Important Information On Energy Upgrades And Energy Audits For Facility Maintenance

By Mark Evans


It is a fact that energy audits and upgrades have become popular especially in commercial and institutional facilities. Such activities usually offer practical ways of reducing energy consumption in buildings. Reliance on the energy upgrades and energy audits for facility maintenance, building, and engineering managers can adopt low-cost power management systems for their construction projects. Nevertheless, before reaching a decision to carry out the audits and upgrades, a number of issues that determine the success of the review should be addressed.

The first is the setting of the scope of the audit and upgraded. The upgrade and eventual auditing process will systematically identify and develop the opportunities that can be used to help in reducing power consumption while decreasing the operating costs incurred on a building. Audits usually vary in complexity and scope. Some of the commonly adopted levels of auditing include level I, level II and level three.

Of essence is knowing the elements of the audit that then determines the audit level and is key in the determination of the willingness of organizations to invest in systems that are power efficient. The identification of scope as well helps in knowing the level of complexity of the facilities as well as the level of the analysis and expected details to be obtained from the audit of the systems of a building.

It is also essential to determine the precise audit level that will suit a facility and this heavily depends on the kind of facility. For example, level one assessments are deemed appropriate for managers having small budgets to work with on capital-replacement projects. This level also is selected when just some understanding of the power consumption levels in a facility is to be obtained and what is to be fulfilled.

The reviews of level one give you the understanding of the facility operation. It defines the several space functions within the building, particular building information and even the kind of systems that utilize the energy. Subsequently, you can be able to identify the possible cost analysis and also savings to help in adoption of low cost or no-cost measures. You can obtain the potential capital enhancements details which benefit further deliberations that are based on the cost-saving potential.

The level two reviews, on the contrary, includes systemic looks into power utilization in a building. The analysis captures the aspects in level one and provides analyses and reviews of electrical and mechanical systems, their design, installation, operation, and maintenance. It also identifies and gives cost and savings analysis on practical measures which suit the economic criteria and constraints of an organization.

This level of an audit is preferred for managers who are aware of power consumption inefficiencies that exist in their facility. In the level three audit and upgrades, the focus is given to specified potential projects that are capital-intensive which were identified at level two audits. It also entails gathering data in more details and the conducting of an in-depth engineering analysis.

In this level of reviews, computer modeling and analysis of the interactive savings, fixture counts, schematic layouts on proposed modifications, and an itemized equipment inventories is also done. The audits help in determining a suitable and economically feasible measure which merits the investment requirements.




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