What is an Energy Audit?

Energy auditing is one of the first steps towards efficient energy management of a building. The process comprises identifying, surveying and analyzing the energy usage of the building to facilitate optimization while reducing energy consumption, thereby increasing the savings of cost as well as energy. Energy auditing regards itself primarily with health and safety along with reducing energy consumption without hampering the operations.
Energy audits ensure consistency, accuracy and quality as per ANSI/ASHREA/ACCA Standard 211-2018. It is dignified as the best practice for energy survey & analyses for purchases and providers of energy audits services.

The Energy Audit Process

The process is compartmentalized into two steps – Walk-Through Analysis & Energy Survey and Analysis.

Walk-Through Analysis: Energy Auditor Inspection & Interview

It involves multiple tests being conducted by the auditor across the parameters of the building. Various measurements are recorded; building personnel (owners, tenants, occupants, and other community fellow) are interviewed. This also includes identifying different energy-saving opportunities.

Energy Saving and Analysis: Report and Implementation

Post the initial survey, the bottlenecks towards energy efficiency are described. The auditor duly provides a thorough analysis of the problematic energy areas. They are also responsible for recommending all the possible solutions and interventions regarding the energy systems partly based off occupant tendencies understood.

Purpose of Energy Audit

• Overall performance of the building is enhanced by saving energy and operational costs
• Identifying and rectifying all problems related to building system operation, control & maintenance
• Increasing tenant/occupant satisfaction by looking into their complaints
• Reducing associated liability and improving indoor environmental comfort and quality, a rising concern in the pandemic phase
• Analyzing the Operations & Maintenance (O&M), personnel training needs along with providing the training
• Facilitating risk management and risk elimination
• Extending equipment life-cycle
• Addressing the code issues
• All in all, increasing the asset value of the property

Benefits of Energy Audits

• More Comfort – Energy auditing, without fail promises greater comfort for energy efficient buildings inherently ensures better insulation, better cooling, optimum HVAC, amongst other things
• Improved IAQ –  Increased air efficiency guarantees better air quality as the ventilation and air conditioning experience a scrutinized focus throughout the process
• Greater Building Durability– Energy auditing is performed with the vision of increasing the building’s longevity and durability, with close attention being paid to the leaks, moisture levels, ventilation, and sun-proofing to sustain the building’s health
• Higher Resale Value – With increased health, longevity, and operation optimization, the building’s worth surpluses, which reflects with higher resale value as much as 20% if not more.

The Cotocon Group has Energy Audit experts with vast experience that are extremely skilled with the latest technology such as thermal simulations. With legislations like New York City Local Law 87 which require an annual submission of energy reports, energy auditing has become indispensable part of the process. Similarly, Local Law as of May 1, 2011 mandates for all buildings 50,000 square feet and larger to mandatorily be ENERGY STAR benchmarked and further report their energy and water usage. These laws essentially capture the vision of New York City’s PlaNYC to help reduce wasted energy in buildings, which happens to be one of the greatest sources of pollution in NYC.
The Cotocon Group can seamlessly manage the requirements of all the laws and help you save money as well as optimize on the operations as promised with Energy Auditing, making your building more competitive. Contact Us for more information.