What should be the next steps after completing an audit?

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Answer by Helen Santalla (Creara)

Conducting an energy audit does not save energy in itself. The energy audit serves as a roadmap to capture the energy savings identified during the audit.

The identified energy saving measures can be classified as:

• Low investment saving measures: they are usually energy management saving measures.
• High investment saving measures: they usually involve equipment replacement.

Low investment saving measures usually require a very small investment, or even no investment, so the facility’s owner can easily implement them with their own resources.

High investment saving measures require a significant investment so the facility’s owner must often seek external funding to implement them.

Investment Plan

Once the energy audit has been completed we must analyze the cost-saving measures proposed to design an investment plan.

It is interesting to implement first of all the energy saving measures with a lower payback period, so the savings achieved will help us to pay for further measures.

There will therefore be three funding models to implement saving measures:

• Self-financing
• Financial Lease
• Energy Service Companies.

Energy Service Company (ESCO)

This is currently the most common way to perform major investments to implement energy saving measures.

An energy service company provides energy or improves energy efficiency at a client´s premises and accepts some degree of financial risk doing it. Payment for the services delivered is based (partially or completely) on obtaining improvements in energy efficiency and the fulfillment of other agreed performance criteria.

The customer can obtain an economic benefit from optimizing their energy while reducing the risk to changes in consumer energy prices, all without having to make any investment.