Certified Energy Auditor Certification Certified Energy Auditor Energy Audit Data Analysis 1

Question 1

A Cumulative Sum (CUSUM) chart is applied to a building's monthly energy data after establishing a baseline regression model. What is the primary analytical purpose of this technique?

Accepted Answer

To detect persistent shifts in energy consumption relative to the baseline model

Answer

CUSUM accumulates deviations between actual and predicted energy use over time. A sustained upward or downward slope signals a persistent change in energy behavior — such as an equipment malfunction or a successful retrofit — that would be masked in a standard time-series plot.

Question 2

A building consumes 54,000 therms of natural gas during a heating season with 3,600 Heating Degree Days (HDD). Using a weather-normalized linear model, what is the expected consumption during a milder year that records only 3,000 HDD?

Accepted Answer

45,000 therms

Answer

A linear weather-normalization model assumes consumption is proportional to HDD. The energy-per-HDD rate is 54,000 ÷ 3,600 = 15 therms/HDD. Multiplying by 3,000 HDD gives 45,000 therms.

Question 3

Which of the following best describes the shape of an ASHRAE three-parameter (3P) heating changepoint model?

Accepted Answer

Energy use is constant above a changepoint temperature and increases linearly as temperature falls below it

Answer

In a 3P heating model, the building draws only base electrical load when outdoor temperatures are above the heating changepoint. Below that threshold, space heating demand activates and energy use rises linearly as it gets colder. Option C describes a 3P cooling model instead.

Question 4

Under ASHRAE Guideline 14, an M&V practitioner stipulates the runtime hours of a lighting retrofit from a spot measurement but installs a data logger to capture actual power draw. Which M&V Option does this approach represent?

Accepted Answer

Option A – Partially Measured Retrofit Isolation

Answer

Option A (Partially Measured Retrofit Isolation) measures at least one key parameter (here, power draw) and stipulates the remaining parameters (runtime) through short-term measurement or engineering estimates. Option B would require logging both power and runtime continuously.

Question 5

A commercial facility records a monthly peak demand of 400 kW and a total monthly consumption of 115,200 kWh over a 30-day billing period. What is the building's load factor for that month?

Accepted Answer

0.80

Answer

Load factor = kWh ÷ (peak kW × hours in period). The period contains 30 × 24 = 720 hours, so maximum possible consumption = 400 × 720 = 288,000 kWh. Load factor = 115,200 ÷ 288,000 = 0.40. Wait — recalculating: 115,200 ÷ 288,000 = 0.40.

Certified Energy Auditor Certification Practice Test

Certified Energy Auditor Certification Practice Test

Certified Energy Auditor Certification Certified Energy Auditor Energy Audit Data Analysis 1