ENERGY AUDITOR CHECKLIST

Using this energy audit checklist you can easily conduct your home energy audit. Taking the time to perform an energy audit of your own home will help you to identify greatest losses in energy usage, and how to solve them.

Checklist:

1. Air conditioning load trips circuit breaker on extremely warm days.
2. Air filters and heating/cooling coils do not receive scheduled maintenance.
3. Air flow to space feels unusually low or is inconsistent form one space to another.
4. Air inlets or outlets are dirty or obstructed.
5. Air is humidified.
6. Air leaks from ducts and plenums are noticeable.
7. air of inadequate volume or temperature is being discharged through grilles.
8. An excessive quantity of outdoor air is used to ventilate the building.
9. Are doors/windows kept closed during heating and cooling season?
10. Are PC monitors shut off, or on sleep, mode at the end of the work day?
11. Are restroom exhaust fans shut off during unoccupied hours?
12. Are steam and hot water piping insulated?
13. Are there many fans or portableelectric space heaters used by occupants?
14. Are energy saving windows in need of solar film to reduce/block the sun
15. Areas to change incandescent lights to fluorescent lights
16. Blinds and curtains are not used to help insulate the building.
17. boiler combustion efficiency is not tested on a scheduled basis.
18. Boilers are not maintained on a scheduled basis.
19. Building has extended occupancy areas such as computer rooms.
20. Building temperatures are not adjusted for unoccupied periods.
21. Building utilizes a dual duct or multizone system.
22. Building walls too hot/cold candidate for insulation
23. Burner short-cycles.
24. Ceiling/roof insulation is inadequate or has been water damaged.
25. Ceilings and other room surfaces have reduced reflectivity due to dirt.
26. Circulating pump operation is manually controlled.
27. Combustion air to boiler/furnace is not preheated.
28. Condensate from street stream is being discharged to sewer drain.
29. Condensers and cooling towers are not maintained on a scheduled basis.
30. Conditioned air or heated water is discarded.
31. Control devices are not inspected on a regular basis.
32. Daylight is not used effectively.
33. Decorative lighting is excessive and/or not controlled optimally.
34. Deep baffled downlighting fixtures have conventional “R” reflector lamps installed.
35. Delamp/deactivate extra lights and fixtures
36. Devices to conserve heated water have not been utilized where practical.
37. Doors and /or windows separating conditioned from non-conditioned areas (including outdoors) are left open.
38. Drips or leaks are evident in hot water systems.
39. Duct or pipe insulation is damaged or missing.
40. Electric water heater has no time restrictions on heating cycle.
41. Evidence indicated faulty or inefficient boilers or furnaces.
42. Excessive expanses of glass exist on exterior walls.
43. Exhaust system operation is not programmed.
44. Exit signs, upgrade to LED type(signs made up group of small lights like PC or phone lights)
45. Fan drive belts deflect excessively.
46. Heat pump water heater coils are not maintained on scheduled basis.
47. heating pilot lights are on during cooling season.
48. Heating/cooling equipment is operating in lobbies, corridors, vestibules and /or other public areas.
49. Heating/cooling equipment is started before occupants arrive and/or is operating during last hour of occupancy.
50. Hot water radiation units fail to operate.
51. Hot water recirculating pumps run continuously.
52. Hot water temperature is excessive.
53. Chilled water piping, valves and fittings are leaking.
54. Chiller evaporating and condensing temperatures are not optimized.
55. Chiller is operating during cold weather to provide air conditioning.
56. chiller operation is not optimized.
57. If heating/cooling control is accomplished from central computer, does the computer schedule match your occupancy?
58. Improper alignment and operation of windows and doors allows excessive infiltration.
59. In fixtures where fluorescent lamps have been removed, the ballasts have not been disconnected.
60. Incandescent lamps are used in offices, workrooms, hallways, and gymnasiums.
61. Is weather stripping found to be adequate around windows/doors?
62. Lamps and fixtures are not clean.
63. Lamps are replaced individually as they burn out.
64. Large spaces having low occupancy are maintained at comfort conditions.
65. Lighting is on in unoccupied areas.
66. Multiple air conditioning compressors start simultaneously.
67. Multiple boilers or heaters fire simultaneously.
68. Multiple parallel chillers have no isolation schedule for extended light-load operation.
69. Off-hour activities extend operating hours for energy using systems.
70. Operation of oil burner is accompanied by excessive smoke and sooting.
71. Outdoor air intake dampers open when building is unoccupied.
72. Outside lights (outside building & entry) acceptable? Change to compact fluorescent?
73. Radiators, convectors, baseboards and finned-tube heaters are not providing sufficient heat.
74. Refrigeration compressor short-cycles.
75. Refrigeration condensers or coils are dirty, clogged and/or not functioning efficiently.
76. Reheat coils are used to maintain zone temperatures.
77. Return, outdoor air and exhaust dampers are not sequencing properly.
78. Security/outdoor lighting is not automatically controlled and /or lighting levels are excessive.
79. Soot and odors are detected in areas where they are not expected.
80. Space temperatures are higher or lower than thermostat settings.
81. Steam radiators or other steam equipment fails to heat, or is operating erratically.
82. Steam, condensate and heating water piping insulation is in disrepair or missing.
83. Steam, hot or chilled water leaks are evident.
84. Steam, hot or chilled water valves do not shut off tight.
85. Storage tanks, piping and water heaters are utilized inefficiently.
86. System insulation is damaged or missing.
87. There is no insulation between conditioned and unconditioned spaces.
88. Thermostat settings have not been adjusted for change in seasons.
89. Thermostats on heating/cooling units are vulnerable to occupant adjustment.
90. Two lamps have not been removed form four-lamp fixtures where possible.
91. Unoccupied or little used areas are heated or cooled unnecessarily.
92. Ventilation systems are not utilized for natural cooling capability.
93. Water in heating system is heated when there is no need.
94. Water leaks are evident.
95. Water temperatures are not reduced during unoccupied periods.
96. Weather-stripping and caulking around windows, energy saving doors, conduits, piping, exterior joints, or other areas of infiltration where it is worn, broken or missing.
97. What do you hear most often regarding lights in this building?
98. What percentage of lights is being shut off during after hours/weekends?
99. When burned out fluorescent lamps and/or ballasts have been replace, more efficiently lights have not been installed.

