Presently, environmental management has become one of the most pressing issues for governments and environmental activists globally. Many endeavors seek to check excessive carbon emissions from residential buildings, businesses, etc. As the global temperatures steadily rise, major changes must be made to our energy consumption patterns. Energy auditing is a valuable tool in this direction that can help cities reach net zero carbon emission. 

This article looks at energy audits, how they are implemented, and their roles in conserving resources and the environment. 

What Are Energy Audits?

An energy audit evaluates and investigates the consumption patterns of buildings, their management and central systems. Reports are made and presented on the same so that accelerators can advise owners on upgrades and fixes. This includes electricity usage, fuel use, total energy used and lost.

Energy audits aim to reduce the carbon emissions generated by a building. It also helps improve the living conditions of the occupants of the building. Anything that causes harm to the environment inevitably causes harm to human beings. That’s why buildings with unnaturally higher carbon emission patterns than its equal counterparts often have unhealthy living environments. A building that requires more energy to sustain the same functions as an identical building indicates lack of upgrades and maintenance.

Hence, energy audits not only help reduce emissions and costs but also improve the residents’ quality of life. 

According to the Department of Technology and Society at New York’s Stony Brook University, only 9% of respondents conducted regular energy audits. This proves the need for further sensitization and awareness regarding energy usage, its increasing costs and environmental impact. This is because a thorough audit lets you shift to cleaner and more renewable sources of energy, which are far more cost-effective than fossil fuel-based energy.

How Are Audits Performed? 

The energy used in any building does not exist in a vacuum. It comes from sources often treated as abstract by residents and owners alike. That’s why, when talking about what is energy auditing you must bring these sources to light. For example, residents must remember that most buildings draw energy from fossil fuels. This includes gas, oil, electricity, coal etc. all of which help in powering the daily activities inside establishments. However, building envelopes, infiltration systems, fuel losses and other channels cause some of this energy to be dissipated. 

Building owners must remember these things when conducting energy audits and representing their findings. The process of conducting energy efficiency audits involves the following steps:

1. Benchmarking: In this step, building owners and auditors have to calculate and analyze preliminary costs and compare them with similar and energy-efficient sources as an alternative.
2. Preliminary or Walk-Through Audit: Here, building owners look into pre-existing data used to analyze a building’s energy use and the performance of its technical and central systems. This is a quick and generic form of audit that does not involve complicated steps and only looks at economic calculations.
3. Detailed or diagnostic audit: Here, auditors look into the detailed information and data of all the technical and central systems operating the building. These include pumps, fans, ventilators, compressors, energy back-ups, etc. The results of this kind of audit clearly show the problem areas of consumption and emission.
4. Investment audits: As the name suggests, this type of assistance involves conducting a thorough audit of the building as a part of investment plans. 

Different establishment plans benefit from different auditing systems and the ones mentioned above are used alternatively. 

How Do Audits Help With Local Law Compliance? 

As a part of the disclosure agreement of Local Law 97, owners of buildings larger than 25,000 square feet are required to show regular energy audits to achieve a carbon-neutral New York by 2050. This also applies to a group of buildings in the same tax bracket that together make 50,000 square feet. Condo associations under the same directional board also fall under the Local Law 97.

As of 2024, NYC Local Law makes it compulsory for building owners to present their energy audits and make upgrades to their establishments with the aim of reducing emissions. Further, these audits must be publicly available so that they can increase overall awareness about the decarbonization of buildings and central systems.

Not complying with these sustainability laws incurs severe penalties and legal consequences. Apart from that, it creates an unsafe living environment inside the establishment. That’s why you must conduct regular audits, keeping with global energy assessment standards and uphold local law compliance. It also helps you reduce the overall cost of building management through cleaner and renewable energy sources. 

Building owners should also maintain proper procedures when reporting their suits, such as:

1. An accurate building description, including its dimensions, material, location, fittings, boilers, energy back-ups, etc.
2. Description of the HVAC systems
3. The range of thermal comfort
4. Energy consumption resorts like bills, estimates, etc. 
5. Reports on whether all the appliances and systems in the building are functional and updated
6. Highlight areas of dissipation and energy waste and suggest probable solutions. 
7. Calculate how cost-effective the measures are.
8. Point out any specific recommendations, if any.

A proper suit report consists of all this information as a part of the building’s management system.

Why Are They Important? 

As stated earlier, energy audits are a crucial tool for assessing the carbon footprint of buildings. Owners can devise and improve their BMS or building management systems based on these energy reports. Inculcating the environment- friendly upgrades in the BMS can significantly reduce the establishment’s carbon emissions. 

Some of the many benefits of energy audits are:

1. Energy assessment for cost-saving: Shifting to cleaner and renewable energy sources like solar power to generate electricity can help buildings use off-grid power. This, in turn, helps reduce or, in the best cases, completely eliminate supply costs.
2. It improves the living conditions of the residents: Adults can help identify problem areas in the building, such as broken appliances, etc., which become barriers to comfort when left untreated. 
3. Increases the resale value: Establishments that maintain regular audits and upgrade to greener technology offer much higher resale value than their unaudited counterparts.
4. It can help identify safety concerns such as earthing problems, electrical systems, HVAC, etc and prevent major mishaps or accidents.
5. They help buildings and establishments achieve decarbonization and a net zero emission rate.

How Much Do Energy Audits Cost?

Depending on the location of your home or commercial residence, the costs of auditing your building can differ. On average, they can cost around $400. However, these can vary according to the size of your building, its management system and the type of audit you’re performing.

Conclusion

Governments across the world are emphasizing the need for carbon neutral cities and living spaces. In this journey, energy audits are the primary tools for investigation and mitigation. They enable homes and businesses to identify and troubleshoot problems of overconsumption and reduce costs. This not only improves the comfort condition inside the establishments but also creates a positive impact on the environment. 

The Cotocon Group can help establishments in their busking management systems and implementing energy efficient audits, thereby complying with local law 97. This makes your buildings more competitive in the market and increases its value as an asset. Contact the team for professional consultations today.