Getting an energy audit is an important starting point for optimizing the building’s energy and financial performance. Audits, also called assessments, provide a record of your asset infrastructure, energy usage, and energy costs. Conducting a building audit gives you a measuring stick of how your facility and its assets are performing today and where work can be done to make it more efficient moving forward. There are several levels of energy audits offered, and sometimes understanding the difference between ASHRAE Level 1, 2, and 3 audits can be confusing. This is a guide to help you determine which one is the best fit for your building.

First, let’s start with a high-level understanding of the purpose of ASHRAE audits. Energy audits identify and develop building and system modifications that will reduce the energy use and/or cost of operating the facility. An energy audit includes the following steps:

• Collect and analyze historical energy use
• Study the building and its operation characteristics
• Identify potential modifications that will reduce the energy use and/or cost
• Perform an engineering and economic analysis of potential modifications
• Create a rank-ordered list of appropriate modifications
• Prepare a report to document the analysis process and results