What skills do you need for an energy audit team?

Technical skills, either mechanical or electrical engineering, are indeed essential to understand the operating principles of different energy system (I.e. steam, compressed air and motor systems). However, one of the important skills for energy auditors to have is data analysis skills. Energy audits are usually associated with significant data analysis task (post data collection and measurements phase). The importance of data analysis is that you get insights about the data you collected and gain more understanding of the energy consumption patterns and trends and subsequently develop appropriate energy baselines. To conclude, a combination of technical and data analysis skills would be of course important for energy auditors.

Energy audits are comprehensive assessments of energy use within an organization or facility with the goal of identifying opportunities to improve energy efficiency and reduce energy costs.Being a successful member of an energy audit team requires a multidisciplinary skill set that combines technical expertise with strong analytical and communication abilities, all while staying current with industry developments and regulations.

My desired skill set, what I try to emphasis 1. Unbiased approach -EA shouldn’t be a tool to push product, services/solutions 2. Common sense while assessing 3. Practical basic understanding of system 4. Start with the basic WHY - e.g. Why this system should run, can we stop or minimise it’s operation - Go with the minimum or no modifications suggestions - fine tuning, set point change etc 5. Decide what to Measure & it’s duration of measurement to ensure preciseness in estimations 6. Develop your network to know latest technologies & its pricing to provide reliable ROI 7. Learn, relearn and unlearn 8. Take the feedback of what you propose 9. Accept the mistakes, be open minded 10. Be honest, transparent

Energy audit team must have knowledge for # Basic of losses # have understanding of Energy use, optimization # hands on experience on thermal engg # Must identify process requirements and get into to find exact requirements

In an office or commercial building, auditors need to understand energy systems like HVAC, Steam, Lighting, building envelope etc. In industrial facilities, in additional to understanding how buildings behave, they must also grasp the various industrial processes, their interconnections, and their relevance to production. Auditors in industrial settings need to have in depth understanding of the process and the relevant energy systems, they also need a thorough understanding of the principles behind typical "auxiliary" energy loads such as compressed air systems, steam systems, or the like.

You seem to be describing the skill set of an architect. Especially true contractually. Refer to AIA documents regarding owner/architect, owner/contractor and General Conditions. Responsibility needs to be clearly defined then communications regarding who what and when are straightforward.

Communication skills are paramount in that area and I would also consider the energy auditor being able to use a bit of "story telling" - what I mean is avoiding using only technical words to non technicians - to become an "agent of change" and accelerate the decarbonization of the value chain.

An energy audit team must have following key skills: Technical knowledge of building and energy systems. Energy modeling and data analysis skills. Measurement and verification expertise. Understanding of building science and thermography. Knowledge of codes, standards, and best practices. Strong communication, report writing, and presentation skills. Project management and budgeting capabilities. Sustainability and environmental awareness. Commitment to safety protocols. Continuous learning and staying updated. Collaboration and teamwork with diverse professionals. Regulatory and financial program knowledge Knowledge on energy efficient technologies and their key suppliers

Conveying the message to the stakeholders is essential for an energy audit to perform and prepare an improvement plan focused on energy efficiency.

An energy auditor is a jack of all trades master of none. Remember that to the top management your the expert, to the finance team you are the cost-effective person, to the procurement team you are the best find, but for the operator, you are the person who can voice his struggles and give a solution so that he can work efficiently, productively and seamless

The energy auditor must first and foremost understand the company's context and be able to adapt his or her proposals to the financial feasibility. They must take into account the organisation's maturity in validating proposals and understand the decision-making mechanisms so that they can involve the right people in understanding.

An auditor who can think creatively and envision the bigger picture is crucial for addressing complex problems. Beyond that, they should work collaboratively and possess the ability to see the complete scenario, allowing them to devise solutions tailored to both the company and its unique processes. This approach encompasses not only the technical aspects but also considers cost benefits and environmental impact.

