Certified Energy Auditor Data Collection and Analysis Questions and Answers

Question 1

An energy auditor is analyzing a building's electricity consumption using a regression model with outside air temperature as the only independent variable.
The analysis yields an R-squared (R²) value of 0.65.
How should the auditor interpret this result?

Accepted Answer

65% of the variation in electricity consumption is explained by the outside air temperature.

Answer

The model is not a good fit and should be discarded immediately.

Answer

The model perfectly predicts 65% of the energy consumption.

Answer

The building's energy consumption will be reduced by 65% if the temperature is controlled.

Question 2

When analyzing a commercial client's utility bills, an energy auditor notices a significant portion of the monthly electricity cost is attributed to a 'demand charge.' What does this charge typically represent?

Accepted Answer

The highest rate of electricity consumption (kW) recorded during a short interval within the billing period.

Answer

A penalty for exceeding a pre-negotiated annual energy budget.

Answer

The total volume of electricity (kWh) consumed during the entire billing period.

Answer

A fixed fee for grid maintenance and customer service, regardless of consumption.

Question 3

An auditor needs to capture the operational profile of a chiller that cycles frequently throughout the day to understand its part-load performance. Which data collection tool and logging interval setting would be most appropriate for this task?

Accepted Answer

A power logger set to a 1- to 5-minute interval.

Answer

A handheld infrared thermometer taking readings once per day.

Answer

A utility bill analysis covering the last 12 months.

Answer

A combustion analyzer with data saved every hour.

Question 4

Which of the following data analysis techniques is used to normalize a building's energy consumption for weather variations, allowing for a more accurate comparison of energy performance over different time periods?

Accepted Answer

Degree-day analysis

Answer

Load factor calculation

Answer

Power factor analysis

Answer

Simple payback calculation

Question 5

An energy auditor is developing a calibrated simulation model for an existing building to evaluate potential energy efficiency measures. According to ASHRAE Guideline 14, which two metrics are primarily used to determine if the model is considered well-calibrated against actual utility data?

Accepted Answer

Normalized Mean Bias Error (NMBE) and Coefficient of Variation of the Root Mean Square Error (CV(RMSE))

Answer

Simple Payback Period (SPP) and Return on Investment (ROI)

Answer

Energy Use Intensity (EUI) and Load Factor

Answer

R-squared (R²) and p-value

Question 6

During a walk-through of a facility, an energy auditor wants to quickly identify potential areas of significant heat loss or gain through the building envelope, such as missing insulation or air leakage around windows. Which instrument is best suited for this initial qualitative assessment?

Accepted Answer

An infrared (thermal imaging) camera

Answer

A power quality analyzer

Answer

A light meter (lux meter)

Answer

An ultrasonic leak detector