What Is an Energy Audit? How Conserve™ Helps Decarbonization Projects Take the First Big Step

Energy: it may not literally "make the world go 'round," but it does make modern living possible. It's something many can take for granted. 

In a time when energy rates are rising significantly, the presumption that energy will always be available and affordable quickly fades. That assumption also keeps us stick in practices that actively make the planet less health …and less hospitable.

So, the question emerges: how much energy does your building use? And what could be done about it? Not just in terms of reducing consumption, but transforming your relationship with energy itself?

In this context, energy audits take on a whole new meaning. They're not just a "nice to have." They represent the logical, ethical path forward. 

As we enter a new era, these audits can even determine the long-term survivability of your investments. It's all about one thing: harvesting knowledge to compel action, while revealing the choices you can make along the way.

Energy Audits at a Glance

Here's a basic definition of an energy audit, courtesy of Energy Star:

Energy audits are comprehensive reviews conducted by energy professionals and/or engineers that evaluate the actual performance of your property’s energy systems and equipment against their designed performance level or against the best available technologies. Audits alone don't save energy; you need to implement the recommended improvements to reap benefits.

In other words, an energy audit is one step in a bigger process: the process of change.

The audit itself serves as a pivotal bridge, something that lies in between "what happened before" and "what happens now."

Here's what that process might look like:

1. Someone builds, buys, or receives a building
2. They make sure the building is connected to the grid and can receive service from the local energy utility company
3. They install or replace fixtures and appliances that consume energy, including lighting, water heaters, heating and air, refrigeration units, and other equipment
4. They look at their energy bills — and/or the current state of climate change, energy consumption, and the environment — and they say "we could do better"
5. They request and receive an energy audit, which tells them about how much they consume, what consumption sources they have, and options for replacing or installing equipment to change the way they consume energy
6. They weigh the information and options presented in the audit, form a budget, and decide to purchase and install new equipment, based on the recommendations they received
7. They see their energy bills go down, along with potential revenue streams if they are able to produce net energy to sell back to the community or local grid

Crucially, the process from 4–7 should be repeated every few years to ensure that the building owner is taking advantage of the best technology and options available for them in that moment.

Energy audits, therefore, are never a one-and-done thing. Instead, they are a critical link in an ongoing process where energy savings — and a reduced environmental footprint — are actively and intentionally sought after. 

The alternative is to just go through life without critically examining your energy usage and your potential for savings. This not only creates missed opportunities; it's also a critical source of greenhouse gas emissions that are actively harming our planet.

Types of Energy Audits

There are many different types of energy audits available. More than one type of audit may be needed for stakeholders seeking to accomplish complex goals, such as reducing their site's energy usage to an exceptional level.

Some of the most common types of energy audits that can be conducted include:

• Residential energy audit — Available through utility companies, private local contractors, and sometimes even state agencies, these audits pinpoint sources of consumption and suggest ways to invest to reduce that consumption. These may include a walkthrough, a review of your energy bills, and a list of equipment you can purchase and install to improve.
• Home heating and cooling audit — Inefficient systems, leaky building envelopes, and poor insulation are all major contributors to energy costs. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that these areas can be responsible for 25%--30% of home heating and cooling expenses. An typical audit uses temperature-scanning tools to spot spikes along with a blower door and duct leak-detecting equipment.
• Commercial building audit — Typically a more in-depth analysis than a residence might receive, these audits may install monitoring equipment on key appliances, electrical junctions, or rooms with large capacity. The auditor is likely to frame equipment recommendations based on a "buyback" period to inform return on investment (ROI) and capital investment decision-making.
• Efficiency certification audit — Certification programs like Energy Star and LEED impose much more rigorous demands than a typical audit might. Many types of LEED-certification, for example, have to begin during the design, speccing, and building stages to evaluate the total environmental impact of construction itself. To comply with these programs, companies and developers often partner with companies that specialize in auditing, monitoring, assurance, and the certification process.
• Conserve™ energy audit — The Conserve™ platform, a proprietary SaaS system for conducting energy audits, combines aspects of commercial audits along with scalability and directness of a home energy audit. Appropriate for analyzing any building of any size at scale, Conserve™ highlights key energy-consuming systems while considering the savings (or revenue opportunities) that could come with installing energy-generating systems. It provides detailed breakdowns for top-recommended equipment along with actionable data on net energy savings, net greenhouse gas (GhG) reductions, and the overall "buy back" duration for achieving positive ROI.

While Conserve™ currently does not integrate information on building thermodynamics and airflow integrity, it does analyze consumption patterns by HVAC equipment — along with opportunities that can be obtained through replacement.

One of the biggest differences between Conserve™ and other systems is that it also factors in the energy-generation capacity of photovoltaic (PV) modules (AKA solar panels). By creating a microgrid of their own, buildings and complexes reduce dependence on municipal systems. They can also potential revenue generation opportunities through electric vehicle (EV) charging and net metering, further reducing their energy consumption.

What Areas Does a Conserve™ Audit Look At?

Conserve™ currently supports analyses for the following areas:

• Lighting
• HVAC
• Water heating
• Refrigeration
• Other kitchen equipment
• Total building

For each, a range of replacement equipment is proposed at different budget levels. The analysis then provides the following data for each consumption area:

• Peak demand — The most energy usage at a given time during a typical cycle
• Post peak demand — The predicted peak demand after installing a replacement
• Demand savings (kW) — Net energy reduction during peak loads
• Energy savings (kWh/year) — Net energy reductions projected across 12-months
• GHG savings (CO2eq (kg/kBTU)) — Net reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2) and equivalent gases

By breaking these fields down across a range of equipment options, building and project owners — along with their investors — can see a picture of what their choices will look like over the long-term. They can then inform their decisions to select the optimal equipment to install and projects to invest in.

Because Conserve™ is relatively easy and efficient to use, it can be operated by someone with a minimal amount of training. This potential to learn and adopt the platform makes it scalable, meaning that individuals and companies can offer services to improve their whole community, building-by-building.

Find out More About Energy Audits and Conserve™ to Join the Decarbonization Movement

Energy costs are grabbing front page headlines, making it an issue of increasing importance with each passing year. Our collective impact on the environment also continues to grow unabated, despite major breakthroughs and efforts in keeping greenhouse gas emissions at bay.

At Gemini Energy Solutions, we believe that the true path to transformation lies in each building and each community. While we can't change the way the world operates, we can change the way we use — and even make — energy through conscientious decision making.

It all starts with our ability to gather knowledge so that we make smarter decisions, conserve more, and seize the best opportunities that exist right now.

Reach out to learn more and to join our efforts in decarbonizing buildings and communities all across America. Contact us today to schedule a demo.