Commercial Building Energy Audit Services

 

GES provides energy audit and engineering solutions for various types of commercial buildings. Conducting an energy audit is the first step towards energy efficiency and it is a process necessary to assess the true energy efficiency, operational efficiency and energy and infrastructure needs of a building. The purpose of the energy eudit is to diagnose the energy usage of a building, to get a realistic picture of its energy needs, to uncover deficiencies and waste, and to identify opportunities for improvement and savings, regarding both energy consumption and financial sustainability. Energy audits are also useful in establishing a benchmark for future monitoring of energy efficiency equipment upgrade projects. Other aspects included the reduction of the carbon footprint of the facility, acquiring LEED certification, implementing and better financing options for future projects.

 

GES offers different levels of Energy Audits based on the following ASHRAE Level I, II & III commercial building energy audit guidelines:

 

Preliminary Energy Use Analysis

 

This involves analysis of historic utility use and cost and development of the energy utilization index (EUI) of the building. Compare the building’s EUI to similar buildings to determine if further engineering study and analysis are likely to produce significant energy savings.

Level I: Walk-Through Analysis

 

This assesses a building’s current energy cost and efficiency by analyzing energy bills and briefly surveying the building. The auditor should be accompanied by the building operator. Level I analysis identifies low-cost/no-cost measures and capital improvements that merit further consideration, along with an initial estimate of costs and savings. The level of detail depends on the experience of the auditor and the client’s specifications. The Level I audit is most applicable when there is some doubt about the energy savings potential of a building, or when an owner wishes to establish which buildings in a portfolio have the greatest potential savings. The results can be used to develop a priority list for a Level II or III audit.

Level II: Energy Survey and Analysis

This includes a more detailed building survey and energy analysis, including a breakdown of energy use in the building, a savings and cost analysis of all practical measures that meet the owner’s constraints, and a discussion of any effect on operation and maintenance procedures. It also lists potential capital-intensive improvements that require more thorough data collection and analysis, along with an initial judgment of potential costs and savings. This level of analysis is adequate for most buildings.

Level III: Detailed Analysis of Capital-Intensive Modifications

This focuses on potential capital-intensive projects identified during Level II and involves more detailed field data gathering and engineering analysis. It provides detailed project cost and savings information with a level of confidence high enough for major capital investment decisions.

The levels of energy audits do not have sharp boundaries. They are general categories for identifying the type of information that can be expected and an indication of the level of confidence in the results. In a complete energy management program, Level II audits should be performed on all facilities.

Our expertise spans across a variety of systems and technologies. We have experience in a variety of building types such as:

 

• Commercial office buildings

• Public and private schools and school systems

• University campuses

• Local, State and Federal government facilities

• Multi-family and mixed-use buildings

• Hospitals and medical office buildings

• Sports stadiums and arenas

• Water and wastewater treatment facilities

One of the major benefits of performing an energy audit in your facility is that this type of on-site assessment will provide you with an energy benchmark for the facility which can in turn be used to identify energy and cost savings opportunities, identify energy conservation measures, implement a building energy management plan, and access rebates and incentives offered towards energy efficient equipment upgrades and technologies by local utilities.

 

A typical energy audit report would have the following sections:

 

• Energy consumption and cost baseline

• Energy end use analysis

• Energy benchmarking and scoring using Energy Star's Portfolio Manager

• Detailed description of existing conditions

• Detailed description of proposed energy conservation measures (ECMs) identified

• Estimated installed cost for each measure

• Simple payback, ROI and financial cash flow analysis

• Rebates and incentives from local utilities

• Greenhouse gas emission reduction

• Data logging analysis

• Measurement and verification (M&V) plan

• Supporting documentation

 

The following Energy Conservation Measures (ECMs) and technologies are typically evaluated based on the type of facility:

 

• Lighting upgrades

• Lighting occupancy upgrades

• Water and sewer upgrades

• Chiller upgrades

• Boiler upgrades

• Chilled water and hot Water plant optimization

• Cooling tower upgrades

• Domestic hot water upgrades

• Air handling unit (AHU) upgrades

• Rooftop unit (RTU) upgrades

• Variable frequency drives (VFD) upgrades

• Controls and building automation system (BAS) system upgrades

• Demand control ventilation (DCV) upgrades

• Energy efficient motors

• Building envelope upgrades

• Kitchen exhaust hood controls

• Energy efficiency transformers

• Solar photovoltaic (PV) feasibility

• Solar thermal feasibility

• Cogeneration, combined heat and power (CHP) feasibility

• Ground sounce heat pump (GSHP) feasibility

 

GES can tailor these services specifically to your needs, on projects ranging from one building to assessments and recommendations spanning across an entire portfolio.