Retrotec USACE - Manual (Page 45)

Chapter 3 23
3.4.5 Quality Control
The ultimate goal of an energy assessment is to save money and reduce green-
house gas emissions. To make this happen, the auditors must be able to do
good energy assessments and produce reports that provide the client with ad-
equate information for the implementation of the measures.
It is in the interest of the operator of the energy assessment scheme to
make sure that the quality of the assessments is satisfactory. There are different
ways to do this: train and authorize the experts who do the work and give them
guidelines on how to do the work (possibly complemented with some common
software) or how to check the reports based on a fi xed set of criteria.
The guidelines should include clearly defi ned requirements for the auditors
(experience), their tools (measuring equipment, calculation tools), and for the
actual content of the work on site and for reporting (table of contents, etc.).
The quality check is needed to make sure that
The general guidelines have been followed ■
The presented numbers are realistic ■
Saving potential is compared to present consumption level ■
Investment costs are included for suggested measure ■
The content of the report is technically correct ■
The proposed measures are appropriate and realistic ■
The report “looks okay” ■
3.5 Assessment Goals and Guidelines
For an effi cient energy assessment scheme, the goals should be very clearly defi ned
and presented in a guideline document so that all key players taking part in the
scheme know why the assessments are being done and what purposes they serve.
The main goal of the energy assessments is to
Analyze the energy-using systems of buildings or sites and to point out ■
energy conservation measures that are technical or behavioral
Indicate for each energy conservation measure the energy and cost
■
saving, required investment, and direct payback time
If the scope is on quick short-term payback measures, the following should
also be defi ned:
To identify ineffi ciencies / low cost / easy-fi x things ■
To train O&M staff in energy effi ciency issues and / or long-term planning ■
To investigate energy conservation measures with a longer payback time ■
To point out future needs for improvements, renewal ■
To add energy effi ciency improvements into renovation projects ■