GUIDANCE ON ENERGY AUDITS1

1. Background
The purpose of an energy audit is to determine how energy is used in an existing facility,
and to quantify it. This helps to identify opportunities to improve the effectiveness with
which energy is used. A typical strategy for energy management is given in Annex 1.
Energy audits can be done for all kinds of installations such as industries, utilities,
commercial or office facilities, and homes. This guidance briefly introduces energy audits
relevant to office facilities, which is most relevant for INFM members. For more detailed
information, a list of relevant information sources is given in Annex 2.
2. Types of Energy Audit

ASHRAE classification
The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers
(ASHRAE) defines three levels of audits: Level I, Level II and Level III. Each
audit level builds on the previous level, with increasing complexity and
thoroughness, as well as increasing potential to identify energy savings.

Based on coverage

Single Purpose Energy Audit

This type of audit provides a detailed analysis on one or more types of
equipments or projects. Examples include those that focus only on lighting or
boiler/chiller replacements, or a combination of these.

Comprehensive Audit
It covers the entire facility. It considers the interactive effects of equipments
and their energy systems

3. Process and Methodology

Typically, the process followed would be:

Review of energy data

The audit typically begins with a review of readily available data on historical and
current energy (electricity and fuel) usage, for the whole facility and its
components. This will include energy bills and internal logs for a few years. This
information could be used to:
o Benchmark the facilitys or equipments energy use
o Check variations of energy use and relate to factors such as climate,
building occupancy, maintenance schedules etc
o Prioritise the areas for further study
o Energy load management opportunities. This includes looking at:
Opportunities for avoiding or reducing energy demand
Shifting energy use from peak use periods2 to non-peak periods

Also called as energy assessment, energy study, feasibility study, technical assistance report
Many utilities charge a higher rate for energy used during peak load period. It is possible to shift some of the energy
consumption activities to non-peak periods (eg, water pumping). Many utilities also charges a steep penalty if the peak
demand exceeds a certain level. In such cases, it is important to shift non-critical loads to non-peak periods.
2

Looking at opportunities for power factor3 improvement

Study4 the efficiency, effectiveness of:
o Building envelope, including the walls, ceilings, floors, windows
o Motors
o Energy end use systems, such as the HVAC or water pumping system
o Energy generation systems, such as the diesel generator or solar
photovoltaic system
o Building energy monitoring, control or automation systems
o Energy or environment management systems. The equivalent ISO
standards are ISO 50001 and ISO 14001, respectively.
Options in energy generation, renewable energy, co-generation5 and fuel
substitution6

4. Energy Audit Report

The key elements of the report could be:
General facility information
Introduction of the energy system and energy flows (eg, electrical and steam
distribution diagrams)
Climate data
Summary of previous audits and retro-commissioning
Energy data and measurements
Analysis of the energy system, energy flows and energy performance of
equipments/systems
Energy saving measures, including their cost benefit analysis
Prioritization of the energy saving measures
5. Energy auditor
Energy auditing services are offered by Energy Services Companies (ESCOs),
energy consultants and engineering firms. The auditor needs to have a wide range of
knowledge and skills and often this will not be available in adequate measure in a
single individual. Few key skills needed are listed below:
Conducting energy and mass balance
This is used to map the energy and mass flowing through the facility and through all
major equipments. The sum of the energy or mass outflows should equal the
energy or mass inflows. With this information, it is often possible to see opportunities
for energy saving and recovery.
3

http://www.kwsaving.co.uk/Business/pfc/pfc-simple.htm
http://standby.iea-4e.org/files/otherfiles/0000/0059/PowerFactorBasics.pdf
4

As per needs, this will involve measurement of operational parameters, performance trials of key equipments and their
systems, carrying out energy and mass balance. Loading of all major equipments will also be measured or estimated. At
low loads, most systems operate at low efficiency. At the same time, overloading will decrease their life. Hence, it is
important to ensure an optimum loading of equipments
5

Also called as Combined Heat and Power (CHP). It refers to the sequential production of electricity and heat, in either
order (eg, a diesel generator produces electricity and the waste heat from the exhaust is used to generate steam or hot
water that could be used in the facility)
6

Fuel substitution is normally done to move from a polluting or less efficient fuel (eg, any solid fuel) to a more cleaner or
efficient fuel (eg, any gaseous fuel).

