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Whether you’re constructing a new building or remodeling your existing space, a business energy audit is a great way to implement eco-friendly company values. Save energy, cut back on carbon dioxide emissions, and create a more comfortable workplace with this relatively inexpensive procedure.

How to conduct a business energy audit

1. Do-it-yourself energy audit: Look into conducting your own business energy audit. Start by checking the list below of Information commonly requested on audit questionnaires to get an idea of the kinds of data you’ll have to collect. Beware: this’ll require extensive legwork on your part, though, so be sure to weigh the slim financial savings against the amount of time you and your employees will spend on it. If you're ready to get started, try one of the following do-it-yourself audit tools:
   • Energy Right - a step-by-step questionnaire to get to the bottom of your energy inefficiencies.
   • World Resources Institute – check out their simple calculation tools for energy inefficiencies related to heating, transportation, electricity, travel, and commuting.
   • The Greenhouse Gas Protocol Initiative – they have several calculation tools for businesses.
2. Professional energy audits: If you’re not feeling up to conducting your own energy audit, hire a professional to do the job. Check out the list of auditors below (see the Find it! section)
3. Hire an energy efficiency contract specialist: Once you’ve completed your audit, you will likely want to start improving your building’s energy efficiency. Check out Home Performance with ENERGY STAR--a joint ENERGY STAR, US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and US Department of Energy (DOE) program that provides a list of specially-trained contractors.

Information commonly requested on audit questionnaires

Whether you’re doing your own energy audit or getting a professional to help, be prepared to collect some or all of the information below:

• Number of employees (full-time and part-time)
• Primary business activity [i.e. assembly (church, theatre), grocery or convenience store, office (bank, insurance), residential (hotel, apartment), restaurant, sales (retail, outlet), school, storage (garage, hanger, warehouse)]
• Average number of business hours per day
• Average number of business days per week
• Year building was constructed and occupied
• Average ceiling height
• Total square footage of building and percent used regularly
• Number of floors in the building
• Percentage of exposed walls, walls shared with other buildings, and walls with windows (and whether windows are single-, double-, or triple-paned and if they have tints or reflective coatings)
• R-values of exterior walls and ceiling/roof (for this you will need to have information about the type of materials used for your building’s roof/ceiling and their estimated heat flow resistance values)
• The kind of energy used in building (natural gas, electricity, etc.) and the age, efficiency, and type of system used to cool and heat facility (central air, window air conditioners, hot water, boiler, furnace, unit heaters, baseboard heaters, radiant heaters, etc.)
• Average setting on thermostats throughout building while open and closed and whether thermostats are programmable
• Type and condition of water heating units (including those in pools and hot tubs)
• Number, type, location, age, condition, efficiency, use-patterns, and size of refrigerators and freezers, laundry equipment, microwaves, dishwashers, and stoves/ovens
• Number, type, age, efficiency, use-patterns, and size of all electronic equipment (computers, printers, copiers, monitors, servers, etc.)
• Number, type, wattage, and average operational time of indoor and exterior lights
• Number, type, age, and use-patterns of all elevators and escalators
• Information about any equipment used seasonally (dehumidifiers, irrigation systems, special events equipment, etc.)

Before you buy

The DOE recommends that you look for a professional auditor that does (at minimum) the following tests: a blower door test, a thermographic scan, and a PFT air infiltration measurement.[1] For a more in depth examination of what to look for in a professional auditor, check out RESNET’s Standards.

Find it! Business energy auditors

Here are some companies that currently offer business energy auditing services:

Conducting a business energy audit helps you go green because…

• It pinpoints a building’s energy inefficiencies and offers recommendations for sealing the leaks, which saves energy and money.

A great deal of energy can leave a building through leaks in the building envelope. These can be found in attics, flooring, window and door frames, plumbing and lighting fixtures, ductwork, and electrical outlets and switches.[2] Performing an energy audit will result in concrete information about energy leaks and constructive suggestions for how to reduce energy and water usage.[3]

Tax breaks and subsidies

For commercial buildings that achieve a 50 percent reduction in annual energy costs, tax deductions of $1.80 per square foot are available. Check out RESNET’s information (see Commercial Buildings) website for details. See also the ENERGY STAR Tax Deductions for Commercial Buildings page for more information. In order to get subsidies, be sure to choose an auditor that uses one of the US Internal Revenue Service’s qualified software products for Commercial Building Tax Deductions.

Glossary

• blower door test: To determine a home’s airtightness, an auditor will mount a powerful fan into an exterior door frame to pull air out of the home.[4]
• PFT air infiltration measurement: To determine long-term air leakage and energy loss in a building, an auditor may employ this technique which emits a colorless, odorless, harmless gas known as perflurocarbon tracer gas (PFT). The concentration of the gas throughout the building over time is then measured.[5]
• R-factor: The R-factor (also known as R-value) indicates the insulating value of a product, or put another way, the product's resistance to heat flow. The higher the R number, the higher its insulating effectiveness.[6]
• thermographic scan: To determine air leakage and thermal defects in a home, an auditor may use infrared video and still cameras to measure the temperature of a building’s surface.[7]

External links

• US Department of Energy
• ENERGY STAR