Solar Energy Audit Services

With our solar energy audit services, we identify opportunities to reduce the energy use and/or the cost of operating a building or industrial process. Whether it's new construction, renovation, or retrofit, our audit reports provide building owners the information they need to decide which of the recommended solar modifications they should implement.

To complete an energy audit, we work through the following processes:

1. Collect and analyze historical energy use
2. Study the building or process and its operational characteristics
3. Identify potential solar modifications that will reduce the heating energy use and/or cost
4. Perform an engineering and economic analysis of potential modifications
5. Prepare a rank-ordered list of appropriate solar modifications
6. Report the results

The Key Elements of a Commercial Building Solar Energy Audit/Analysis are:

1. Analysis of two or more years of utility consumption and cost, review of building plans, review of government and utility incentives, and a walk through of the building itself to establish:
• Type of building, principal use or heating process, and physical arrangement, height, etc.
• Heating Energy Utilization (monthly and annual energy use) in Btu's.
• Delivered cost of heat to the load including energy purchase cost and onsite conversion efficiency ($/million Btu).
• Breakdown of various heating systems within the building by type, inlet and outlet temperatures, hours of use, etc.
• Ideal solar surfaces, such as existing roofs, walls and open ground.
• Calculation of solar heat available from each solar surface.
• Control strategies for the solar energy delivery.
• Any operations or maintenance problems or practices, which may affect efficiency.
• Tax and incentive savings and finance alternatives for various solar alternatives.
• The potential cost savings and economic returns from the installation of solar heating systems.


2. Description and analysis of the energy-using systems of the building, resulting from on-site observation, measurement, and engineering calculations, including:
• Envelope
• Domestic hot water
• Laundry
• Lighting
• HVAC and Controls
• Process Systems
• Utility Providers & Rates
• Other systems


3. Provide an understandable analysis of findings and observations that will show:
• Breakdown of the components of annual energy use and cost.
• Recommended solar heating measures, including predicted savings and cost to implement.
• A description and cost estimate of each recommended solar heating system.
• A description and cost estimate of any measurement and verification methods needed to determine the actual effectiveness of measures.
• An energy analysis summary that includes:
  • Present energy use and costs and
  • Savings from recommended solar heating measures.

We can provide different levels of solar and solar roofing analysis for a building, or group of buildings, or industrial processes. Our reports give owners information they can use for variety of purposes. Whether it's contemplating major energy-saving capital improvements or roof replacement, or new construction or renovation, we can evaluate and recommend a variety of solar measures to save energy and cut heating costs.

Solar heating saves you money

Our solar energy audits determine how much your facility can reduce its heating expenses with solar energy.