Retrotec USACE - Manual (Page 43)

Chapter 3 21
at fi rst in the long-term plan (two- to fi ve-year perspective), and it will become
more accurate for the following year (12-month perspective).
The sites to be assessed should be agreed upon well before the budget
deadline to defi ne what special features there are and what kind of special ex-
pertise may be needed from the assessment team.
The sites may be selected based on rough benchmarking (e.g., high specifi c
consumption per fl oor area), high overall energy cost, or the size of site.
At this stage it is also useful to decide the following:
The main target of the energy assessment on each site: ■
To fi nd easy savings (“cream-skimming”)? ◆
To defi ne all saving possibilities (comprehensive assessment)? ◆
To identify possible areas for further assessments (fi rst step)? ◆
The scope of work on the site: ■
The whole site, with several buildings, or just certain building ◆
types?
A specifi c area of energy use (e.g., electricity) or system (e.g.,
◆
steam, compressed air)?
Choosing cream-skimming leads to a quick walk-through type of assess-
ment and lower costs; a comprehensive assessment on all buildings is much
more expensive. Concentrating on some specifi c energy-using systems may
produce good savings but neglect energy waste in other systems. Different
types of assessments produce different results; this should be kept in mind
when budgeting.
During the budgeting and scheduling process it is also necessary to think
about when the assessment on site will take place. The general rule for this is
During the heating season, if the main energy cost is in heating ■
During the cooling season, if the main energy use is in cooling ■
In the Nordic climate, heating is usually more important and energy assess-
ments should be done when the outdoor temperature is below 5 °C. Measur-
ing temperatures or boiler effi ciencies in summer does not give a clear picture
of the heating system’s operation in actual heating conditions.
In the scheduling there are also other issues to consider: the site operation
should be quite normal, there should not be any renovation or major mainte-
nance works ongoing, and all key persons should be available when the audi-
tors are on site.
3.4.4 Monitoring the Energy Assessment Scheme
All energy assessment schemes have some level of monitoring, although the
level the monitoring implemented can vary a lot. Development and opera-
tion of a monitoring system can form the second-highest area of expenditure