Audit Strategy and Planning Flashcards
7 cards from real Certified Energy Auditor Certification practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Audit Strategy and Planning flashcards as text
What is the primary purpose of creating an audit findings matrix organized by cost, savings, and payback?
Answer: To help clients prioritize ECMs based on their financial and operational criteria
An organized ECM matrix lets clients quickly compare opportunities side-by-side and allocate capital to the measures that best match their financial goals.
Which factor most significantly affects the reliability of a facility's energy baseline?
Answer: Changes in facility operations, occupancy, or production levels during the baseline period
If production, occupancy, or operating hours changed during the baseline period, the baseline will not accurately represent normal conditions and must be adjusted.
An auditor is planning a Level III audit. Which activity is unique to this level compared to Level II?
Answer: Performing detailed computer simulation or rigorous engineering analysis for major capital ECMs
Level III audits involve investment-grade analysis, often including calibrated energy simulations, to support major capital investments with high confidence savings estimates.
Why is it important to identify the facility's operating schedule (hours per day, days per week) early in the audit planning process?
Answer: Because operating hours directly affect energy consumption calculations and the feasibility of scheduling-based ECMs
Operating schedules determine run-hours for all energy systems, directly impacting baseline calculations and the savings potential of measures like occupancy scheduling and setback controls.
Which IPMVP option is most appropriate for verifying savings from a lighting retrofit across an entire building?
Answer: Option A (partially measured retrofit isolation)
Option A measures key parameters (like operating hours) while stipulating others (like wattage reduction), making it cost-effective for lighting retrofits with well-characterized power reductions.
An auditor notices a facility's electricity consumption shows a high base load that doesn't decrease on weekends. What should the audit plan focus on?
Answer: Always-on equipment and phantom loads operating 24/7 regardless of occupancy
A flat weekend base load indicates equipment running continuously when the facility is unoccupied, pointing to controls failures, phantom loads, or untracked processes.
What is the key difference between an energy audit and an energy assessment as defined in most US energy programs?
Answer: An audit follows a formal structured methodology with documented deliverables, while an assessment is typically less rigorous
In most US program contexts, an energy audit follows ASHRAE or DOE protocols with standardized outputs, while an assessment is a broader, less formally structured review.