What is an Energy Audit?
The goal of our energy audit services is to identify and develop specific energy conservation opportunities (ECO’s) for your building(s), which will reduce energy consumption and your operating costs.
Our report will provide you with actionable information, including a prioritized list of ECO’s, estimates of implementation costs and projected savings, in order for you to take control of your future energy expenditures.
Why have an Energy Audit performed?
Energy consumption is a major component of the cost of owning and operating any building. For investment real estate it can affect marketing potential of your property and your overall rate of return. For owner-occupied facilities it can constrain your allocation of capital and reduce your bottom line.
An energy audit will “Benchmark” your facility’s overall rate of consumption against other buildings of similar function, size and geographic location. This will allow you to establish an achievable target for energy consumption reduction and potential savings.
For example Energy Star Rated Buildings have an energy performance equal to or superior to 75 percent of similar properties located throughout the country. We can help you to achieve this classification.
In addition to realized energy savings, federal, state and local governments offer incentives for reduction of energy consumption and carbon emissions. We can help you to identify appropriate options and work with you to secure funding and rebates.
What is the Energy Audit Process?
The American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers, ASHRAE, has established a procedure for conducting a Commercial Building Energy Audit. This procedure includes the Preliminary Energy Analysis for establishing a Benchmark for consumption, as discussed above. Actual utility billing records are reviewed to determine baseline consumption. Then, depending on your circumstances, three defined levels of Energy Audit services are available.
A Level One Audit includes a Walkthrough Survey of your facility with the objective of identifying “no and low cost” ECO’s which can be expected to have very short or negligible payback periods. A Level One Audit would also include a written report with a discussion of ECO’s which might require moderate capital investments and a preliminary judgment of the suitability of these options.
A Level Two Audit would build upon a Level One Audit with additional engineering analysis of all practical ECO’s and the rationale for discounting any ECO’s deemed to be impractical. This level may also include testing and data logging of various systems to better estimate potential savings and to provide a breakdown of the various energy consumption components within the building.
Finally, a Level Three Audit would include additional evaluation and computer simulation in order to develop ECO’s which would require more intensive capital investment. This is intended to establish a level of comfort with the projections that may be used to secure funding or to make major investment decisions.
Generally a Level Two Energy Audit is appropriate for most facilities. However our services are dictated by the needs of each particular client and the complexities of each individual building or facility.
Why use Criterium-Harbor Engineers?
A building’s energy consumption is the result of an interaction of all building systems including; the building envelope, Heating Ventilating and Air Conditioning (HVAC), domestic water heating, lighting, conveying equipment and process loads. Criterium-Harbor Engineers is uniquely qualified to inspect and evaluate all of these systems.
As Professional Engineers we can provide you with an independent evaluation of your building and make recommendations without regard to a particular product or service. We conduct business in accordance with a strict Code of Ethics. Our goal is to provide you as our client with accurate and unbiased information about your building.
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