Energy Audits
An energy audit is the key to making decisions in the area of energy management, with the aim of increasing the energy efficiency of the company and opting for the energy transition and, at the same time, reducing and minimising the associated costs while maximising business productivity.
The regulation subject to carry out an energy audit is Royal Decree 56/2016 of 12 February, transposing Directive 2012/27/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 October 2012 on energy efficiency as regards energy audits, accreditation of service providers and energy auditors and promotion of the efficiency of energy supply.
The energy audit is based on a systematic process with many functionalities such as carrying out a diagnosis and identification of the use of the different energy sources of the entity and the energy balances, distinguishing between the inputs and outputs of energy flows of the system, obtaining knowledge about the consumption profile of the company and the approach of energy efficiency improvement opportunities, quantifying the possibilities of savings and the technical and economic feasibility.
Through knowledge of the company’s energy sources and uses, the “energy map” is drawn up, with the aim of obtaining a clear vision of the energy breakdown of the establishment and knowing which sectors and systems have the greatest influence on the company’s overall energy consumption.
It is then that opportunities for energy efficiency improvements are raised, which is the other crucial point of energy audits. In the energy audit, a list of energy efficiency improvement measures (MMEE) is presented and their technical and economic viability is analysed, offering the energy, economic and environmental impacts that they represent for the entity.
Reasons why a company should carry out an energy audit:
- Reduction of energy consumption
- Reduction of energy costs associated with consumption.
- Reducing the environmental impact of raw materials, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, etc.
- Obtain a solid and reliable picture of the company’s energy use.
- To have a better understanding of the energy balance of the production process and of the company’s utilities or systems (air conditioning, lighting, etc.).
- Optimise the useful life of the company’s systems and equipment.
- Comply with the requirements and legislation in force regarding energy efficiency.
In order to meet the primary objectives of an energy audit, Tandem HSE auditors base their work on the following points:
- Identify, describe and analyse the company’s final energy supply.
- Establish and organise a technical inventory with the main characteristics of the equipment that make up the energy systems.
- Detect, define and analyse the operating and maintenance conditions of the company’s equipment and systems.
- Search, detect, analyse and interpret energy inefficiencies and anomalies in energy processes and systems.
- Development of an energy breakdown, indicating the consumption allocated to each area and system. It is also decided to establish energy performance indicators (IDENs) that help the monitoring and follow-up of the company.
- Drawing up a list of energy efficiency improvement opportunities and good energy use practices.
The regulations governing the performance of an energy audit are Royal Decree 56/2016, of 12 February, transposing Directive 2012/27/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 October 2012 on energy efficiency as regards energy audits, accreditation of energy service providers and auditors and promotion of the efficiency of energy supply.
Energy audits vary in depth depending on the level of focus and scope of each audit. That is why Tandem HSE offers three different categories of energy audits in which all comply with the provisions of RD 56/2016.