ASSESSMENT
Energy audits in Europe
Understand how energy is being used across a building, facility or industrial operation, then identify practical opportunities for improving efficiency.
An energy audit is a defined assessment service. Agree the scope, deliverables, timeline and rate directly with the talent you choose.
- Assess the areas that matter to your site or operation
- Review available energy-use information
- Identify and prioritise efficiency opportunities
- Receive findings to support your next decisions
WHAT YOU ARE BUYING
Scope — what this work actually is
An energy audit can cover several areas. Agree which ones are included before work begins.
Energy use
Review how energy is used across the agreed site, building or operation, including areas such as:
- Electricity use
- Heating and cooling
- Equipment
- Lighting
- Building services
- Production processes
- Operating schedules
- Available metering data
Buildings and facilities
A commercial building energy audit can review the systems and operating conditions that influence energy use across offices, commercial premises or other facilities.
Industrial operations
An industrial energy audit can examine energy use around production equipment, utilities, processes and operating patterns within the agreed scope.
Efficiency opportunities
An energy saving opportunity assessment can identify areas that deserve further investigation, improvement or investment.
TIMING
When businesses use an energy audit
Energy efficiency assessment services can support several business situations.
Energy use needs investigation
Use an audit when you want to understand where energy is being consumed and which parts of the site or operation deserve closer attention.
Energy costs are under review
An assessment can help organise energy-use information and identify opportunities that may support future efficiency decisions.
A facility or process is changing
Review current energy use before a refurbishment, equipment change or wider operational improvement.
You are planning efficiency investment
An audit can help identify which opportunities should move into further technical assessment, design or business-case work.
You already know what needs to be implemented
Move to the relevant design or implementation service when the required technology or improvement is already defined.
OUTPUTS
Deliverables — what you get
Agree the deliverables directly with the talent. They may include:
- Energy-use findings with supporting information
- A breakdown of the areas assessed
- Identified energy-saving opportunities
- A prioritised list of further actions
- Findings related to buildings, equipment or processes
- Data gaps that need further investigation
- Recommended next assessments or technical work
- A walkthrough of the findings, if agreed
The exact outputs depend on the scope of the job.
WHO
Talents — who does this work
Choose a talent whose experience matches the type of site, operation and energy question behind your audit.
Energy consultants
Useful when the assessment focuses on overall energy use, efficiency opportunities and the next decisions.
- Energy-use assessment
- Efficiency opportunities
- Site or facility review
- Energy data
- Prioritisation
Building energy specialists
Useful when the work focuses on commercial buildings and their energy-consuming systems.
- Heating and cooling
- Lighting
- Building services
- Operating schedules
- Facility energy use
Find building energy specialists
Industrial energy specialists
Useful when the audit includes production environments, equipment or process energy use.
- Industrial equipment
- Utilities
- Production processes
- Operating patterns
- Energy-intensive systems
Find industrial energy specialists
SCOPING
How to scope the energy audit
Define the decision
Explain what you need the audit to help you understand or decide. For example:
- Where is energy being used?
- Which areas need attention first?
- Which efficiency opportunities deserve further assessment?
- What information is needed before investing in improvements?
Confirm access and information
Tell the talent which information and site access will be available. This may include:
- Energy bills or usage data
- Metering information
- Equipment information
- Building or site documentation
- Operating schedules
- Relevant site access
- Previous energy studies
Define the coverage
Agree what the audit includes, such as:
- Buildings
- Production areas
- Equipment
- Lighting
- Heating and cooling
- Utilities
- Energy data
- Operating patterns
- Opportunity assessment
CHOOSING
How to compare energy audit talents
Look at relevant site experience
Explore previous work involving buildings, facilities or industrial environments similar to yours.
Discuss the assessment approach
Ask how the talent would review available data, site conditions and energy-consuming systems.
Discuss prioritisation
Understand how the talent will distinguish the opportunities that deserve further attention from lower-priority findings.
Review the expected deliverables
Confirm what you will receive at the end of the audit and how the findings will be presented.
Discuss the intended outcome
An energy audit can identify areas for improvement and further investigation.
Agree the assessment and deliverables rather than assuming that every identified opportunity should move directly into implementation.
MONEY AND TIME
Cost, timeline and engagement factors
The scope and effort can depend on:
Good to know
The energy audit can be agreed separately from any design, engineering or implementation work that follows.
The talent sets their own professional rate, and the employer and talent agree the commercial terms directly.
Current VirtualMasst platform charges are listed on Pricing.
YOUR NEXT STEP
Find the right talent
Describe the building, facility or industrial operation, the available energy information, the areas you want assessed and the decision you need to make. Then explore profiles, start a conversation and choose the talent whose experience fits the assessment.
YOUR NEXT STEP
Find the right talent
Describe the building, facility or industrial operation, the available energy information, the areas you want assessed and the decision you need to make. Then explore profiles, start a conversation and choose the talent whose experience fits the assessment.
Post an assessment job
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