Green Squared’s Chief Engineering Officer, Andy Smith, put together some interesting comments on the different types of energy audits that are out there, and I figured why not share them with the class?

The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers, commonly known as “ASHRAE” has classified Energy Auditing into three distinct groups. ASHRAE Level 1 Energy Audit is the simplest and least time consuming while ASHRAE Level 3 Energy Audit requires a more stringent and time consuming process. Each Energy Audit Level should be consider based on the owner’s expectations, building systems and cost.

ASHRAE Level 1 Energy Audit (Walk-through Analysis) Scope includes:
+ A one-day walk through of the building systems to get a “rough estimate” of how efficient the building operates.
+ Analysis of energy bills. How is electricity, gas and water charged?
+ Detect “low-hanging fruit”, simple, low-cost/no-cost fixes.
+ Suggest other systems that require further analysis. (Further analysis is not included)

This is the LEED O&M EA prerequisite 1: Energy Efficiency Best Management Practices­Planning, Documentation, and Opportunity Assessment.

ASHRAE Level 2 Energy Audit (Energy Survey and Analysis) Scope includes:

+ An ASHRAE Level 1 Energy Audit Scope plus
+ More detailed energy calculations and financial analysis of proposed energy conservation opportunities. (Spreadsheet calculations for each energy conservation opportunity)
+ Recommendations consider the owner’s operations and maintenance, constraints, and economic criteria.
+ Breakout Each Energy Conservation Opportunity as separate studies. Analyze the amount saved, cost and pay back period for each opportunity.

This earns 2 points under LEED EB EA credit 2.1: Existing Building Commissioning­Investigation and Analysis Option B.

ASHRAE Level 3 Energy Audit (Detailed Analysis of Capital Intensive Modification) Scope includes:
+ An ASHRAE Level 2 Energy Audit Scope plus
+ A further expansion of the previous levels of energy calculations (Energy Model) or extensive data collection (Pre-retrofit Measurement & Verification)
+ The report includes detailed cost and savings information with a high-level of confidence, sufficient for major capital investment decisions as well as a time-line for implementation of each recommendation.