Knowledge of energy management options in electrical and thermal systems

Energy management options are specific to each kind of equipments and detailed
knowledge is needed.
Knowledge of bio-climatic design
Building design needs to be optimized for the bio-climatic features of the site. There
are specific design priorities for each climatic zone. For example, for a tropical
climate the emphasis would be on improving the ventilation, while in a cold climate
the emphasis would be on improving solar access. The site features also could also
give many clues and strategies for the design. Bio-climatic design involves
optimisation of shape and orientation, design of appropriate building envelope
(optimisation of wall, roof and floor insulation; glazing etc), optimising access to
daylight, landscaping.
Economic analysis, including Life Cycle Costing
Energy modeling and simulation
This can range from simple to complex modeling exercises.
6. Studies that could complement an Energy Audit
Few other initiatives such as environmental management, carbon management,
maintenance management, water management and Green Procurement, share some
common methodologies/procedures with Energy Management and have co-benefits.
Hence it might be worthwhile to check if partial or full audits/studies to cover those
issues, could be carried out along with an energy audit. This is briefly touched upon in
Annex 3

ANNEX 1
ENERGY MANAGEMENT STRATEGY

The energy management strategy could vary from site to site.

A broad strategy is depicted in the figure below.

ENERGY DEMAND AVOIDANCE

OR REDUCTION

Step 1: Energy demand reduction or avoidance

The first priority would be to reduce or avoid demand for
energy. For example, the possibility for designing a building
with optimum level of daylight, thereby reducing use of
electricity for lighting.

EFFICIENCY IN ENERGY
PRODUCTION, DISTRIBUTION
AND USAGE

Step 2: Energy Efficiency

The next step is to consider how to improve energy efficiency
in energy generation systems (eg, diesel generators) and
energy end use systems (eg, air conditioning system).

ENERGY GENERATION
OPTIONS
USE OF RENEWABLE ENERGY

Step 3: Energy production options and use of Renewable

Energy
The first 2 steps will help to minimize the energy requirements of the facility and identify
all energy flows in the system. This will be the right stage to decide on any further
changes for the energy supply and production options. This might include looking at
options for:
Increasing or decreasing the size of existing energy production systems (eg,
adding or removing a diesel generator set)
Use of renewable energy
Co-generation
Fuel substitution

ANNEX 2
LIST OF INFORMATION RESOURCES

DOE. Energy Savings Assessment Training Manual. US Department of Energy

http://www1.eere.energy.gov/femp/pdfs/esa_manual.pdf
DOE, 2010. A Guide to Energy Audits. US Department of Energy
http://www.pnnl.gov/main/publications/external/technical_reports/pnnl-20956.pdf
LBNL, 2010. Industrial Energy Audit Guidebook: Guidelines for Conducting an
Energy Audit in Industrial Facilities. Ernest Orlando Lawrence
Berkeley National Laboratory

http://minotaur.lbl.gov/china.lbl.gov/sites/china.lbl.gov/files/LBNL-3991E.Industrial
%20Energy%20Audit%20Guidebook_0.pdf
NRC. EnErgy SavingS Toolbox an Energy audit Manual and Tool. Natural
Resources Canada
http://oee.nrcan.gc.ca/sites/oee.nrcan.gc.ca/files/files/pdf/energy-audit-manual-andtool.pdf

ANNEX 3
STUDIES THAT COULD COMPLEMENT AN ENERGY AUDIT
Environmental management, carbon management, maintenance management, water
management and Green Procurement, share some common methodologies/procedures
with Energy Management and have co-benefits. Hence it might be worthwhile to check if
partial or full audits/studies to cover those issues, could be carried out along with an
energy audit.
o

Environmental audit
Many energy management actions also reduces environmental impacts and hence
common strategies are possible. For example, reducing fuel consumption in a boiler
reduces air pollution. An environmental audit could also reveal opportunities for
energy recovery (such as energy generation from waste, or waste heat recovery
from the exhaust of a boiler)

Carbon/GHG audit
Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from a UN type facility is mostly from energy
consumption, apart from release of refrigerants.

Maintenance audit
Better maintenance practices helps to reduce energy consumption (eg, early
detection and repair of steam or water leaks). Equipments normally are energy
inefficient during start-ups and shut-downs. Many Predictive Maintenance techniques
help to prevent or delay breakdowns, and thus avoid energy wastage during startups and shut-downs.

Water balancing
Reducing water consumption and wastage, helps to reduce the energy used for
pumping. Water Balancing studies maps the water input, waste water discharge, and
wastage of water within facilities, followed by analysis on how to reduce the wastage
or potential for recycling or reuse of water.

Green Procurement
Many energy management recommendations would involve procurement actions.
Both Procurers and Requisitioners should know how to effectively implement Green
Procurement. An evaluation of the Procurement function and activities, could help to
recommend the appropriate strategy for ensuring Green Procurement