Description
All buildings are different. They are built at different times with different building codes and standards, different contractors, different weather impacts, different people inside. All these variables affect energy and water use.
Finding out where your energy use is going and knowing what you can do about it is a job for a seasoned energy engineers. Fortunately, 3fficient has decades of experience performing thousands of energy and water audits on every building and campus type imaginable. Our audits meet or exceed all industry standards. Most importantly, they are unbiased and will guide you to the ideal options and recommendations for your situation. We offer a short menu of levels, as defined by the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE).
- Inexpensive walk through audit that provides professional guidance
- Walk through + energy modeling analysis that provides more detailed report (most popular)
- Investment-grade very detailed simulation and engineering cost estimates
See the tabs above for details on the various service options. Download energy audit comparison matrix.
Terms & Conditions apply.
Level 1
The ASHRAE Level I audit or “preliminary energy audit” is the basic starting point for building energy optimization. It consists of an initial review of the property’s utility bills and a brief survey of the building, its systems and its modes of operation. The ASHRAE Level I audit is intended to be a quick assessment of the relative potential for energy and cost saving opportunities. The primary objective of the Level I audit is to identify and provide a savings and cost analysis of no-cost, low-cost and more capital measures intensive improvements that merit further consideration, with an initial judgment of indicative costs and savings.
The Level I audit is intended to help the building owner understand where the building performs relative to its peers; establish a baseline for measuring improvements; decide whether further evaluation is warranted; and if so, where and how to focus that effort. The audit results in a brief summary report that will detail the findings.
Level 2
The ASHRAE Level II audit or “energy audit” is the most popular. It provides the building owner with a more detailed building survey and energy analysis. Energy and water using equipment (lighting, HVAC, process, office machines, irrigation, etc) and operating hours are inventoried, analyzed and benchmarked against annual baseline utility meter data. Engineering recommendations and financial impacts are provided. This is often used as the basis of an energy or utility master plan. As such, it should only be performed by seasoned, unbiased professional engineers.
A detailed fuel use analysis is performed and the building is benchmarked to gauge overall performance relative to similar peer buildings. Utility consumption is broken out by end use such that building owners and operators can easily understand which areas of operation may present the greatest opportunities. Utility rates are analyzed to determine if there are rate change opportunities or if specific utility rate demand response programs are available to the building. Key building representatives (owners, managers, operators and occupants) are interviewed to gain a thorough understanding of the operational characteristics of the building, to explore all potential problem areas, and to clarify financial and non-financial goals of the assessment.
The site assessment may even include a variety of diagnostic testing. Depending on the types of systems the building has and the reported problems or issues the building may be experiencing, diagnostics may include any of the following:
- Lighting level assessment (foot candles and lighting power density)
- Blower door testing
- Duct leakage testing
- Air flow and temperature measurements
- Water flow and temperature measures
- Tracer gas analysis
- Infrared thermography
- Combustion analysis and steady state efficiency testing
- Solar shading analysis
- Electrical testing
- Relative humidity testing
Once the detailed site assessment is completed, an energy and water model and engineering calculations are developed in order to create a detailed and cost effective scope of work. The scope of work will include the cost and savings analysis of all practical measures that meet the owner’s economic criteria, along with a discussion of any changes to operation and maintenance procedures and health and safety recommendations.
3fficient has an arsenal of proprietary and professional software tools for use depending on the specific project. We are experienced in many types of energy and building modeling simulation tools (such as eQUEST, DOE-2, Energy Pro, EA-Quip, TREAT, Energy Plus, as well as system specific design tools such as Polysun, F-Chart, RetScreen, Hydronic System Simulator etc.), and can utilize whichever is necessary for program requirements or is best suited for the particular building type.
In addition to the energy model, the engineer will also generate an audit report that thoroughly documents building conditions, operational characteristics, and proposed energy savings measures. It will also list any potential capital-intensive improvements that require more thorough data collection and engineering analysis (Level III Audit), and a preliminary judgment of potential costs and savings associated with those improvements.
Level 2 + RCxA
The ASHRAE Level II + RCx Combination Audit is required by many large cities such as Los Angeles’ EBEWE program.
The ASHRAE Level II Audit report includes an in-depth identification and documentation of a building’s energy and water-use equipment, by examining existing conditions to pinpoint potential areas of improvement for energy and water efficiency. A building must meet or exceed ASHRAE Level II standards to comply. See the prior tab for detailed scope definition.
Retro-Commissioning (RCx) report creates a schedule of maintenance and repairs (i.e. “tune-ups”) for existing building systems (energy and water). For programs like the LA EBEWE, the owner does not have to implement these options to comply with the ordinance. The owner must only be informed that such options and incentives exist.
For a summary of LA’s EBEWE compliance requirements and exemptions – read more here.
Level 3
The ASHRAE Level III Audit is often referred as an Investment Grade Audit typically provided for long term investments on more complex buildings or campuses. It adds additional rigor to both data gathering and analysis. Data gathering includes the same inventorying as a Level 2 audit plus various sensors and data gathering systems (such as Fácil) or loggers left on for long durations to accurately monitor device usage and operations. That extensive data is then input into a comprehensive (DOE-2) computer simulation model of building energy use. Travel costs, additional meters are extra.
