Our Story

When Dale Dennis, founder and chairman of Online Energy Audit, and his wife, Buffie, built their dream home, they did it right.

Or so they thought.

Their first winter — despite paying for extra insulation, low-e windows, and high-SEER HVAC equipment — the Dennises burned through nearly 1,000 gallons of propane in just six weeks.

So, Dale called an energy rating company to inspect his home. A cursory check discovered insufficient attic insulation and unsealed light fixtures. Weeks later, Dale received a bill for $600, far more than the company’s estimate. In addition, despite their promise, the company failed to provide a plan of action to correct the problems. Though the homebuilder and original insulation contractor later attempted fixes, the Dennises’ home still burned through costly fuel at an alarming rate.

There had to be a better solution.

Inspired to help other homeowners and himself, Dale attended every home performance contracting class he could, later receiving his certification as a BPI analyst and HERS rater. He left his job as an engineer at GE and founded one of southern Ohio’s first home performance contracting companies, Home Energy Checkup. Since 2005, Home Energy Checkup has been helping homeowners save money and live comfortably through energy efficient retrofits and home energy audits.

After years of experience helping homeowners and businesses, Dale noticed something wrong with the energy-efficiency industry. Many consumers overspent on haphazard fixes for their energy-efficiency problems. Salespeople disguised as energy-efficiency experts provided consumers with faulty information to sell overpriced products that would need decades for any return on investment. There had to be a simple and inexpensive way to educate consumers about the most effective ways to save energy.

In 2011, Dale created a simple, web-based energy assessment that offers an easy and accessible way for consumers to save energy without making a capital investment in their home. While many websites sold energy-efficient products and provide energy assessments, most were overwhelming. Worse, no site provided a customized package of energy-efficient products and recommendations for you, your home, or your business. With Online Energy Audit, however, consumers can access an easy-to-use tool that provides professional advice, resulting in immediate energy savings. In only 10 minutes, consumers can learn to reduce energy consumption by 20% or more — and save money year after year.