An energy survey, also known as energy accounting or auditing, is the process of analysing a facility’s energy consumption. It helps businesses understand their energy bills and where energy is being wasted.
Following the survey report, businesses can take remedial steps to reduce energy wastage, ultimately enhancing their ability to reduce their energy bills and carbon footprint.
Energy surveys can take the form of:
- A walk-through survey: The most basic and least expensive audit available for businesses.
- A level 1 audit: A more detailed audit that involves the evaluation of a company’s utility bills and the building systems
- A level 2 audit: The most comprehensive energy audit, involving a detailed analysis of the utility bills, lighting, HVAC system, equipment, computer modelling, and much more.
Regardless of the thoroughness of an energy audit, it is essential for businesses to focus on taking the audit’s findings on board and implementing the recommendations to reduce their energy usage and wastage.
1. Helps Businesses Reduce Their Energy Cost By Identifying Energy Saving Opportunities
The number one benefit that businesses accrue from an energy survey is the potential financial savings they can make by reducing utility bills. An energy survey can help businesses identify areas of their buildings and operations where energy is wasted. Additionally, a thorough energy audit will allow businesses to identify energy-saving opportunities.
Notably, the survey report will recommend energy conservation tips and ways to reduce energy wastage, reducing overall energy costs. For instance, combining energy-efficient lighting, heating, and cooling and replacing old energy-inefficient equipment with more energy-efficient machines can lower your energy bills.
2. Energy Surveys Help Businesses Minimise Carbon Emissions
Businesses have an environmental footprint; some have a big footprint, while others have a small footprint. However, businesses can only ascertain their ecological footprint by conducting an energy audit. For instance, an energy survey can help identify areas where energy is being wasted and, by extension, where carbon emissions can be avoided. It can also identify areas where businesses can adopt renewable energy, thereby reducing their carbon footprint.
Businesses have been identified as pivotal in the fight against climate change and are being encouraged to play a part in reducing carbon emissions. Consequently, following energy audits, businesses taking steps to reduce their carbon emissions and ecological footprint can enhance their brand value by attaining green credentials.
3. It Helps Businesses Improve Their Energy Efficiency And Security
While businesses and business owners might think they run efficiently, there is always room for improvement. An energy survey can help businesses identify areas of improvement that can improve the energy efficiency of their building and operations. Improving the energy efficiency of your building might involve endeavours as simple as enhancing the insulation of a particular room or changing lighting bulbs to energy-saving LEDs.
In the same light, businesses stand to make losses if they encounter energy supply disruptions. Energy audits, especially Level 1 and Level 2 audits, can help companies identify vulnerabilities and take corrective measures to mitigate the disruption risks, ensuring their activities operate uninterrupted.
4. They Allow Companies To Enhance Workplace Comfort (& Productivity)
An energy survey can help identify areas in the workplace with problematic and/or uneven heating, cooling, insulation, and drafts, resulting in discomfort and, ultimately, energy waste. Rectifying the problems identified during the energy audit will improve the working conditions and comfort of workers.
Improving workers’ welfare can spur productivity. After all, a comfortable workforce is more likely to focus on their work than an uncomfortable workforce.
5. The Survey Can Identify Equipment Problems And Increase Equipment Lifespan
An energy survey can help you identify issues with your equipment leading to energy loss. For instance, a company using compressed air can diagnose leakage issues plaguing the equipment and distribution lines during an energy audit.
Keep in mind that many equipment issues cost a lot of wasted energy, resulting in higher than necessary energy bills. Identifying equipment issues and making repairs can increase the longevity of the equipment, which helps businesses recoup as much return on investment as possible.
An energy audit is also essential in identifying equipment prime for replacement with more energy-efficient models.
6. Improves Indoor Air Quality
Part and parcel of a typical energy survey is to inspect and evaluate the quality of indoor air in the building. To this end, the auditor will typically assess whether the equipment in the building is venting toxic fumes and gases, such as carbon dioxide, due to poor venting. As such, the audit will ensure your indoor air is safe for everyone who walks into the building or facility.
7. Implementing The Audit Recommendations Can Increase Property Value
Businesses that own their property can use the energy survey to improve its value. Consider this: every building that implements energy-saving measures reduces the energy costs of the occupants, and lower energy bills increase the value of the property.
For instance, replacing energy-inefficient lighting with efficient LED Lighting, weatherising the building to reduce energy losses, and installing solar panels can help increase the property’s value, which bodes well for the overall value of the company/business.
Conclusion
Regardless of the level of thoroughness, business energy surveys are important for businesses to understand their energy costs and how to reduce these associated costs. Investing in regular energy audits and following through with the recommendations is one sure way to reduce overhead costs and increase profitability.
