Show Your Building Some Love with an Energy Audit

Although Valentine’s Day is over, it’s not too late to show your building some love and affection. Has it become unresponsive, non-communicative or giving you the cold shoulder? It may need some special attention and TLC to get its “motor running” again.

Like any relationship, the best way to fix a problem for the long-term is to find out what caused it. In this case, the best place to start is with a professional energy audit, which is a comprehensive review of energy costs and a building inspection to find out where things may have gone wrong. Once the problems are identified, solutions can be recommended to increase energy efficiency and restore the relationship.

How-to Conduct a Professional Energy Audit:

1.    Review utility bills for the past one or two years.

2.    Interview facilities personnel to identify how systems are being operated, regular maintenance performed and equipment repairs made.

3.    Inspect the building for any drafts, insulation problems, loose fittings or leaking pipes.

4.    Assess the building’s envelope, HVAC equipment, hot water systems, plug loads, lighting, process loads, and energy management system (if applicable).

5.    Perform an energy-consumption analysis to quantify base loads, seasonal variations, and effective energy costs. The analysis should include an evaluation of lighting, air quality, temperature, ventilation, humidity, and other conditions with the goal of providing a similar or better performance while using less energy and without sacrificing on comfort.

6.    Provide a detailed report to the owners and management team on the recommended priorities and the cost-benefit analysis associated with them.

7.    For energy retrofits that require a large capital investment, a whole building computer simulation may be needed to collect data while monitoring lighting, pumps, motors, etc. The data is then used to accurately model the actual brick and mortar building and how it would respond in varying environments. By varying the input, the system is able to test the performance of the recommendations before they are actually implemented.

Source: ASHRAE

For example, EntegralSolutions conducted an energy audit at Mercedes Independent School District and found several energy saving opportunities including lighting upgrades to classrooms and gyms, HVAC equipment replacement, ventilation optimization, and building automation system commissioning. Once implemented, MISD is now saving approximately $760,000 per year in energy costs. Now, that is what we call true love!

Maintaining a building is like any other relationship; it requires an ongoing commitment and dedication to “keep the fire burning.” If you show building some love, it will reciprocate with lower energy costs and increased comfort for tenants.