Wisconsin Home Energy Savings Checklist

Most advice about how to make your home more energy efficient is either too generic to be useful or too focused on a single upgrade to give you the full picture. This checklist takes a different approach. It's built directly from Green Homeowners United's own research, a review of 200 real income qualifying energy assessments across Milwaukee and La Crosse, so instead of general tips, you're getting a sense of what actually moved the needle in real homes.

Start With the Basement

Across the homes in our study, basement heat loss was the single largest source of energy loss by a meaningful margin, ahead of air leaks, exterior walls, windows, and attics combined on a per category basis. Basement wall insulation showed average annual savings of $173 per home, with some homeowners eligible for savings over $550 depending on their basement's condition.

Homes without any finished basement space, and with foundation walls rising a foot and a half or more above ground, tended to see even higher savings, since bare concrete walls with more outside exposure lose more heat through direct conduction. If your basement has exposed concrete walls, this is very likely your highest impact starting point.

Check the Attic

Attic insulation and air sealing remain a meaningful opportunity, though the savings tend to be smaller than basement work simply because many Wisconsin homes already have some attic insulation in place from past weatherization efforts. Across the homes in our study, attic insulation averaged $55 in annual savings, with some homes eligible for over $300 depending on how little insulation was there to start.

If you've never had your attic insulation checked, or if you can see the tops of the floor joists when you look up there, it's worth adding to this checklist even if the basement remains the bigger priority.

Seal Air Leaks

Air leaks accounted for the second largest share of energy loss in our study, behind only the basement. Sealing air leaks by a meaningful amount, similar to a 25% reduction in overall air leakage, showed average annual savings of $64 per home, with some homes eligible for savings over $300.

Air sealing pairs naturally with both attic and basement insulation work, since sealing gaps and adding insulation address different parts of the same heat loss problem. Doing them together tends to outperform doing either one alone.

Consider Your Water Heater

If your home currently has an electric water heater, replacing it with a heat pump water heater was the single highest average savings measure in our entire study, at $314 annually for homes with electric only water heating, and over $1,000 annually for some homes. That said, this only applies if you currently have an electric water heater. Fewer than one in five homes in our study did, so this item won't apply to everyone, but if it applies to you, it's worth prioritizing.

Look at Your Walls, If They're Empty

Dense pack wall insulation, filling empty above ground wall cavities with insulation, averaged $40 in annual savings across our study, with a wider range depending on how empty the wall was to start. This tends to matter less than basement or attic work in most homes, mainly because true empty walls are less common than empty basements. It's worth checking, but shouldn't be your first stop.

Know Your Rebates Before You Start

Nearly every item on this checklist is eligible for some combination of Focus on Energy rebates, IRA Home Energy Rebates through the HOMES and HEAR programs, and local grant programs like the Basement Insulation Grant. Checking your eligibility before you start a project, rather than after, makes it much easier to plan the scope of work around what you can actually get covered, and it's one of the simplest ways to improve your home's energy efficiency without overspending.

You can see the full data behind every figure in this checklist, along with additional findings on regional variation and rebate eligibility, in our complete Energy Savings Report.

The Full Checklist

• Check your basement for exposed concrete walls or missing insulation, and prioritize this first if you find any

• Check your attic for visible floor joists or thin insulation coverage

• Get an air sealing evaluation, ideally alongside your attic and basement work rather than as a separate project

• If you have an electric water heater, ask about heat pump water heater rebates specifically

• Check for empty or under insulated exterior walls, especially in older homes

• Confirm your Focus on Energy, IRA HOMES and HEAR, and local grant eligibility before finalizing project scope

• Schedule a home energy assessment if you're not sure where your specific home stands on any of the above

Ready to See Where Your Home Stands

A checklist can point you in the right direction, but it can't tell you exactly what your specific home needs. That's what a home energy assessment is for, and it's honestly the best next step if you've made it this far down the list.

Schedule a free Home Energy Assessment with Green Homeowners United and get a clear, personalized plan instead of a general list.