An energy audit is an inspection, survey and analysis of energy flows, for energy conservation in a building, process or system to reduce the amount of energy input into the system without negatively affecting the output(s).
The demand to lower increasingly expensive energy costs and move towards a sustainable future have made energy audits greatly important. Their importance is magnified since energy spending is a major expense to industrial companies (energy spending accounts for ~ 10% of the average manufacturer's expenses).
While the overall concept is similar to a home or residential energy audit, industrial energy audits require a different skillset. Weatherproofing and insulating a house are the main focus of residential energy audits. For industrial applications, it is the HVAC, lighting, and production equipment that use the most energy, and hence are the primary focus of energy audits.
Doing an energy audit to see where you use the most energy and what measures you can take to make your business more energy efficient can help reduce your costs in the long run.
Develop an Energy Management plan
Knowing how your business uses energy and how it can improve its energy use brings many benefits:
- Companies with energy management programmes generally achieve far greater savings than those without, because they review and manage energy use across the whole organisation, on an ongoing basis. The savings go straight to your bottom line which can free up your capital for other things like business development.
- Cutting energy waste means you’re doing more with less. Reducing operating costs frees up capital for other areas.
- Evidence shows people who work in energy efficient environments are often more productive, because workspaces are lit appropriately and aren’t too hot or cold.
