Operational costs and state regulations drive businesses to identify and implement energy-saving measures. An energy audit from The Falcon Group allows building owners and managers to improve overall building performance, save money and remain compliant.
What Is an Energy Audit?
An energy audit is a comprehensive analysis of energy consumption in a commercial building. The audit results give you insights into your operational costs and steps you can take to reduce energy usage and increase savings on your energy bills.
An energy audit aims to:
- Identify patterns in energy usage
- Identify areas of inefficiency and waste
- Reduce energy consumption
- Reduce operational costs
- Improve building performance
A certified energy auditor from The Falcon Group will complete the audit, inspecting components that impact energy, such as:
- Heating and cooling systems
- Electrical systems
- Doors and windows
- Lighting
- Water heating
- Insulation
- Electric motors
- Air leakage
We will also collect and review data involving energy consumption, including:
- Occupancy patterns
- Utility bills
- Maintenance records
- Equipment specs
- Operational schedules
The Importance of Building Energy Performance Analysis
Energy audits can help your business:
- Comply with regulations: Energy efficiency regulations are constantly changing — energy auditors can help ensure your building meets or exceeds these new standards.
- Reduce energy consumption: Implementing the recommendations from your energy audit can result in substantial energy savings by consuming less.
- Decrease operational costs: If energy is a large percentage of your operating expenses, decreasing your energy usage will reduce your costs, benefiting your bottom line.
- Enhance productivity: Saving energy can improve indoor environmental quality. With a comfortable work environment, your employees will be more productive.
- Advance sustainability initiatives: Carbon-reduction measures improve building efficiency while supporting broader climate objectives.
Commercial Energy Audits From The Falcon Group
The Falcon Group offers low-energy building services as a stand-alone service or as step two after building benchmarking.
Stand-Alone Service
Our stand-alone energy audits follow the three levels defined by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE). The scope of your building energy performance analysis depends on your goals — our auditors can complete a simple assessment or do a more comprehensive property analysis. During the audit, our team will:
- Survey the property: Our team will visit your site in person to survey the property and collect efficiency data from your energy systems and equipment.
- Review utility bills: We'll analyze your utility bills based on your habits and history of use.
- Inspect and diagnose equipment: Our team will inspect your energy equipment and systems to assess performance and usage.
- Provide recommendations: Based on our findings, Falcon will offer energy efficiency measures you can take and create an implementation plan that will lead to energy cost savings.
The three levels of energy audits we offer include:
ASHRAE Level 1: Walk-Through Analysis
A Level 1 energy audit determines initial, low-cost changes you can make in your operations to reduce energy consumption and capital cost improvements to consider in the future. It includes a:
- Brief on-site survey
- Analysis of your building's energy bills for an overall assessment of energy cost and efficiency
- List of energy efficiency measures (EEMs) describing savings, costs and priorities and ranking them qualitatively from low to high
The Level 1 audit is best for companies with a smaller budget for improvements and that need energy-saving opportunities with a low upfront cost and fast turnaround.
ASHRAE Level 2: Energy Survey and Analysis
The Level 2 energy audit provides a more detailed analysis of your facility's energy use. This audit includes:
- A quantitative list of EEMS with detailed savings, costs and economics of energy consumption
- A summary of energy-using systems by end use
- The savings your company could realize from our expert's recommended improvements
These improvement opportunities are tailored to your financial and environmental goals. We can also provide ideas for capital-intensive projects.
We recommend a Level 2 audit for companies that want a prioritized list of building improvements that weigh results against cost and enhance compliance with energy laws.
ASHRAE Level 3: Analysis of Capital-Intensive Modifications
A Level 3 energy audit involves a deep analysis of the capital-intensive projects identified in Level 2 to identify the costs and savings opportunities. This analysis helps building owners and managers make data-informed, strategic investment decisions. Our experts will:
- Conduct a comprehensive cost savings data analysis
- Use measurement or modeling for expanded analysis
- Project cost estimates and vendor bids
Companies that have upcoming major building renovations, have a comprehensive rebate program or want a detailed engineering model should consider the Level 3 audit.
Energy Benchmarking
The Falcon Group can complete an energy audit as part of your state's energy benchmarking requirements. If something is off from the benchmarking, our energy auditors can perform an on-site assessment to determine next steps.
Energy benchmarking requirements vary by state. The following are benchmarking requirements for the states Falcon serves:
- Required for public and commercial buildings: Connecticut, New Jersey and Virginia
- Required for public, commercial and multifamily buildings: District of Columbia and Massachusetts
- Required with additional actions for public, commercial and multifamily buildings: Colorado, Maryland, Nevada and New York
Alabama, Arizona, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Texas do not have statewide energy benchmarking requirements. However, cities such as Miami and counties in these states may have their own regulations. Falcon can help you determine your company's energy benchmarking requirements, if any apply.
Request a Proposal From Falcon Today
Choose The Falcon Group for a building energy performance analysis. Our experts can identify inefficiencies and cost-saving opportunities. Request a proposal to get started, or learn more about our services by contacting us online today.
