Energy Audit in buildings

Presentation on Energy Audit in Buildings
Prepared by Shravanthi Gopalakrishnan
Faculty of Architecture
Karpagam Academy of Higher Education
Coimbatore
Green buildings & Code Compliance
22MARESS6
Presentation on
energy Audit in Buildings
Shravanthi Gopalakrishnan

Contents of the Presentation
• What is an Energy Audit?
• Need for energy audit
• Global position on energy and
energy consumption
• Types of energy audit
• Methods of energy audit
• Equipment used for energy
audit
• Analysis of equipment
• Recommendation for different
equipment
• How to prepare an audit
report
• Energy audit software
• How to become an Energy
auditor?

What is an Energy Audit?
An energy audit is an assessment of how
much energy a building consumes and where
the energy is being used. The purpose of an
energy audit is to identify ways in which a
building's energy usage can be reduced and
to make recommendations for improving
energy efficiency. Energy audits are typically
carried out by professionals who are trained
in energy efficiency and building science.

Need for an Energy Audit?
1. Energy consumption and cost: If a
building's energy consumption and cost
are significantly high, it may indicate that
there are inefficiencies or wasteful
energy practices in place. Conducting an
energy audit can help identify areas
where energy is being wasted, and
recommend solutions to reduce energy
consumption and lower costs.
2. Regulatory compliance: Many local,
national, and industry-specific
regulations require buildings to meet
certain energy efficiency standards.
Energy audits can help ensure that a
building is compliant with these
regulations, avoiding potential penalties
or fines.

3. Sustainability goals: Building owners or managers who have sustainability goals, such as reducing
their carbon footprint or achieving green building certifications, may require an energy audit to
identify opportunities for improving energy efficiency and reducing environmental impact.
4. Building performance issues: Buildings that experience comfort issues, such as inconsistent
temperatures, poor indoor air quality, or excessive humidity, may benefit from an energy audit. Energy
audits can help identify underlying causes of these issues, such as inadequate insulation or HVAC
system inefficiencies, and recommend solutions to improve building performance.
Need for an Energy Audit?
5. Maintenance or renovation plans:
Buildings undergoing major renovations
or maintenance may require an energy
audit to assess the energy performance
of the building and identify
opportunities for incorporating energy-
efficient measures during the
renovation or maintenance process.
This can help optimize the building's
energy performance and achieve long-
term energy savings.

Building that require
Energy Audit?
Commercial and industrial buildings: Many jurisdictions require commercial and industrial
buildings to comply with energy audit regulations. This can include office buildings, retail
spaces, hotels, factories, warehouses, and other commercial or industrial facilities.
Public buildings: Public buildings, such as government offices, schools, hospitals, and other
publicly-owned facilities, may be subject to energy audit requirements as part of government
initiatives to promote energy efficiency and sustainability.
Large energy consumers: Facilities that are classified as large energy consumers, typically
based on their energy usage levels, may be required to undergo energy audits. This can include
facilities in industries such as manufacturing, mining, and transportation, which have high
energy consumption levels.
Building owners or managers with sustainability goals: Building owners or managers who
have set sustainability goals, such as achieving green building certifications like LEED (Leadership
in Energy and Environmental Design), may voluntarily choose to undergo energy audits as part
of their sustainability initiatives.
Buildings undergoing renovations or retrofits: Buildings that are undergoing major
renovations or retrofits may be required to conduct energy audits to assess the energy
performance of the building and identify opportunities for incorporating energy-efficient
measures as part of the renovation or retrofit process.

Global stand on energy
consumption & conservation

The global position on energy
consumption and conservation
is increasingly focused on
sustainable and responsible
energy practices to mitigate the
impacts of climate change,
reduce greenhouse gas
emissions, and ensure long-
term availability of energy
resources.
1. Transition to renewable
energy
2. Energy efficiency and
conservation
3. Energy access and equity
4. Policy and regulatory
frameworks
5. Innovation and technology
6. International cooperation
and partnerships

India, as one of the world's fastest-
growing economies and one of the
largest consumers of energy, has a
significant focus on energy conservation
to achieve sustainable and responsible
energy consumption. Here are some key
aspects of India's position on energy
conservation:
1. National policies and initiatives: The
National Mission for Enhanced Energy
Efficiency (NMEEE) under the National
Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC)
is a comprehensive program aimed at
enhancing energy efficiency in various
sectors, including buildings, industry,
agriculture, and municipal services. The
Energy Conservation Act of 2001
provides a legal framework for energy
conservation measures, and the Bureau
of Energy Efficiency (BEE) is the statutory
body responsible for implementing
energy conservation initiatives across the
country.

