One of the largest expenses for homeowners, after the mortgage, is the cost of energy. Yet most of us have no idea how efficiently our homes are operating. Now there’s no excuse for ignorance, as a new app can tell us all we need to know in a matter of minutes.

HomeSelfe, a division of California-based Energy DataMetrics, is offering an easy-to-use app that can assess your home’s energy use in as little as 5 minutes. Just walk through your home and answer the app’s questions at your own pace. The app then creates a digital mock-up of your home and guides you through the key areas that contribute to your energy bill.

Once that’s done, the app creates an instant report that provides a picture of your home’s energy use. Even better, it delivers a step-by-step plan for lowering your energy bills, finding available rebates, and reducing your environmental impact. And if you need local professionals to correct problems discovered, the app can help with that, too.

For information, go to homeselfe.com. You’ll see the results when you get your next utility bill!