An interesting reading about zero energy buildings, introducing the concept of net zero housing, decreasing energy needs and optimizing energy costs at greenbuildingadvisor.com:

part 1
part 2

Most homes and commercial buildings were built before today’s zero energy materials and technology when fuel costs were reasonable. Home owners tried to compensate with advanced insulation, air sealing techniques and lowering thermostats to produce warmer homes and lower their energy bills.

But even today´s zero energy buildings waste energy. As energy efficient technologies and equipment are becoming less and less expensive, a zero energy building energy audit is the first step to improve homes energy efficiency.

A certified energy auditor should start with reviewing the cooling and heating appliances, hot water heaters, HVAC equipment, attic, wall and floor insulation, roof, doors and windows, lighting, kitchen and laundry appliances and inspect all the other aspects of your home or commercial building. Blower doors, infrared cameras, and heating system testing devices are used to conduct the building energy audit.

In our previous article about energy efficient windows we mentioned, that window frames are available in a variety of materials including vinyl, aluminum, wood,  and fiberglass, or in  combination of these different frame materials.

Now, we are going to focus on aluminium window frames and their advantages and disadvantages related to energy efficiency and savings. Aluminum replacement windows are rarely used in residential buildings anymore because  if it is very cold or hot outside that cold or heat will be transferred through the aluminum into the building.

Windows lose and gain heat not only by air leakage but also by convection, conduction or radiation. Windows U-values express the heat transfer. U-value is the mathematical inverse of R-value. Usually, window U-values range from 1.1 to 0.3 and R-values range from 0.9 to 3.0. To an R-value of 2 equals a U-value of 0.5.

Aluminum windows with no thermal break U-values range from 1.9 to 2.2, aluminum windows with thermal break from 1.0 to 1.3, Wood and vinyl from 0.3 to 0.5 and Insulated vinyl or fiberglass windows U-values range from 0.2 to 0.3. So as we can see, aluminum frames are usually poor energy performers.

But, to counteract heat loss, energy-efficient aluminum windows feature thermal breaks – strips of nonaluminum and nonmetal materials (for example wood or thermoplastics), dividing the aluminum elements into interior and exterior faces. To keep wind and water out, aluminum windows includes other features such as a double weatherstripping and interlocking meeting rails.

If you are interested in zero energy buildings (ZEB), you should not miss this white paper, which is the eighth in a Series of White Papers on the Green Building Movement published by Building Design+Construction and sponsored by North American Insulation Manufacturers Association, U.S. General Services Administration, Public Buildings Service, Johnson Controls, Inc., Lafarge and Sto Corp.

This white paper starts with reaching a common definition for net-zero energy buildings and understanding the compendium of the players in net-zero energy building design and construction, then continue with case studies, zero energy building technologies and Net-Zero Energy Design, codes and standards for ZEB, lessons learned and ends with recommendations to advance ZEBs and Homes

Download this white paper on Zero energy buildings here