The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) has released updated guidance on building energy audits.
The second edition of “Procedures for Commercial Building Energy Audits” promotes best practices and provides a “how-to” approach, including to the hiring of an energy auditor, the building of a successful energy-efficiency-retrofit team, and the organization of an energy-audit report promoting action on the part of building owners and managers.
Additionally, the publication provides time-saving tips for energy auditors and addresses analytical methods, successful approaches to site visits, incorporating on-site measurements, economic evaluation of measures, and what to ask for in a comprehensive audit report.
The publication includes a greatly expanded section of forms and template analyses, including “live” Excel spreadsheets, checklists, and equipment-specific forms suitable for field collection of detailed commercial-building data.
The cost of “Procedures for Commercial Building Energy Audits, Second Edition” is $84 for ASHRAE members and $99 for non-members. Copies can be ordered by phone at 1-800-527-4723 (United States and Canada) or 404-636-8400, by fax at 404-321-5478, or online.
What to Look For
According to “Procedures for Commercial Building Energy Audits,” the top things to verify when reviewing an audit report include that:
• Proposed measures are feasible and appropriate for the building.
• Proposed measures meet applicable building codes.
• Data are internally consistent.
• Savings-estimate methods follow established principles and methods.
• Projected energy savings are reasonable compared to quick estimates and historical energy use.
• Cost estimates are reasonable relative to field experience.
• Interactions between energy-efficiency measures are identified and addressed.
• Recommendations meet the project’s scope and goals and the client’s needs.
• Any financial discussion includes current and viable mechanisms available per the tax structure, location, and motivations of the client.
Related Reading
To learn more about energy audits, read “Navigating an Energy Audit” by Steve Connor in the Boiler Systems Engineering special section of the June 2011 issue of HPAC Engineering.