Why perform an energy audit & what are the benefits?
Most of us are interested in energy savings an but some do not have a clear plan for achieving higher energy efficiency. Consider the following:
- Are you aware of all beneficial efficiency measures applicable to your facility or only a few?
- Are you able to prioritize your measures based on their financial benefits (ex: Change lighting or upgrade windows)?
- If necessary, do you have solid proof of why you chose one measure compared to another?
- Are your decisions being fueled by unbiased, good quality facts or parties interested in selling their product?
Good quality energy audits will help you address the above and more. Here are some benefits of performing a quality energy audit:
- Energy audits will evaluate your facility “as a whole”, their goal is not to evaluate single measures but to consider a wide range of available alternatives (Electrical, Mechanical, Envelope and Water).
- The audit will not only inform you of opportunities but provide you with financial analysis. This will enable prioritization based on financial benefit and return on investment.
- Provide you with solid, easy to understand technical information regarding the proposed energy conservation measures.
- A good quality audit will analyze your historical energy use and find potential issues using statistical methods.
- Provide you with emissions analysis to help you understand the benefits of your decisions from an environmental standpoint.
- Understand where energy is used and which areas are worth focusing on the most (energy hogs).
- Provide you with benchmark information to help you understand your energy use performance compared to others in your field and area.
The cost-benefit analysis of the audit report would help decision makers prioritize opportunities and evaluate them as investments. These indicators would include, rate of return, net present value, cash flow analysis and payback. Furthermore, your auditor should be able to help you understand the effects of borrowing costs on the above indicators. Click on the images on this page to see larger examples of a typical technical and financial analysis.
It is wise to have an audit prior to proceeding with single measure retrofits and upgrades. For more information, contact us at info@ensmartsolutions.com, or (416)887-8371 or online using our contact form.
[…] In the case applicable to the majority of our customers, this incentive pays 50% of the cost of the energy audit. For more information on why to conduct an energy audit refer to the following article: Why perform an energy audit & what are the benefits? […]