Commercial Energy Audits

With the energy markets continuing to rise, a commercial energy audit can offer a cost-effective way of ensuring your business is not spending money unnecessarily as a result of energy wastage that you may have otherwise been unaware of.

All businesses in the UK currently face a huge task in keeping on top of their gas and electricity bills. Commercial energy audits are a smart way of reducing these costs and an experienced energy consultant could help identify the best areas to focus on by delivering an audit .

At Online Money Advisor, we have partnered with a number of trusted consultants who deliver commercial energy audits and through our free broker matching service, we can ensure you’re connected to the best business to meet your requirements.

What is a commercial energy audit?

There are, in effect, three types of commercial energy audits all of which have the principal goal in mind of assessing your business energy usage and identifying areas where you can improve efficiency, ultimately saving you money.

The three types of commercial energy audits are:

• On-site energy audit. Typically conducted by a specialist energy auditor who will carry out an extensive review of your business operation, focusing on a specific checklist of areas which consumes energy, such as:
  • Lighting
  • Air-conditioning units
  • Insulation
  • Heating systems
  • Machinery

• Over-the-phone energy audit. As the name suggests this type of audit is telephone-based and involves an energy auditor asking you a series of specific questions relating to your business’ current energy usage. This version of an audit can sometimes be referred to as an energy ‘Health Check’ and can identify quick wins and immediate points of focus before a site-visit may be required.
• Internal audit. Carried out by an employee of the business and usually the preferred method for smaller enterprises. By following a bespoke checklist you can identify areas within your premises – poor lighting or insulation, for example – which can be fixed. This option, whilst not as thorough as an external audit can still prove to be very effective

At the end of each commercial energy audit an action plan is produced in order to catalogue and prioritise all the required changes. Your energy audit consultant will be able to help you decide which type of audit would be the most suitable for your business.

Benefits of a commercial energy audit

In addition to making your business more energy-efficient and saving money on bills, other key benefits of commercial energy audits would be:

• Good practice and sustainability. Regular energy audits will ensure your business remains efficient whilst also opening up opportunities to explore ‘greener’ energy alternatives such as solar panels or heat pumps which could save you even more money long term
• Reduce exposure to future energy price increases. Spending less on your business energy bills will lower the effect increases in gas and electricity prices will have overall
• Impact on the environment. More efficient use of your energy consumption means your business is playing it’s part in being kinder to the environment

How to conduct an effective commercial energy audit

First of all your business would need to decide which type of commercial energy audit will reap the clearest benefits. This is where we can help!

The energy audit specialists we work with can provide all the assistance you’ll need to carry out an effective energy audit by:

• Helping you choose the right energy audit, based on your specific business needs
• Taking you step-by-step through the entire audit process
• Creating a bespoke audit checklist focusing on key energy usage equipment
• Formulating an action plan based on the energy audit findings
• Advising you on which areas to prioritise fixing first in order to maximise your business energy efficiency
• Outlining alternative energy solutions which could save you even more money moving forward

To find how a commercial energy audit can make your business much more energy efficient and save money on your energy bills at the same time, get in touch