2. Energy efficiency standards and labeling: India has implemented
energy efficiency standards and labeling programs for various
appliances, including refrigerators, air conditioners, lighting, and
motors. These standards aim to promote the use of energy-
efficient technologies and encourage consumers to make informed
choices while purchasing appliances.
3. Building codes and green building certification: The Energy
Conservation Building Code (ECBC) provides guidelines for energy-
efficient building design and has been adopted by several states in
India. green building certification programs like the Indian Green
Building Council (IGBC) and Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design (LEED) are gaining popularity, encouraging
the adoption of energy-efficient measures in buildings.
4. Energy conservation in industry: energy audits, providing
incentives for energy-efficient technologies and practices, and
promoting energy management systems, such as the Perform,
Achieve and Trade (PAT) scheme, which sets energy efficiency
targets for energy-intensive industries.
5. Demand-side management programs: India has implemented
demand-side management programs, such as energy-efficient
lighting programs, agricultural pump efficiency programs, and
industrial energy efficiency programs, to reduce energy
consumption and promote energy conservation at the consumer
level.

Types of Energy
Audit
1. Walk-through or Preliminary
Energy Audit- This is the most
basic type of energy audit,
typically conducted by visual
inspection and data collection.
2. Detailed or Comprehensive
Energy Audit- This type of
audit involves a thorough and
comprehensive assessment of
a facility or system's energy
performance.
3. Investment Grade Energy
Audit- providing detailed and
accurate information for
making investment decisions
related to energy efficiency
measures.
4. Retro-commissioning (RCx)
Audit- audit focuses on
evaluating and optimizing the
performance of existing
building systems and
equipment to improve energy
efficiency.

Methods of Energy
Audit
Data Collection and Analysis: Energy auditors collect
and analyze data related to energy consumption,
utility bills, equipment usage, and operational
practices. This includes reviewing historical energy
bills, meter readings, and data loggers to
understand the energy consumption patterns and
identify areas of energy waste.

1. On-Site Inspections and
Measurements: Energy auditors
conduct on-site inspections to
assess the condition and efficiency
of energy-consuming equipment,
systems, and facilities. This may
include measuring parameters
such as equipment performance,
insulation levels, air leaks, lighting
levels, and HVAC (Heating,
Ventilation, and Air Conditioning)
system performance. Instruments
such as thermographic cameras,
power meters, and airflow meters
may be used to measure and
analyze energy consumption and
performance.
Thermographic camera Power Meter
Air Flow Meter Meter
Methods of Energy
Audit

2. Energy Performance Modeling and
Simulation: Energy auditors may use
software tools for energy performance
modeling and simulation to evaluate the
energy performance of a facility or system.
This involves creating a virtual model of
the facility or system, inputting data
related to equipment, operational
practices, and usage patterns, and
simulating various scenarios to estimate
energy consumption and potential savings
from energy conservation measures.
3. Interviews and Surveys: Energy auditors
may conduct interviews and surveys with
facility managers, operators, and
employees to gather information about
energy consumption practices,
maintenance procedures, and operational
issues that may impact energy
performance. This helps in identifying
potential areas of improvement and
understanding the behavior and practices
of energy users.

4. Benchmarking: Benchmarking
involves comparing the energy
performance of a facility or system
against established standards or
industry benchmarks. This helps in
identifying areas where energy
performance lags behind industry
standards and setting targets for
improvement.
5. Analysis of Energy Conservation
Measures (ECMs): Energy auditors
evaluate and analyze potential
energy conservation measures
(ECMs) that can be implemented to
improve energy efficiency. This
includes conducting technical and
financial feasibility analyses,
evaluating the costs, savings, and
payback periods of ECMs, and
providing recommendations on the
most viable and cost-effective
measures.

6. Reporting and Recommendations:
Finally, energy auditors prepare
detailed reports that include findings,
recommendations, and an action plan
for implementing energy conservation
measures. These reports provide a
roadmap for improving energy
performance and reducing energy
consumption in the facility or system.
It's important to note that the specific
methods used in an energy audit may
vary depending on the scope, size, and
complexity of the facility or system
being audited, as well as the goals and
objectives of the audit. Qualified
energy auditors with expertise in
energy management, engineering, and
data analysis are typically responsible
for conducting energy audits and
providing recommendations for
improving energy efficiency and
reducing energy consumption.

Energy audit in
houses
A home energy audit is a service where the
energy efficiency of a house is evaluated by a
person using professional equipment (such
as blower doors and infrared cameras), with
the aim to suggest the best ways to improve
energy efficiency in heating and cooling the
house.
An energy audit of a home may involve
recording various characteristics of
1. The building envelope including the
walls, ceilings, floors, doors, windows,
and skylights. For each of these
components the area and resistance to
heat flow (R-value) is measured or
estimated.
2. The leakage rate or infiltration of air
through the building envelope is of
concern, both of which are strongly
affected by window construction and
quality of door seals such as weather
stripping.

