This page contains a Flash digital edition of a book.
ENERGY


HOW TO USE ENERGY AUDITS TO DELIVER REAL VALUE


T


• • •


• •


he Energy Efficiency Directive mandates the compulsory performance and reporting of energy audits for large companies by 5 December 2015, and encourages voluntary participation for smaller organisations. Legislation will drive more businesses to carry out energy audits, but by going beyond the minimum requirements you can unlock improvements above and beyond operational efficiency. Here’s a brief introduction to the energy audit process, and the likely requirements of the Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme.


Energy Audits can identify opportunities for substantial savings, together with capturing knowledge to inform the operation of the building. The data produced from robust audits can greatly improve the performance of existing buildings, but also provide valuable feedback to improve the design of new or refurbished premises. The processes for energy audits are not new, captured through guidance materials provided by the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE), the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) and a number of other organisations. The benefits from an effective auditing programme include: Understanding energy use and cost; Reducing energy wastage through staff awareness; Pinpointing opportunities for reducing the amount of energy consumed; Quantifying the financial and other benefits of energy saving measures; and Prioritisation of energy related workload;


ENERGY SAVINGS OPPORTUNITY SCHEME The requirement for energy audits under the Energy Efficiency Directive will be implemented in the UK through the Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme. The Government philosophy behind the implementation is to do the minimum required to meet the terms of the directive, which requires mandatory energy audits to be performed on large businesses every four years. Businesses are open to using the information provided by the audits, and proactive businesses will see this as an opportunity to improve performance and reduce costs, seeing a positive return on investment. This philosophy leads to a very light touch approach. A company can choose who audits their premises. The sites that are chosen for sampling can be chosen at the discretion of the company; however there is no advantage to skewing the data in their favour as the results are not published. The directive currently only requires the assessment to take place and nothing more. It is likely that the assessors will have to be qualified in respect of PAS51215 or another existing scheme, and a new scheme is not envisaged. A director will be required to sign off that the assessment has taken place, and only items within the scope of control of the company need to be audited. Companies employing only this ‘light touch’ approach may be subject to a low audit cost, but they risk missing out on the potential benefits that can be delivered by a more rigorous and detailed approach.


PERFORMING AN ENERGY AUDIT


An audit should be performed over two phase. A preliminary audit should capture consumption patterns and trends, highlighting key energy improvement proposals and identifying areas for further investigation. These recommendations will focus attention on actions for the next phase - a detailed site (comprehensive) audit to follow-up agreed actions. A Preliminary Audit will deal primarily with energy consumption data (bills and/or meter readings) and does not involve a detailed, intrusive site survey covering building fabric, services, controls systems or performance - although these aspects should be considered in any finding.


24 PUBLIC SECTOR ESTATES MANAGEMENT • MAY 2014


By Sunil Shah, Director of CBx 1.


The main steps are: Establish Quantity & Cost of each energy type.


Quantity split by fuel type and cost given both as capital cost and carbon level. Source of data should be from meter readings, rather than energy bills and should cover the past 3 years of operation; Prepare time based energy consumption graphs to show patterns in energy use and identify any anomalies or unusual readings which would warrant further investigation; Correct the energy value for weather variation, building size and variations in operation; Visual inspection should be made of the facility noting the age and relative condition of the main energy consuming plant (e.g. Boilers, Chillers, Air Handling Plant, etc), insulation standards and observations regarding the building fabric; Interview facility operating personnel to determine any past or ongoing problems, gauge the level of maintenance activity, the level of awareness and understanding of energy related issues and to what level it is incorporated into existing techniques and procedures; External benchmarks to compare the energy performance of different buildings against national averages can be made. The benefit of using this data is that it can compare a building’s performance against typical values and also best practice values; and Provide a report identifying areas for action and potential cost saving strategies with indicative cost, payback (or return on investment) period and expected carbon saving. Comprehensive Audits normally include measurement of principal energy flows and performance assessment of major plant. The data gathered under the Preliminary Audit does not allow areas of specific energy consumption and performance to be targeted, and often requires the installation of sub-meters in order to accurately discriminate between the various energy flows. The CIBSE TM22 method can be used to guide this more detailed assessment of energy end uses. It may also be necessary to undertake computer modelling of the building to determine how it should be performing.


2.


3. 4.


5. 6. 7.


Commentary may also be provided on the management culture of the organisation with resultant recommendations on performance improvement measures; Recommendations will be costed with expected savings in energy use and payback period advised. This may include a scheme proposal for works and anticipated implementation plan. Feasibility should confirm technical considerations, regulatory compliance issues, possible impact on existing operations and list any uncertainties. Reference should be made to future anticipated regulatory changes; An action plan for further investigation to verify benefits have been achieved from the implementation of any recommendations will be presented.


1. 2. PROVIDING FEEDBACK


Capturing the data from the operational performance of the building will help not only to improve the efficiency but can also provide feedback for new or refurbished buildings into the design process. This closed loop approach can help in a number of ways: Define the energy profile and consumption for the building type to


1. 2. 3.


inform the energy requirements from specific plant and HVAC systems; Provide performance targets at design stage to be met and lessons to improve the overall performance and delivery of buildings to close the performance gap Enable refurbishments to account for changes in energy criteria as opposed to a like for like replacement


For more information on Energy Audits, http://www.cbxchange.org http://www.linkedin.com/company/cbxchange @cbxchange


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40