ENERGY AUDIT
- ELECTRICAL ENERGY AUDIT
- THERMAL ENERGY AUDIT
- ENERGY EFFICIENCY
- ENERGY CONSERVATION
- ENERGY AUDIT AND MANAGEMENT
- ENERGY AUDIT SERVICES
ENERGY AUDIT OF INDUSTRIAL, COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS AND RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS ETC.
An Energy Audit is an in-depth check carried out on a building or equipment to assess the amount of energy being utilized & exploring opportunities for energy conservation without affecting the output.
In short, energy audit helps businesses understand areas of improvement from an energy perspective and what needs to be done to bridge the gap.
Energy Audit generally has three stages
- Preparation- Information gathering stage.
- Survey- Review & analysis of the building based on the information gathered, the operating parameters & condition of equipment, occupancy data, processes involved & data collection through meters.
- Report - Data is analyzed based on which a report with recommendations is submitted.
There are two basic types of energy audits namely:
- Preliminary Audit (Walk Through Audit)- Readily available data is used to analyze the performance. The inspection takes a relatively short time & results are more generic, providing easy & low hanging opportunities for energy efficiency. Cost-benefit is limited to a simple payback period.
- General Audit- More detailed data & information is analyzed which are recorded using specific sensors & meters. The inspection takes longer time and results are more specific, providing accurate energy performance.
A general audit could be broken down into:
- Overall system audit
- Functional Audit
- Utility Audit
- Modernization Audit
or
- Comprehensive review
- Investment grade review
Energy audits are pretty reliable if done by qualified auditors, systematically, with a proper review of data analyzed and considering all the recommendations implemented can help achieve the desired results.
The reliability of the savings or energy reduction achievable may vary when compared to the audit estimates due to the following:
- The accuracy of Audit conducted (refer above - A comprehensive audit will help achieve savings closer to the estimated value)
- Ambient Temperature & Humidity tends to impact the efficiency of air conditioning systems. Actual conditions will vary when compared to when the assessment was carried out & hence lead to a small variance.
- Variation in occupancy and works carried out can impact savings.
- Savings are estimated based on specific parameters - operating temperature, working hours, occupancy, frequency. Variance in any of them will result in changes in the committed saves.
- Change of scope - Design changes or modification to building or equipment.
- Most recommendations do not get implemented due to constraints.
- The accuracy of data analyzed.