Increasingly in the last several decades, industrial
energy audits have exploded as the demand to lower
increasingly expensive energy costs and move
towards a sustainable future have made energy
audits greatly important. Their importance is
magnified since energy spending is a major expense
to industrial companies (energy spending accounts
for ~ 10% of the average manufacturer's expenses).
This growing trend should only continue as energy
costs continue to rise.
While the overall concept is similar to a home or
residential energy audit, industrial energy audits
require a different skillset. Weatherproofing and
insulating a house are the main focus of residential
energy audits. For industrial applications, it is the
HVAC, lighting, and production equipment that use
the most energy, and hence are the primary focus of
energy audits.
Energy audit in
Industries

• The impossibility of describing all possible
situations that might be encountered
during an audit means that it is necessary
to find a way of describing what
constitutes good, average and bad energy
performance across a range of situations.
• The aim of benchmarking is to answer this
question. Benchmarking mainly consists in
comparing the measured consumption
with reference consumption of other
similar buildings or generated by
simulation tools to identify excessive or
unacceptable running costs. As
mentioned before, benchmarking is also
necessary to identify buildings presenting
interesting energy saving potential. An
important issue in benchmarking is the
use of performance indices to
characterize the building.
Benchmarking

These indexes can be:
Comfort indexes, comparing the actual comfort conditions
to the comfort requirements;
Energy indexes, consisting in energy demands divided by
heated/conditioned area, allowing comparison with
reference values of the indexes coming from regulation or
similar buildings;
Energy demands, directly compared to “reference” energy
demands generated by means of simulation tools.
Typically, benchmarks are established based on the energy
outlets (loads) within the building and are then further
parsed into "base loads" and "weather sensitive loads".
These are established through a simple regression analysis
of energy consumption and demand (if metered) correlated
to weather (temperature and degree - day) data during the
period for which utility data is available. Aggregate base
loads will represent as the intercept of this regression and
the slope will typically represent the combination of building
envelope conduction and infiltration losses less losses or
gains from the base loads themselves. For example, while
lighting is typically a base load, the heat generated from that
lighting must be subtracted from the weather sensitive
cooling load derived from the slope to gain an accurate
picture of the true contribution of the building envelope on
cooling energy use and demand.

Energy Audit process

1. Review the Audit Report: The very first thing to be done is to understand when you receive the audit report.
Skim through the material that the energy auditor has provided you with, and make sure you understand it by
heart. Auditor will make an in-depth presentation at the end of field study itself and also be available and able to
answer follow-up questions later. Let this be carried out in the presence important personnel, including the
heads of maintenance, plant manager, the in-charge of budgeting.
2. Prioritize and Implement the Changes
Prioritize the energy audit findings in the report as low, medium and long term measures based on its
importance and return on investment. Implement both critical & suggested changes to the equipments and
system which shoots up your energy consumption and crosses the set limit.
3. Replace the Old with New
Wherever required replace the old inefficient equipments with new energy efficient equipments. On a
continuous basis, Find out solutions and less energy consuming alternatives to scale down the consumption.
4. Adoption of Latest Technologies
Make a habit of going for the latest technologies and energy efficient equipment when purchase is done for the
premises.
Start preparing for these steps right after you are done with the audit and make use of everything that you have
gotten from the energy audit reports. The insights from the walkthrough of your audit journey will also play an
important part in building up the essential foresight to achieve the energy management & will potentially save
you from consuming more energy.
Steps to follow after an energy
Audit

Eligibility Criteria for Certified Energy Managers and Certified Energy Auditors
For Certified Energy Managers (CEM) Exam:
1. a graduate Engineer (Bachelor of Engineering/Bachelor of Technology) or equivalent with
three years of work experience involving use of energy in operation, maintenance, planning,
etc.; or
2. a post-graduate Engineer (Master of Engineering/Master of Technology) or equivalent
with two years of work experience involving use of energy in operation, maintenance,
planning, etc.; or
3. a graduate Engineer with post-graduate degree in Management or equivalent with two
years of work experience involving use of energy in operation, maintenance, planning, etc.;
or
4. a diploma Engineer or equivalent with six years of work experience involving use of
energy in operation, maintenance, planning, etc.; or
5. a post-graduate in Physics or Electronics or Chemistry (with Physics and Mathematics at
graduation level) with three years of work experience involving use of energy in operation,
maintenance, planning, etc.
Become an Energy Auditor in
India

For Certified Energy Auditors (CEA) Exam:
1. a graduate Engineer (Bachelor of Engineering/Bachelor of Technology) or equivalent with
three years of work experience involving use of energy in operation, maintenance, planning,
etc.; or
2. a post-graduate Engineer (Master of Engineering/Master of Technology) or equivalent with
two years of work experience involving use of energy in operation, maintenance, planning,
etc.; or
3. a graduate Engineer with post-graduate degree in Management or equivalent with two
years of work experience involving use of energy in operation, maintenance, planning, etc.
Candidates should have acquired the requisite number of years of work experience as on the
closing date of the application. Candidates will be registered and guidebooks will be sent only
on receipt of Experience Certificate. Candidates without requisite work experience are not
eligible to register for the examination.
Become an Energy Auditor in
India

Energy Audit in buildings

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