Solutions
Energy Audits & Assessments
Find out how your buildings use energy, which systems are holding them back, and which improvements are worth pursuing first.
The problem
Many energy audits are little more than a walk-through and a list of observations. That rarely shows how a building actually consumes energy, how much each system costs to run, or where capital will do the most good.
At the same time, many schools, municipal buildings and healthcare facilities are aging faster than renewal budgets allow. Deferred maintenance adds cost and risk, and traditional condition inspections can be slow, subjective and expensive.
Who it’s for
- Facility and energy managers whose utility costs keep climbing without a clear explanation.
- Owners planning capital renewal who need to know which systems are degrading and what to replace first.
- Organizations that need documented analysis before pursuing funding or utility incentives.
- Institutions managing several buildings or a central utility plant.
What the work involves
- Existing-conditions assessment of building systems and infrastructure to identify degradation and inefficiency.
- Utility billing analysis to establish an energy-use and cost baseline.
- An ASHRAE Level 1, 2 or 3 energy audit, scoped to the decision you need to make.
- Demand monitoring and analytics that show when and where energy is used, which can use Astro’s Eco-1 system.
- A review of your utility rate structure and, where relevant, on-site generation options.
- Identification of energy conservation measures and low-cost operational improvements.
ASHRAE audit levels at a glance
ASHRAE describes three levels of commercial building energy audit, each going deeper than the one before. The right level depends on the decision in front of you, not on a default package.
| Level | Best for | What’s involved | What you receive |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level 1Walk-through analysis | A first look at a building, or screening several buildings to decide where to dig deeper. | Utility bill review, benchmarking and a brief site visit. | No-cost and low-cost measures, plus a list of larger opportunities worth studying. |
| Level 2Energy survey and engineering analysis | Building a prioritized improvement plan with cost and savings estimates. | A detailed site survey and a breakdown of where energy is used. | Recommended measures with estimated costs and savings, and a financial comparison. |
| Level 3Detailed analysis of capital-intensive measures | Major investment decisions, where a higher-confidence analysis is needed. | More extensive field data, often with monitoring and energy modeling. | Detailed engineering and financial analysis of major capital measures. |
Scope, cost and timing depend on the building and are agreed before work begins.
What you receive
- A baseline of current energy use and cost.
- Findings on the condition and operating efficiency of key building systems.
- A prioritized list of energy conservation measures, analyzed to the depth of the audit level chosen.
- Clear recommendations for next steps, whether that is modeling, design, monitoring or a funding conversation.
How it connects to the next stage
Audit findings become the starting point for energy modeling, which tests combinations of improvements, and for integrated design/build, which implements them. The same baseline is later used to verify whether completed improvements are working.
Next stageNext step
Talk through your building with us
Tell us what you want to improve. We’ll discuss your goals and constraints and suggest a sensible first step. No obligation.