Energy Audit — Commercial Building Assessment

Run a full energy audit for commercial or industrial facilities. Identifies waste, models savings, and generates a prioritized retrofit roadmap with ROI timelines.

What It Does

• Collects utility data (electric, gas, water, steam) across 12+ months
• Benchmarks consumption against ASHRAE and ENERGY STAR baselines
• Identifies the top 10 energy conservation measures (ECMs) ranked by payback period
• Calculates simple payback, IRR, and lifecycle cost for each measure
• Generates an ASHRAE Level II audit report with executive summary
• Flags utility rate optimization opportunities (demand response, TOU shifting)
• Maps available rebates and incentive programs by state/region

How to Use

Tell your agent:

• "Run an energy audit for our 45,000 sq ft office building"
• "Analyze our utility bills and find savings opportunities"
• "Create a retrofit roadmap for our warehouse — budget is $200K"

Provide:

1. Building type — office, retail, warehouse, manufacturing, healthcare, education
2. Square footage and location (climate zone matters)
3. 12 months of utility bills (or monthly kWh/therms if summarized)
4. Operating hours — shifts, weekend usage, seasonal patterns
5. Major equipment — HVAC age/type, lighting, compressed air, process loads

Audit Framework

Benchmarking

• EUI (Energy Use Intensity) = total kBtu ÷ sq ft
• Compare against CBECS median by building type
• ENERGY STAR score target: 75+ (top quartile)

Energy Conservation Measures (ECMs)

Financial Analysis

For each ECM:

• Simple payback = cost ÷ annual savings
• IRR = internal rate of return over equipment life
• Lifecycle cost = install + maintenance - savings - rebates over useful life
• Avoided cost = include utility escalation rate (typically 2-4%/year)

Rebate & Incentive Check

• Federal: ITC (30% solar), 179D deduction ($0.50-$5.00/sq ft)
• State: DSIRE database lookup by ZIP code
• Utility: custom incentive programs ($/kWh saved, $/kW reduced)

Output Format

ENERGY AUDIT REPORT
Building: [name] | Type: [type] | Size: [sq ft] | Location: [city, state]

CURRENT PERFORMANCE
Annual Energy Cost: $XXX,XXX
EUI: XX.X kBtu/sq ft (benchmark: XX.X — [above/below] median)
ENERGY STAR Score: XX/100

TOP RECOMMENDATIONS (ranked by payback)
#1: [ECM] — $XX,XXX savings/yr | $XX,XXX cost | X.X yr payback | XX% IRR
#2: [ECM] — ...

TOTAL OPPORTUNITY
Combined Savings: $XXX,XXX/yr (XX% reduction)
Total Investment: $XXX,XXX
Blended Payback: X.X years
Available Rebates: $XX,XXX

IMPLEMENTATION ROADMAP
Phase 1 (0-6 mo): [quick wins — LED, controls, demand response]
Phase 2 (6-18 mo): [HVAC, VFDs, envelope]
Phase 3 (18-36 mo): [renewables, major retrofits]

Why This Matters

Commercial buildings waste 30% of the energy they consume (DOE). A $500K/year energy bill typically has $150K+ in recoverable savings. Most measures pay for themselves in 2-4 years, then it's pure margin.

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