The rate at which the energy demands and prices are increasing, are putting a drain on precious energy reserves and financial resources. The Ontario Government’s mandate to have all fossil fuel fired generating stations taken out of service, and to achieve a minimum reduction in energy consumption of 10%, make it even more important to conserve energy. Inefficient use of energy has also stretched the global environment to its limits as can be seen from unpleasant responses of nature. Greenhouse effect, acid rain, smog, deforestation, shift in climatic conditions, etc., are some of the indications. Energy conservation, besides being a quick and economical approach, has the potential to provide an effective solution to emerging environmental hazards. While energy projects present many challenges, the rewards are great, improving the quality of life to the citizens of Ontario, Canada and the world while freeing up badly needed financial resources for other important programs and services.
The primary goal of an energy audit is to assess in quantitative terms, the energy used in various equipment and processes in buildings, identifying cost-effective measures to improve the efficiency of energy use, forming the estimates of potential energy saving, implementation costs and payback periods for each recommended action, and reporting results of these activities.
It is also absolutely paramount that an accurate profile of how the building operates is obtained. Without correct information, the predicted energy savings will not be achieved. The process to collect this data is to have an energy specialist conduct in depth interviews with the facility managers, building operators and staff. For buildings with Building Automation Systems (BAS), many of these can provide historical data such as equipment loading, occupancy schedules, outdoor/indoor temperatures, humidity time of day, etc. This data can provide invaluable information about how the building functions. Past utility bill records are also a good resource for energy consumption and costs.
In order to compare various energy retrofits, Life Cycle Cost Analysis (LCCA) should be used. LCCA looks at a retrofit over the life of the equipment or system. Included in this are the capital costs of the retrofit, operating costs which includes both energy and maintenance, discount rate which is an interest rate reflecting the cost of capital funds and escalation. The objective is to bring all of these costs to a Present Value and compare this with the present piece of equipment or system and other options being considered. This method is much more accurate than the simple payback analysis that takes the cost of the retrofit divided by the annual savings.
In addition to good engineering practice, the reference codes that we intend to use as a guideline are ASHRAE/IES 90.1 and Model National Energy Code for Buildings.
The typical steps involved in the audit are:
Gathering of needed information for Energy Audits, Coordination, Research.
- Review all available reports, drawings, energy bills, water bills, etc.
ii. Coordinate with Owner, energy companies, equipment vendors, to secure necessary energy data.
Walk-in and preview the facility, concentrate on key energy savings opportunities and potential energy savings.
Interview Facility/Building Operator or Representative regarding systems performance, capacity, usage or operations, etc., and determine inefficiency reasons, if any.
Energy Audit
- Inventory (condition and performance) of electrical and mechanical equipment controls, water usage equipment/profile and other energy consuming systems.
ii. Review of operating procedures.
iii. Review of building shape, orientation and location data.
iv. Visual inspection, measurements, calculations
v. Monitoring and tracking information from building automation systems
vi. Testing & measurements.
Establish baseline data to compare against.
Develop detailed list of energy management opportunities, including a description of the measures, potential energy savings, cost savings, investment and payback, life cycle cost analysis, comparisons and recommendations.
Suggestions for improving procedures including training, communication and awareness and improved monitoring and tracking.
Final calculations of energy savings and operating benefits derived from the computer simulation, modeling or other methods.
Preparation and presentation of report.
There are many energy saving opportunities in institutional buildings and through a systematic process described above, informed, intelligent decisions can be made with a predictable outcome.
Rebates and incentives for both energy management planning and retrofits are available from Natural Resources Canada which help to make the economic justification even more attractive.
