The American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) established 3 levels of energy audits created to improve a building’s energy efficiency, save businesses money, and help them build an energy plan to implement and maintain any energy conservation measures identified.
An ASHRAE Level 1 audit consists of utility bill analysis and short building walkthrough to identify high level energy conservation measures that can reduce your facilities usage. Level 1 audits can be completed at little or no cost.
Level 2 audits are a more comprehensive review of building operations including full data collection of equipment energy use, project cost analysis, and ROI calculations. The goal of a Level 2 audit is to take a more detailed look into facility operations and the specific projects that would be most energy efficient and most economically sound, specifically regarding ROI.
ASHRAE Level 3 audits are completed only after a Level 2 audit is performed and identified projects have been approved. The primary focus of these audits is detailed data collection and analysis to justify significant capital investment.
Both Level 2 and Level 3 audits do present a cost to the business. However, there are funding avenues that can cover 75%, even up to 100%, of the audit cost.
If your business is looking to be more energy efficient and lower your energy costs, an energy audit is a great place to start! Contact Claire Wilson (claire@viridi.eco) to schedule an audit or get more information.
