You have gathered one or preferably two years of utility meter data, electric, gas, propane, oil, water, purchased BTU, steam and any other energy that enters the building.
You have appointed an in-house and/or external person or persons who are assigned as Energy Manager and Energy Accountant. You have set preliminary goals for energy savings. Do you want to obtain an Energy Star Rating and Plaque? Do you want to obtain LEED, Silver, Gold or Platinum Certification?
You have enrolled in the EPA’s Energy Star Benchmarking Program called “Portfolio Manager” and entered the utility data.
Your Energy Manager/Energy Accountant should perform the initial Audit. Knowledgeable consultants can be retained to assist, but for an Energy Management Program to be successful, someone inside the business must be involved and committed. This Audit is called a Phase I Audit or walk-thru audit. The most recognized authorities for Audits would be The Association of Energy Engineers (AEE) and The American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air-conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE). Energy Audit books are available from AEE and ASHRAE has audit checklists and forms available for purchase.
You should have the latest set of construction plans for the building or should have floor plans drawn to scale for use now and in the future. Original permit plans might be available from your city. You should record on your “Audit Set” of prints the use and operating hours for each area in the building. Count all light fixtures by type of fixture and record the data in each room. Note and record any energy consuming equipment in the room (computers, monitors, printers, etc.) Record the volt, amps and watts listed on the labels. Research the light fixture and find the energy characteristics. An example would be (2)2 x 4 lay in ceiling fixtures with (4) T-12 lamps and magnetic ballast.
Locate all heating and cooling units and record model number, serial number, volts, amps and phase. Record the type and brand of any building controls, thermostats time clocks or Building Automation System (BAS). Is there an Energy Management System (EMS)? What are the hours and setback temperatures programmed into any of these controls?
If the building construction details are not on the plans, determine the type of wall construction, roof construction, window and types of glass, quantity or thickness of insulation etc.
Enter all of the information in the ASHRAE Phase I Audit Forms.
