All energy audits have the same goal- to determine your energy-efficient issues and come up with solutions to solve them. Energy audits are all the same in this sense, however, come in different variations based on the severity of your issue and how much you are willing to spend for the project. Home energy audits are those conducted on a residential building. Before any energy audit is performed, information will be collected on your past utility bill costs and the amount that is spent on average for buildings similar to yours in terms of square footage and layout. This step is typically called a “benchmark”, which comes before any visit to your home. A walk-through audit is the next step, which involves the contractor visiting your home to inspect the outside and inside area of your property. A detailed audit (or energy diagnosis) is more in-depth, which consists of the contractor using special tools to inspect the home, filling out surveys, and getting full, detailed descriptions on your home energy and the steps you should take to fix the issue. A common type of detailed audit, like a blower door test, is used to pinpoint any air leakage issues. Investment grade-audits go even further, however, are usually only used for big, commercial buildings. Investment grade-audits take more time as quantitative data is collected over time.