energy assessment guide for commercial buildings - ECO-III

LEVELS OF ENERGY ASSESSMENT
baseline, energy savings from the recommended
EE measures and the ultimate target should be
provided.
3.2 Level I - Preliminary
Energy Assessment
The Level I - Preliminary Energy Assessment has
multiple purposes. Firstly it is used to establish
an initial baseline of energy utilization based on
previous months/years records. This information
is useful for gaining an understanding of the
amount and type of energy being consumed by
the facility and the associated costs. Secondly it
identifies low-cost/no-cost energy reduction
measures and potential projects for future
investigation. This level of analysis can be used for
as a starting point to proceed to higher levels of
assessment, reporting purposes or benchmarking.
Data is collected in two ways for this level
of assessment, through existing documents and
through physical inspection of the facility. General
information such as building use and area, and
two years of energy consumption records, are the
necessary information. Also a search within region
for similar buildings that are also tracking energy
utilization may be undertaken for benchmarking
Engineering and Financial Analysis
• Analysis of energy use and costs
• Recommended EE measures
•• Description
•• Energy and cost savings
•• Cost to implement
•• Pay Back Period
• Repairs required for EE measures
• Measurement and verification for monitoring
EE measures, and monitoring costs
• Energy analysis summary
•• Baseline energy use and cost
•• Ultimate energy target
•• Reductions from recommended EE
measures
•• Comparison of baseline, recommended EE
measures and ultimate target
Level I – Preliminary Energy Assessment - Specific Activities
• Determine building’s total area and primary use
• Collect data based on a minimum of two years
of utility bills
• Summarize data
•• Assess utility rates and potential savings
•• Analyze irregularities in use patterns
• Brief walk-through survey of the facility
including:
•• Construction
•• Equipment
•• Operations and maintenance
• Meeting with building owner/Manager, staff
and occupants
• Develop energy use and cost indices
• Establish target energy use and indices
• Breakdown of energy use by energy type and
major end uses, if sub-metering available
• Benchmarking to specific comparable facilities,
if benchmarked data is available
• Summary of any problems identified during
walkthrough, including operation and
maintenance
• Identify and list low-cost/no-cost measures
• Identify potential capital projects for further
study
• Report
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