Energy Audits: Uncovering Opportunities for Savings and Improvement

Regardless of the type of business or industry, power remains one of the more significant operating expenses. It follows that businesses that want to reduce their energy expenses have to find ways to reduce their energy usage. They can achieve this by finding areas of energy wastage so they can eliminate them. An energy audit can point you in the right direction as it evaluates the energy efficiency of a building and provides recommendations for reducing energy usage. An energy audit also has other benefits that we will look at below.

Reducing Energy Costs

An energy audit is done using sophisticated instruments and methods to learn how the building is using energy and where it is wasting it. For example, the auditor may examine the ventilation system to find out how the system works throughout the building and areas of unwanted heat transfer and leaks.

Once you have identified areas where you are using and wasting energy, you have opportunities to rectify all issues and therefore reduce the amount of energy your business consumes. These changes can lead to substantial energy savings, but you can save even more money by switching to a different energy supplier.

During the audit, you will get figures for how many kilowatts or megawatts your business uses in a given period. You can use this figure to compare how much different energy suppliers would charge you for what you consume. Comparing different energy plans for businesses in Dallas and knowing how much you would pay under each will benefit your business.

The Audit Will Identify Serious Issues

When identifying how you use energy, the audit might uncover issues you might not have been privy to before. For example, it might uncover a malfunctioning machine that is wasting power while also presenting serious risks to employees. The auditor might also detect risks like carbon monoxide emissions coming from one of your malfunctioning machines. Once they have identified these issues, you can address them before they become serious issues that can cost your business a lot of money to rectify.

Uncover Opportunities for Creating a Better Work Environment

If the audit finds that you are using a lot of power cooling or heating a building, that could point to an issue with the work environment. Perhaps the temperature makes the employees so uncomfortable that they have to adjust the thermostat.

Knowing this, you can make changes like sealing all areas where air could be leaking and improving the insulation in the building. In doing so, you will create a much more suitable work environment while also saving money because you will utilize the air conditioning unit less after making the necessary changes.

Sustainability and Environmental Benefits

By making the business more energy efficient, you signal to employees, investors, customers, and other stakeholders that you care about its carbon footprint and, therefore, the environment. This can have a significant positive effect on brand perception and can lead to investments, more customers, and increased revenue.

If you have not had an auditor carry out an energy audit for your business, you are missing out on the numerous benefits and opportunities that come out of it. Potential benefits include saving money, providing a better work environment for your employees, and improving brand perception by taking the steps recommended after the audit.