What Should the Primary Objectives of an Energy Audit be?

An energy audit, or energy diagnosis, should be the first stage in any energy efficiency project, as it is impossible to suggest meaningful improvement ideas without a complete understanding of the building's features.

FREMONT, CA: An energy audit encompasses all investigations conducted on a facility to determine where and how energy is spent. The analysis, alternatively referred to as an energy audit, determines the quantity and quality of energy used for various reasons such as heating, cooling, lighting, and industrial transformation activities. It is a systematic technique for determining the energy consumption profile of a building or collection of buildings, an industrial, commercial, public service, or private activity or facility to discover and quantify energy savings opportunities.

The five primary phases in conducting an effective energy audit are as follows.

ANALYSIS OF THE BUILDING'S USE DATA

The building is used, the temperature inside, the amount of air exchanged, and the number of unheated rooms.

• The energy source that is used to generate heat and hot water

• Annual usage average (methane, wood, and pellets.)

• Obtaining and perusing technical datasheets for boilers or renewable energy systems

• Visualization of any architectural renderings

• The location's weather and radiation data (average).

SURVEY

It includes the following:

• Survey of the stratigraphy of floors, walls, ceilings, and roofs, as well as the stratigraphy of walls facing cold rooms

• Window and door surveys and analyses of window and door frames, glass, and shading systems

• Shading analysis

• Temperature and humidity analysis utilizing non-invasive devices.

PROCESSING OF DATA

It includes the following:

• Creation of the building's virtual model

• Actual consumption is compared to the consumption estimated by the virtual model.

HYPOTHESES FOR INTERVENTION

Depending on the location of the dispersions and the efficiency of the systems, possible improvements in thermal insulation (roof insulation, outer coat, etc. ), modification of thermal energy generation systems (installation of thermal solar panels, replacement of existing boilers, etc. ), and combination of architectural and system solutions will be presented.

The following information will be provided for each intervention:

• A concise description of the work (type of insulation material and sizing, heating system characteristics, etc.).

• Cost estimation for implementation

• Examination of potential tax breaks

• Calculate the rate of return on investment.

SYNOPSIS OVERVIEW

The energy diagnosis will conclude with a comparative overview of the various interventions available to aid in decision-making by optimizing the cost/benefit ratio, considering potential economic benefits and available budget.