Energy Audits are they worth it?
Much is being said today about building green. On the heels of this new mantra, many companies are pushing churches to perform an energy audit. The problem is that most folks have a negative mindset about what a building green or energy audit truly means. I believe this problem will be self corrected as we being to see how recent energy legislation impact our monthly utility bills. Certainly a “green” mindset must grip the church leadership before any serious inroads can be made. Often, many feel that they have made a major difference when they convince the budget committee to all the maintenance staff to buy more expensive light bulbs that are energy efficient. As noble as this action is, going green means a lot more than changing the light bulbs in a building. Going green is a process.
Action must be taken to help make our churches more environmentally sustainable. To create a healthy building atmosphere requires honest evaluation of what current energy usage actually is. If your ministry is considering a new building or addition to your church, you must incorporate environmentally friendly components into your plan. To accomplish this, you must have experienced architects, engineers & builders who understand how to actually build or remodel a facility to green or LEED standards. (LEED--Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)
The first step in this process should be a realistic energy audit of your church facility.
This simple process can have immediate and significant benefits, including the discovery of energy inefficiencies and new ways to save major energy dollars depending upon your facility's energy-use scenario. Most companies typically do not recognize how valuable an in-depth energy audit can be to the annual bottom line.
Step 1—Assign responsibilities:
This process must begin with someone assigned to actually conduct the audit. If the facility is large, then an energy management committee may be necessary to perform the required work.
Step 2—Assemble the applicable information:
1. This information should include past energy history from at least the past 12 months. Operational usage should also be reviewed to determine high energy uses from specific operations. Accurate records should be noted relating to past/current rate structure, specific demand and consumption figures. All other applicable fees should be listed for fees relating to natural gas, electric, and/or other fuels.
2. Building design – square footage, location of doors and windows, type of insulation, operating hours, etc. Typically this information is readily available and listed on the latest architectural and engineered drawings. Most drawings can be found the local building permits office.
3. Lighting – This is a very important area and should be listed in detail the types of lights used, total wattage and operating hours for each specific area.
4. Ventilation – Applicable HVAC experts should be used to evaluate the volume of air and size of motors relative to air make-up and exhaust systems. This is an area that has major impact on the operational usage of energy.
5. Process Equipment – size and efficiency ratings of motors, refrigeration equipment, compressors and heat recovery systems
6. Operation and production schedules
7. Assemble and organize all operating manuals and equipment specifications.
Step 3—Building Systems Review:
Specific equipment should be reviewed relating to all building & mechanical systems, motors, etc. to determine their type, size and age. Such information should be easily assessable using equipment manuals, engineered drawings. Audit should also include any maintenance records, production reports. Facility management staff should be interviewed to determine usage patterns, general condition, recent maintenance, etc.
Now you are ready to begin your audit.
The committee should ask the following questions:Use the following checklist as a guide:
Energy Audit Checklist
Lighting: A complete review of existing lighting systems should be compared to new available systems to evaluate the most energy efficient lighting options currently available including; fluorescent, mercury vapor, etc.? Applicable lighting experts should be included to evaluate current lighting usage to determine if certain areas have excessive or unneeded lighting? Questions should be asked: Is sunlight available to use as an alternate? What types of lighting management is available to us; such as dimmers, timers and sensors?
Building Envelope: What is our current insulation value of our building envelope? Close inspections should be made to determine if weather stripping around doors and windows need to be replaced? The building should be inspected to determine if there are an visible cracks around doors, windows and foundations; if found, they need to be properly sealed. Area evaluations should be made to determine if doors/windows are being kept closed to avoid energy escape.
Heating and Cooling: Have furnaces, boilers, chillers and air conditioning systems been checked to determine if they are operating efficiently? A systematic maintenance and update schedule should be created for all HVAC systems including a regular filter replacement schedule. The building should be checked to determine that it is both properly sealed and well ventilated? All equipment should be under a regular maintenance schedule to assure that they are operating at maximum efficiency including evaluating to determine if all equipment is operating properly. All equipment should be under a shut-down and start up schedule according to manufacturers specifications. All exposed parts should be inspected to determine if the are functioning properly.
Energy Usage Behavior:
Are lights, fans and equipment (computer, printers, etc.) turned off when not in use?
Are building temperatures set back when not in use? Are thermostats set to higher or lower than necessary in summer and winter?
Until a reliable energy audit has been performed, a true understanding of how much energy is being wasted cannot be determined. Since our monthly energy costs are a considerable part of our annual budget, leadership should perform a reliable energy audit as soon as feasible to make certain their facility is not wasting energy and costing the church considerable dollars that could be put towards missionary or community ministry. Is an Energy Audit worth it. The answer is unequivocally yes.
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