Maximum Energy Professionals “MEP” has assisted in excess of 1,000 commercial, educational and institutional customers with their ASHRAE audits over the past 25 years, which equates to well over 1 Billion square feet of audited real estate performed by our company. We are GSA certified for energy audits (contract # GS-21F-052AA), and are often hired by other sustainability consultants to assist them with their audit needs due to the technical requirements of ASHRAE Level & II audits, which require the superior expertise and knowledge that we can offer due to our many years of audit facility experience.
ASHRAE Level I Audit
The Level 1 audit alternatively is called a “simple audit”, “screening audit” or “walk-through audit” and is the basic starting point for building energy optimization. It involves brief interviews with site operating personnel, a review of the facility’s utility bills and other operating data, and an abbreviated walk-through of the building. The ASHRAE Level-1 audit is geared toward the identification of the potential for energy improvements, understanding the general building configuration, and defining the type and nature of energy systems. The audit should result in a preliminary, high-level, energy-use analysis for the entire facility, and a short report detailing the findings, which may include identifying a variety of recognizable efficiency opportunities. Usually this report does not provide detailed recommendations, except for very visible projects or operational faults.
ASHRAE Level II Audit
An ASHRAE “Level II – Energy Survey and Analysis” includes a more detailed building survey and energy analysis than the cursory Level I. A breakdown of energy use within the building is provided. A Level II energy analysis identifies and provides the savings and cost analysis of all practical measures that meet the owner’s constraints and economic criteria, along with a discussion of any effect on operation and maintenance procedures. It also provides a listing of potential capital-intensive improvements that require more thorough data collections and analysis, along with an initial judgment of potential costs and savings. This level of analysis will be adequate for most buildings and measures but is less comprehensive than Level III, which includes more detailed analysis often with annual hourly load computer modeling.
