Energy Audits

An energy audit is an essential activity for any organisation wishing to control energy costs. It provides a structured review of how energy is purchased, managed and used with the aim of identifying opportunities for cost savings through improved practices.

Preliminary Audit

The preliminary audit is the simplest and quickest form of energy audit. It incolves minimal interviews with site personnel, a brief review of facility utility bills and other operating data, and a walk through of the facility to become familiar with the building operation with a view of identifying glaring areas of energy waste.
Typically, only major problem area will be uncovered during this type of energy audit. Corrective measures are briefly described with estimates if implementation costs and potential savings given, along with estimated payback periods. This level of audit is adequate to prioritise energy efficiency measures to be implemented, and is a good guide in identifying areas which may require further inspection with a more detailed audit.

Detailed Audit

This type of audit expands on the preliminary energy audit by the collection of more detailed site information about the facility operation and performance. utility bills are collected for at least a 12 month period to allow the auditor to evaluate the facility’s energy/demand rate structures, and energy usage profiles. Sub metering is often utilised to further establish the end use of electricity in the facility. In depth interviews are carried out with the operating staff to establish insight into the everyday running of the facility.
This type of energy audit will identify all energy savings measures applicable to the facility given its operating parameters. Benchmarks for energy performance will be compared against with a view to establishing whether the building is performing well with a view to establishing the potential for savings when compared to good practice buildings from the same sector. A detailed financial analysis is performed for each measure based on implementation cost estimates and site-specific operating costs, with the most cost effective solutions being recommended in line with the clients budgetary constrictions.