fluorescent light bulb[/caption]Chase Roberts ----Energy audits are preliminary examinations typically undertaken as part of an overall plan to improve energy efficiency in a building or group of buildings (such as a home, apartment building, school or business). These audits often reveal inefficiencies that help property owners and operators explore options for improvement.
The Main Components of an Energy Audit
At its most basic, an energy audit closely examines the energy efficiency of a building and compares it to a standard or best practice. A professional will document how much energy is being used in a building each year, along with details about the processes consuming the energy in the home. After the audit the homeowner can use the information gained to change habits and patterns of inefficient energy use around the house.
An audit will also assess management’s (or a homeowner’s) effectiveness in monitoring energy use and making necessary changes to improve it. This assessment is a detailed but necessary process that helps determine what new steps need to be taken to achieve a more energy-efficient plan.
An audit will help discover which areas of the building would be the most cost effective to address. Turning off lights or turning down heating and cooling to an unused section of a building costs very little when compared with installing all new appliances, for example. An audit typically includes a formal analysis of how energy is being expended in the building. Analysis of how energy is being used is typically done via installation of sub-meters at different locations in the building.
Additional Components of an Energy Audit
As part of the analysis operating hours, duty cycle, and actual power consumed are all examined by a professional auditor.
Operating hours are scrutinized with the help of energy plant personnel. The audit takes into consideration operating consumption, including how many hours each day the lights are on and how many hours each day equipment is used. It may recommend that certain equipment be repaired or replaced to decrease energy consumption, but may also find that some areas of a building go almost completely unused for large segments of the day. Unused areas can be effectively powered down until they are needed: lights and heating or cooling can be turned off, power strips and appliances unplugged, and more.
The duty cycle relates to machines with electric motors that have varied loads and differing power demands. Actual power consumed refers to three-phase current voltage readings or power-analyzing measurement. Flow meters and tank readings provide estimates of how much energy consumption there is each month. The electrical supply, hot water, compressed air, and motors systems will all be reviewed. When all of this data is taken, charts are generated which enable analysis to be completed.
What Can Be Done After the Energy Audit?
Energy audits can result in several positive changes, including lower electric bills, uncovering of mold or mildew whose removal can improve quality of life for employees, and a reduction in the emission of greenhouse gasses. Not only is the audit valuable for a building owner and operator looking to save money and improve the property, it can also help, as part of a larger effort, to improve the environment.
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This article was provided by Chase Roberts, home renovation and garden expert. One of the best ways to keep your house energy efficient, looking in the warmth in the winter and cold in the summer, is getting your house fitted with new replacement windows.
