Certified Energy Auditor Certification Audit Strategy and Planning 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the primary purpose of creating an audit findings matrix organized by cost, savings, and payback?
- To satisfy insurance requirements
- To help clients prioritize ECMs based on their financial and operational criteria (Correct answer)
- To calculate the auditor's billable hours
- To document equipment serial numbers
Correct 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.
Question 2: Which factor most significantly affects the reliability of a facility's energy baseline?
- The color scheme of the utility bill
- Changes in facility operations, occupancy, or production levels during the baseline period (Correct answer)
- The auditor's travel distance to the site
- The number of pages in the audit report
Correct 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.
Question 3: An auditor is planning a Level III audit. Which activity is unique to this level compared to Level II?
- Reviewing utility bills
- Conducting a facility walk-through
- Performing detailed computer simulation or rigorous engineering analysis for major capital ECMs (Correct answer)
- Interviewing building operators
Correct 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.
Question 4: Why is it important to identify the facility's operating schedule (hours per day, days per week) early in the audit planning process?
- To plan the auditor's travel logistics
- Because operating hours directly affect energy consumption calculations and the feasibility of scheduling-based ECMs (Correct answer)
- To verify the facility's business license
- To calculate the facility's gross revenue
Correct 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.
Question 5: Which IPMVP option is most appropriate for verifying savings from a lighting retrofit across an entire building?
- Option A (partially measured retrofit isolation) (Correct answer)
- Option B (retrofit isolation with full measurement)
- Option C (whole-facility metering)
- Option D (calibrated simulation)
Correct 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.
Question 6: 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?
- Daytime HVAC operation
- Always-on equipment and phantom loads operating 24/7 regardless of occupancy (Correct answer)
- Weekend employee overtime costs
- Solar panel output during weekends
Correct 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.
Question 7: What is the key difference between an energy audit and an energy assessment as defined in most US energy programs?
- They are identical terms with no distinction
- An audit follows a formal structured methodology with documented deliverables, while an assessment is typically less rigorous (Correct answer)
- An assessment is always more comprehensive than an audit
- Only certified professionals can perform assessments
Correct 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.
Certified Energy Auditor Certification Audit Strategy and Planning 5
What is the primary purpose of creating an audit findings matrix organized by cost, savings, and payback?