October 2, 2012
It is short-sighted to hire a low cost energy auditor. In the long run, a poor quality energy audit can end up costing a building owner many times the cost of the audit. This paper details eight ways in which a poor quality energy audit can result in decreased energy savings, higher installation costs, and squandered opportunities. Some of the ways in which energy audits lead to less than desirable results include: missing the most beneficial energy efficiency measures, suggesting measures that do not save energy, and not including a scope of work. Examples of problems we have encountered in poor quality energy audits are provided in this paper. Ultimately, it is up to the building owner to ensure that energy audit quality does not hinder energy efficiency goals.
