Commercial energy audit scopes for facilities.
Westbridge Energy Consulting delivers three distinct tiers of facility evaluation: ASHRAE Level I Walkthrough Audits, ASHRAE Level II Detailed Investment-Grade Audits, and Area-Based Portfolio Assessments. Every tier carries an upfront fee schedule, explicit on-site tasks, and transparent reporting deliverables.
Walkthrough Energy Audit
What does our walkthrough energy audit inspect?
Our walkthrough audit evaluates visual equipment wear, building automation setpoints, lighting controls, and utility billing records during a focused single-day field survey.
Aligned with ASHRAE Level I guidelines, this audit establishes your facility’s baseline Energy Use Intensity (EUI), compares consumption against regional peer buildings in Charlotte and the Piedmont region, and isolates low-cost operational adjustments that yield immediate utility bill reductions without major capital expense.
- Detailed 12-month utility baseline with monthly consumption and peak demand graphs.
- Visual mechanical plant inspection covering packaged rooftop units, split heat pumps, and exhaust fans.
- Thermal imaging scans of main electrical switchboards to identify loose connections or phase imbalances.
- List of prioritized low-cost/no-cost Operational and Maintenance (O&M) energy conservation measures.
- Summary determination whether the facility justifies an investment-grade Level II quantitative study.
Detailed Investment-Grade Energy Audit
What does an investment-grade audit deliver to asset owners?
An investment-grade audit delivers calibrated thermodynamic computer simulations, temporary electrical sub-meter logging, and bankable financial life-cycle schedules for major capital improvements.
Conducted under strict ASHRAE Level II standards, this evaluation quantifies exact energy distribution across every building subsystem: central chillers, cooling towers, condensing boilers, air handlers, terminal VAV boxes, domestic hot water, and building envelope thermal leakage. We deploy portable data loggers for 2 to 4 weeks to capture true operational load profiles, occupied vs unoccupied schedules, and simultaneous heating/cooling waste.
- Full 24-to-36 month utility tariff reconciliation, demand ratchets, and power-factor penalty audit.
- Sub-meter interval analysis using deployed true-RMS electrical current transducers and temperature loggers.
- Calibrated 8,760-hour whole-building energy simulation in eQuest (DOE-2.2 engine) reconciled to actual utility history.
- Detailed engineering scope of work for capital retrofits: VAV conversions, chiller sequencing, economizer logic, and envelope improvements.
- Financial pro-forma containing Net Present Value (NPV), Internal Rate of Return (IRR), and Simple Payback Period for each measure.
- Post-audit implementation guidance and contractor bid review support.
Area-Based Portfolio Energy Assessment
How does area-based pricing support large property portfolios?
Area-based pricing offers commercial real estate asset managers a transparent unit rate to benchmark multi-building portfolios and industrial campuses exceeding 100,000 square feet.
Rather than contracting separate one-off audits with inconsistent methodologies, real estate investment trusts (REITs) and regional property owners engage Westbridge to systematically evaluate entire campuses. We establish a standardized baseline across all buildings, rank assets by operational energy waste, and sequence capital investments where payback yields the highest portfolio return.
- Cross-portfolio Energy Star Portfolio Manager benchmarking and carbon footprint scoring.
- Normalized energy consumption rankings across all buildings adjusted for gross floor area and operating hours.
- Standardized mechanical assessment sheets comparing equipment remaining useful life (RUL) across assets.
- Multi-year capital expenditure (CapEx) roadmap prioritizing high-return mechanical replacements.
- Volume pricing structure scaled strictly by gross rentable square footage.
How do our three audit scopes compare technically?
The table below illustrates the technical deliverables, measurement depth, and modeling sophistication across each auditing tier.
| Scope Component | Walkthrough Audit | Detailed Level II Audit | Area Portfolio Audit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fee Schedule | $1,000–$2,000 fixed | $5,000–$15,000 fixed | $0.05–$0.50 / sq ft |
| Typical Turnaround | 1–2 weeks | 4–6 weeks (100k sq ft) | 4–8 weeks |
| Utility Baselining | 12 months historical | 24–36 months + peak demand | 24–36 months normalized |
| Field Diagnostics | Visual + Spot thermography | Continuous CT logging + Manometers | Spot logging + Visual cross-check |
| Thermodynamic Simulation | — | eQuest DOE-2 Calibrated Model | Degree-day regression model |
| Financial Engineering | Simple cost estimate | NPV, IRR, Life-Cycle Payback | Portfolio CapEx ranking |
| Vendor Independence | 100% Independent (Zero Sales) | 100% Independent (Zero Sales) | 100% Independent (Zero Sales) |
Ready to evaluate your commercial facility in Charlotte or throughout North Carolina? Contact our field office to review drawings and receive a formal scope of work.