Welcome to lesson 5 of the course titled energy audit modeling. At this point our energy model of the existing building is complete, calibrated, and as accurate as reasonably possible. It is now time to evaluate the energy efficiency measures that we have chosen for our project.

This is the point where we shift from focusing on energy to getting results about cost savings. Using real utility rates is important for this phase. Staying organized is still very important. You may be simulating anywhere from 5 to 20 different recommendations for improving energy efficiency of the building.

An important topic to keep in mind is how the different EEMs may affect each other. It is a goal of the energy audit to account for these interactions. This can get complicated so staying organized is important.

Up until this point we were not worried about the costs of energy consumption. Now is the transition to looking at dollars, not energy. The exact utility rate structure now needs to be input into the energy simulation program. If there are different options for rate schedules from the local utility, you will need to confirm which one is currently being used for the building. This is also an opportunity to evaluate if a different rate structure would save the building money for the same energy consumption.