Energy audit is a scientific process to evaluate the energy performance of a building, be it a residential, commercial, institutional or industrial. At BEST Energy we apply the principles of building science, follow standard procedures and protocols, and practice meticulous data collection process to access the energy performance of your building.
Our Basic Energy Audit is a three step process:
- Energy Inspection
- Energy Modelling
- Analysis & Reporting
1. Energy Inspection
Field Data Collection and Blower Door Test
It is an onsite inspection of a building (home) from the energy perspective. Our energy advisors visit your home to collect structural data of the house envelope (foundation wall, floors, main walls, doors, windows, attic), Mechanical Systems (Heating & Cooling systems e.g. furnace, A/C, Heat Pump, hot water system) and appliances. House envelope constitutes the barrier systems (thermal, weather, air & vapour) which allows to maintains comfortable condition inside the built environment. The facade, insulation levels, framing, interior finish, door and windows have combined impact on the energy performance of house.
Apart from data collection, our advisors perform a blower door test to determine the air tightness levels (calculated in ACH = Air Changes per Hour) & identify the air leakage areas. Typically air leakage is responsible for 15-20% of energy loss. Apart from cold drafts, unchecked air leakage can be detrimental to structural integrity of house, this would process take 1.5 to 2 hours.
ENEGY INSPECTION SUMMARY
Duration: 1.5 to 2 Hours onsite
Focus Areas: House Envelope, Mechanical Systems, Appliances, Blower Door test and Air Leakage Areas
2. Energy Modelling
A Computer Simulation that replicates the Building and its interaction with Enviornment
Our Energy Advisors create a computer simulation model (Model ~ replica of reality), using standard compliance software. This energy model process the house data, orientation, location to simulate the hour by hour energy performance. This simulation helps us to understand the relationship between key building parameters (wall and attic insulation thickness, window-to-wall ratio, Airtightness levels, Installed HVAC equipments, electrical appliances and operating conditions) and energy performance of house. Simulation determines the estimated annual energy consumption by source (gas or electricity and both), energy consumption by use (e.g. heating, cooling, baseload etc.), and heat loss areas (e.g. heat loss through wall, ceiling, floors, windows etc.).
Based on homeowner’s retrofitting plans, energy modelling is a helpful technique to analyze the impact of various energy conservation measures (ECMs), on the energy performance of building. We apply the simulation results and house-as-a-system concept to rank the ECMs based on their effectiveness. A carefully designed process based on building science principles is crucial to accomplish real savings. Our 1K Audit is designed to analyze your deep retrofit plans and build a strategy to maximize the savings, comfort and carbon emissions reduction at minimum cost.
ENEGY MODELLING SUMMARY
Turn Around Time*: 1 Week offsite
Focus Areas: Prediction of annual energy use, corresponding CO2 emissions. HVAC load calculations and impact evaluation of ECMs
3. reporting and analysis
Reporting: Organizing data into information. Analysis: Extracting meaningful insight
The output of our Basic Energy Audit is a brief report on energy performance of your house. The results highlight estimated Annual Energy Consumption in kWh (Gas or Electricity or Both), Energy Use per Unit Area, Annual Carbon Emissions. The discussion on influential parameters that affect the energy performance of house, puts simulation results in proper perspective. Energy Advisor’s (EA) Comments section provides a personal touch to our standard report. It also provides the EA to address the concerns homeowner brings to his attention during the field inspection. The appendix of report tabulate the data collected, it’s a useful sheet that summarize the dimensions or specifications of house envelope, approximate house layout, HVAC systems.
REPORTING & ANALYSIS SUMMARY
Turn Around Time*: 1 Week
Focus Areas: Synopsis of Home Energy Performance, Highlights of Heat Loss Areas, Impact of key parameters, House Data (Envelope,Mechanical Systems, Air Tightness Levels) Summary
We provide Basic, Advance and 1k Energy Audit services to cater broad range of requirements, please let us know your preferences.