standard rebate (available to all homeowners regardless of income)
• Enhanced rebate (for income-qualifying households - significantly higher coverage)

We apply rebates directly to your invoice. You do not pay the full price and wait for reimbursement. We handle the Efficiency Maine paperwork and deduct the rebate from your cost.

Rebate amounts can change. Efficiency Maine adjusts program details periodically. The amounts in your report reflect current programs at the time of the assessment. If you move forward months later, we confirm current rebate levels before providing a final estimate.

Federal tax credits are separate. The 25C tax credit provides 30% of qualifying costs up to $1,200 per year for insulation and air sealing, and up to $2,000 per year for heat pumps. These are claimed on your federal tax return - they are not instant rebates. Consult your tax advisor.

Estimated Annual Savings

Savings estimates in the report are based on:

• Your current fuel consumption (or estimated consumption based on house characteristics)
• The expected reduction in energy loss from each improvement
• Current fuel prices

These are ranges, not guarantees. A home that currently uses 1,000 gallons of oil per year and gets attic air sealing plus insulation might see consumption drop to 650-750 gallons. At $3.75 per gallon, that is $937-$1,312 in annual savings. The range reflects the variability in real-world results based on weather, thermostat habits, and other factors.

The most reliable savings come from insulation and air sealing work in homes that currently have poor or no insulation. The less insulated your home is now, the more dramatic the improvement.

How to Read the Numbers: A Real Example

Here is what a typical report for a 1960's Cape Cod in the Portland area might look like:

Priority 1: Attic Air Sealing + Insulation

• Current: 4 inches of old fiberglass batts (approximately R-11). Multiple air leaks around penetrations
• Recommended: Full air sealing of attic floor penetrations, then blow in cellulose insulation to R-49
• Cost range: $3,500-$5,500 before rebates
• Efficiency Maine rebate: $1,400-$4,400 (income-dependent)
• Federal tax credit: 30% of cost, up to $1,200
• After incentives: $700-$3,000 estimated out-of-pocket
• Estimated annual savings: $800-$1,200

Priority 2: Basement Rim Joist + Foundation Wall Insulation

• Current: Uninsulated rim joists, uninsulated foundation walls
• Recommended: Air seal and insulate rim joists, insulate foundation walls with rigid foam
• Cost range: $4,000-$7,000 before rebates
• Efficiency Maine rebate: Included in weatherization package
• Estimated annual savings: $400-$700

Priority 3: Cold-Climate Heat Pump Addition

• Current: Oil boiler, 82% AFUE, baseboard distribution
• Recommended: Two-head cold-climate mini-split system for primary living areas
• Cost range: $6,000-$9,000 before rebates
• Efficiency Maine rebate: Up to $9,000 (income-dependent)
• After incentives: $0-$5,000 estimated out-of-pocket
• Estimated annual savings: Fuel reduction of 30-50% in rooms served by heat pumps

Total project cost range: $13,500-$21,500 before incentives After all incentives: $4,000-$11,000 estimated out-of-pocket Total estimated annual savings: $1,500-$2,500

These numbers are illustrative. Your specific report will reflect your home's actual conditions.

The Phased Approach: You Do Not Have to Do Everything at Once

One of the most important things about the assessment report is that the priority ranking also serves as a phased plan. You can do Priority 1 this year, Priority 2 next year, and Priority 3 the year after.

This approach makes sense for several reasons:

• Budget management. Spreading costs across years is easier on cash flow
• Tax credit stacking. Federal 25C credits have annual limits ($1,200 for insulation, $2,000 for heat pumps). Doing work across tax years lets you claim credits in each year
• Each phase stands on its own. Attic air sealing and insulation delivers significant savings immediately. You do not need to commit to the full project to see results
• Later phases benefit from earlier work. Insulating first reduces the heating load, which means a heat pump installed later can be smaller (less expensive) and run more efficiently

We designed the priority system specifically so that each phase delivers real value on its own while building toward a whole-home improvement over time.

Questions to Ask After Reading Your Report

Once you have reviewed the report, here are useful questions to discuss with us:

• What would give me the most comfort improvement for the least cost? Sometimes Priority 1 for savings is different from Priority 1 for comfort
• Can I do just one improvement this year? Absolutely. We frequently do single-scope projects
• How long does the work take? Attic insulation is typically one day. Basement work is one to two days. Heat pump installation is one to two days
• What happens to my rebate eligibility if I phase the work? Rebate programs have their own timelines. We can advise on current program windows
• Will you update the estimate if I wait six months? Yes. If material costs or rebate programs change, we provide an updated estimate before scheduling

About Horizon Homes

Horizon Homes has been delivering clear, honest energy assessments in Greater Portland since 2006. We are an Efficiency Maine Top Contractor with 20+ years of experience and 4.9 stars across 64+ reviews. Our reports are designed to give you the information you need to make a confident decision - on your timeline.

Have questions about your report? Call us at (207) 221-3221. If you have not had an assessment yet, schedule one at horizonmaine.com/free-energy-assessment. It is free, takes 30-60 minutes, and comes with no obligation.

Related Guides

• What Happens During a Home Energy Assessment
• How to Prepare for Your Home Energy Assessment
• After Your Energy Assessment: What Happens Next
• Common Energy Assessment Findings in Maine Homes