The Level III energy audit is a highly instrumented and longer term study. The Level III audit involves collecting long term trend data using data logging devices and information fed from the buildings energy management or building management systems. This data is used to pinpoint operational opportunities, setpoint adjustments, sensor adjustment and calibration opportunities and other equipment specific ECM’s. The high resolution data that is collected enables us to perform calculations that can be used to very accurately predict energy and cost savings. The Level III audit is typically reserved for complex commercial and industrial buildings with very specific and accurate economic payback analysis requirements.
Master Planning
Energy Master Planning
With energy as one of the largest cost centers for any enterprise and the energy market in a state of turmoil, now is a critical time to seek wise counsel and retain 3fficient for your energy planning advice. Whether you have a large or small portfolio, an energy master plan (EMP) can save millions in misdirected expenses while preventing loss of life and equipment. It can also generate millions of dollars in economic benefits.
While the scope of an EMP varies depending on motivations, we found that a comprehensive plan provides the greatest long-term value for any long term owner like public agencies, commercial and industrial REITs. 3fficient has the expertise and experience to look across an organization or community and identify holistic critical planning and operational strategies that avoid costly mistakes.
Interestingly, procurement, metering, management, infrastructure, transit, and buildings all offer options for improving energy efficiency, clean energy, resiliency, and security. A 3fficient master plan will identify immediate savings and provide a durable or living financial model to enable clear actions based on variable market conditions. For example, an Indian tribe in Utah lost out on millions in economic stimulus before retaining 3fficient. With 3fficient’s master plan, they now have a roadmap to economic independence with all the triggers needed to take action as market conditions change.
3fficient uses a proven six-step process to ensure we meet our clients’ goals while maximizing value:
- Project scoping and goal setting. With all stakeholders present, all hopes, expectations, and goals for the EMP are put on the table.
- Baseline assessment. This step includes gathering data on utility bills, energy management systems, audits, infrastructure reports, and renewables potential studies to characterize an organization’s annual energy and water consumption into a report form.
- Identify potential opportunities. A thorough baseline and (if data is available) benchmarking report will help identify potential projects, but it is equally important to get client input on this step.
- Develop the project recommendations. Developing cost estimates is essential to this step. We ask clients to provide feedback to find projects that align with their budgets and energy goals.
- Develop the implementation plan. An implementation plan will answer: What are the project delivery methods? How will they be funded? Who will develop designs? What is the schedule for completion? What are key thresholds to trigger certain decisions or alternate paths.
- Monitor, measure, and evaluate progress. This is a step that’s often skipped. However, the key tasks of monitoring, measuring, and evaluation let you know whether your projects are achieving your most important goals—and offer insights to address any shortcomings.
Organizations that implement these steps—whether for energy master planning, sustainability planning, or for other forms of clean-energy planning—will find real value from their efforts. 3fficient can provide the services you need to guide you through your own risk assessments and energy master planning efforts.
Brad Heath –
This project saved us more than we expected. Thanks for the hard work and keeping the subcontractors on time. Tenant comfort and reliability has improved. That makes my job more enjoyable.
Spence Wilson –
This project went real well, our building looks better and it saved us a lot of money.
Darla Szala –
Good job guys. The project was completed ahead of schedule and no change orders. Even when a tenant complained about a minor issue, you really stepped up to the plate and made them very happy.
Jan Church –
Thanks to your project, we won the BOMA award again. Oh yeah, our lighting and HVAC bills have gone way down too. Well done!
Jeff Terhoeve –
Even though this was a small project, you guys performed really well and gave us the attention and expertise deserving of a much larger project. Thanks!
James Butcher –
Well done folks! Thank You for the great audits and direction for our capital improvements.
Bill Rittwage –
Thanks for the help fellas. Business is very competitive and this projects helps us be competitive and more environmentally friendly. Good Job.
Don Bradley –
Your team provided a direction that was in line with our specific needs. The project leverages our natural Southern California resources, and saves taxpayers money on our already tight budgets.
John Hickman –
This was an outstanding project from start to finish. Well done team. We will definitely consult with you again in the future.
John Stepanian –
We are dedicated to providing a high quality experience for our guests as well as environmental stewardship. This project accomplishes both by making our facilities better performing, more reliable and energy efficient. Thanks for the creative solutions!
Physicians Group –
Your team has really helped us shave a bundle off our renovation plans, not to mention lowering future energy costs and improving tenant comfort.
Stephen Travis –
We were fighting an uphill battle against rising utility costs and low cost foreign competitors. Your analysis of our operations and the solutions to lower our water usage by 95% will make a huge difference to our competitiveness.
Chris Karandang –
This was a marquis project, not just for Port Hueneme, but for the entire US Navy. While the energy savings are substantial, even greater value will be realized through the replication and adoption of your innovative net zero energy” building retrofit by other public and private sector organizations. Your engineering is certainly industry leading. Thanks for the leadership and service.
Bob Driffill –
Our facility was in such disrepair, we were seriously considering tearing it down. With your retrofits, the comfort is 100% improved. Now we can use the capital funds (we never seem to have enough of) elsewhere.
Larry Watt –
We were really pleased how the company educated us about energy efficiency, explored many options, came up with great out of the box” solutions, and then walked us through the whole process.
Avery –
Way deeper and more thorough than any utility program or other service we’ve ever seen. 3fficient raises the bar, and without the fluff.
Hayden –
Professional and Timely. Findings were much more than we expected. Kind of embarrassing to be honest, but glad we found out how much we can save now, rather than later.