Houses can quietly lose energy through tiny oversights: a gap here, a clogged coil or dirty filter there.

That’s one reason free virtual home energy assessments have become popular. The process dives into how your household actually uses energy, with the goal of trimming electric use and taming bills without turning your life into a spreadsheet.

Here are the most common efficiency blind spots, plus the fixes that tend to provide the quickest paybacks.

1. Air leaks: The “invisible open window” problem

If your home had a secret sneaky hobby, it might be exchanging your nice, conditioned indoor air with the outdoors. The most cost-effective move is often the least glamorous: sealing leaks to keep air where it belongs.

Where leaks love to hide:

• Around window frames (interior and exterior perimeter)
• Around doors where weatherstripping no longer compresses
• Behind outlet covers on exterior walls. Foam outlet gaskets can help.
• Gaps around plumbing, especially plumbing near exterior walls

Quick fix guide:

• Small gaps: Silicone caulk is your neat-and-tidy friend.
• Bigger gaps: Use expanding spray foam (messy, effective, and oddly satisfying).

Think of this as putting a lid on a pot before you turn up the heat. Without the lid, you’re also heating the kitchen.

2. Attic insulation: The “missing hat” on your house

Hot air rises, and it also takes the path of least resistance. That means an attic with uneven insulation or bare spots can act like an express lane for heat transfer.

Oversights that show up a lot:

• Insulation that’s too thin for your climate (a common benchmark is whether you’re below about R-19).
• Insulation that isn’t evenly distributed or doesn’t cover the attic floor consistently.
• An attic hatch that isn’t insulated, creating a weak spot in the barrier.

Newer homes may already be in decent shape. Homes built after the year 2000 often follow stricter standards, while older homes are more likely to benefit from upgrades.

3. HVAC maintenance: Small chores, big consequences

Your A/C is the heavyweight champion of summer energy use. When it’s dirty or neglected, it has to work harder for the same result.

Most common misses:

• Skipping annual condenser cleaning/service (ideally before the hottest stretch).
• Using the wrong filter. A solid rule of thumb is a MERV rating between 6–10 and changing filters regularly (more often if you have pets).
• Forgetting about aging equipment. Units 15+ years old tend to be dramatically less efficient than modern systems.

One assessment pro calls condenser-coil cleaning “non-negotiable,” and notes it can be as simple as rinsing or flushing, if you aren’t having it done professionally.

If you’re replacing an older unit: Efficiency has come a long way. A modern 20 SEER unit is nearly twice as energy efficient as an older 10 SEER unit. Newer systems with multiple stages can run more smoothly rather than blasting at full power every time they turn on.

4. Windows: Windows get blamed for everything. Sometimes unfairly.

In many cases, full window replacement has a long payback – at least a decade in many scenarios – so it’s not automatically the first recommendation.

Try these first:

• Seal the perimeter gaps, inside and outside.
• If you have metal window frames, which are excellent conductors of heat, strategies like elastomeric heat-resistant exterior paint can help.
• Use sun screens on exposed windows, especially those facing south and west.
  • Bonus: Using sun screens seasonally can reject significant heat, with a relatively quick ROI in many cases.
• Curtains matter, too, to stop heat in its tracks to the degree possible.

5. Appliances: The quiet, steady power diners

Appliances don’t always spike your bill dramatically. They just show up every day like clockwork.

Refrigerator oversights:

• Letting the fridge run half-empty: a fuller fridge holds temperature more efficiently.
• Ignoring the condenser coils. Cleaning them yearly, and more often with pets, is a simple win.
• Temperature creep: A common target is around 38°F for the fridge and 0°F for the freezer.

Kitchen timing: Cooking adds heat, and that heat makes your A/C work harder. If you don’t have an induction setup, shifting oven-heavy cooking away from the hottest part of the day can help your comfort and your bill.

6. Pool pumps and “when” you use energy

If you have a pool, the pump can be a major player. Two common oversights include running a pump too long and running it at the wrong times.

Here’s a helpful checklist: Does your pump run more than 12 hours/day? Does its runtime avoid peak usage hours? Are you on TEP’s Time of Use program?

For customers on Time-of-Use plans where on-peak energy that has a higher rate, timing your energy use matters.

A final (reassuring) note

There’s no single magic upgrade that fixes everything. The goal is to stack a few high-impact, low-annoyance improvements: Seal the leaks, keep coils clean, use the right filter, and make sure your attic isn’t accidentally auditioning as a solar oven.

If you want the fastest path to “What should I do first?” a virtual assessment can zoom in on your specific home setup and habits, and help you prioritize what will actually move the needle. You can sign up for your own free virtual energy audit here.