energy assessment guide for commercial buildings - ECO-III

ENERGY ASSESSMENT GUIDE FOR COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS
purposes. Physical inspection of the facility is
used to increase familiarity with construction,
equipment, and operation and maintenance.
Anecdotal information from interviews of the
owner/operator, staff and occupants can provide
important information at this stage.
The analysis of this data will provide basic
information on energy usage by energy source,
consumption patterns and costs for total energy
use and broken down by fuel type. The analysis
of the gathered data will be used by the auditor/
consultant to identify low-cost/no-cost changes to
the facility, operation and maintenance procedures,
and calculate associated cost reductions. As well,
the auditor/ consultant should identify potential
projects or areas of study for consideration at
higher level of assessment.
3.3 Level II – Comprehensive
Energy Assessment
The purpose of the Level II – Comprehensive
Energy Assessment is to evaluate all energy
efficiency measures, both capital projects and
changes to operational procedures, that are
available under existing financial constraints. This
level of assessment will give a building owner
the information that they need to develop a
comprehensive energy efficiency program. Any
capital intensive projects that require further
analysis is to be listed and recommended for Level
III.
The data requirements of a Level II
assessment are far more rigorous and require
more time and significant cooperation from the
owner’s staff. This requires a detailed examination
of electrical and mechanical systems including
physical inspection, drawings, building plan
including occupancy details, and operation and
maintenance programs. The auditor/ consultant
also undertakes a system performance evaluation
of the electrical and mechanical systems based on
design performance, such as light levels, ambient
air temperature, and humidity, etc. This technical
survey of energy using building systems require
the use of measurement and testing equipment.
The analysis is far more comprehensive and
the resulting report should contain significantly
Level II – Comprehensive Energy Assessment - Specific Activities
• Include all specific activities from lower levels
of assessment
• Review mechanical and electrical system design,
installed condition, utilization, maintenance and
operations
• Review operation and maintenance program
• Measure key operating parameters and compare
to design levels
• Detailed breakdown of energy use by end use
component (may require computer simulation)
• List all possible EE modifications to equipment
and operations
• Prioritize in order of likely implementation
• Estimate potential energy and cost savings
• Estimate implementation cost
• Estimate combined potential energy savings
from all EE measures and financial evaluation
of implementation
• Meet with owner to discuss priorities based on
submission of list of potential EE measures and
select practical measures for further analysis
• For each practical measure list:
• Inefficiencies in current practice
• Description of EE measure and effect on
energy, health, comfort and safety
• Repairs necessary to optimize the EE measure
• Impact on occupant service capabilities
• Impact on operation and maintenance
procedures
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