Problem-solving skills are the core of the job but you are hired to identify the problem, evaluate the problem and then present a palatable solution. So in my experience always think out of the box as a typical solution will be largely ignored as everyone has already discussed and rejected, a wild solution is too unpredictable and rejected, and a fancy idea might capture the imagination but will never materialise as it cannot be implemented in the ground within existing conditions. So the solution to the problem always or mostly comes from the operator of the process and it's your job to convince the higher-ups on how it fits their perspective

This skill enables an Auditor to suggest workable alternatives such as retrofitting, replacement, reducing, recycling,reusing. Identify an existing problem and being able to offer an efficient solution is a great skill to have as an auditor.

The auditor needs to be an "enabler" which has the capacity to not only evaluate financial cost/benefits (ROI) but also environmental (GHG on all the value chain including scope 3) & pollution .... impacts.

Energy aspects are increasingly correlated with climate change (scope 1 and scope 2 of the GHG protocol). The auditor must therefore be able to put energy use into perspective with the company's impact on global warming. It is indeed possible that certain measures with a slower ROI have a strong impact on global warming, justifying the implementation of one measure rather than another.

Auditor must be aware of local Environment Regulations. Weaknesses of the existing Regulatory framework and it's strengths. Auditor should promote Environmental Sustainability by identifying aspects of operation that affect the environment positively and negatively.

Its a very straightforward thing that every energy auditor knows why to burn more when you can do it at a fraction using less resources, but how to convinence the others. Let me tell you a case which i attended "one of clients an MNC had setup a furnance within a insulated workshop as designed by their head office which sits in Northern Europe and the factory was setup in south east asia. The insulated workshop had 25Tons of Referigeration running at 18Deg C and still the workshop had an average room temperature of 45 Deg C making worker condition miserable. The solution was remove the insulation and create air circulation" This is also environmental awarness with humane touch

In Power & utilities sector, we have something called Demand Side Management (DSM).Can anyone share a case study or any insights related to its implementation scheme which is practiced widely ?

Environmental consciousness is fundamental in the energy audit field! Team members should understand the environmental impacts of energy consumption and prioritize sustainable practices. Knowledge of renewable energy technologies, carbon reduction strategies, and sustainable building practices is an asset.

The energy sector is continuously evolving with advancements in technology and changing regulations. To stay relevant, energy audit team members should commit to ongoing professional development. Attending workshops, conferences, and industry-specific training programs can help keep skills up-to-date. Staying informed about new energy-efficient technologies and sustainability trends is crucial.

It's important but in my perspective certificates, accreditations, and licence will get you attention but it differs widely from one region to the other. But in the end your skills is what is weighed in gold and not the certificates

ISO 50002 is basically the user's manual for energy audits, you need to learn it, interiorize it and basically, ISO 50002 be part of your life.

EA demands continuous learning, and professionals in this area should keep on new technologies or trends, e.g. system optimisations and integrations through smart systems and AI. Some good sources for technology trends can be IEA, McKinsey etc. I also think that Refresher EA courses are very useful, to remain updated on latest trends, policies and procedures, but also new funding possibilities. In Europe, EAs are increasingly used to promote renewables, analyse connection to DH systems or limit use of certain fossil fuels. Updated knowledge on latest incentives and support schemes benefits implementation of EA recommendations.

While technical knowledge, environmental awareness, and problem solving skills are key to the energy auditor, the underlying RoI, time frame for execution, ability to classify A (low cost, lesser time, low returns, B and C higher costs, long term, higher returns) is very important i.e. low hanging fruits versus others. Energy audit reports are more likely to be approved by the clients finance team. So, the energy auditor must be aware of these terms (and preferably be sort of experts too) in addition to those mentioned in the first line.

Energy audit team consists of professionals with diverse backgrounds, such as engineers, architects, communicator, project manager and energy analysts. Collaborative teamwork is crucial to combine their expertise effectively and provide comprehensive energy solutions.

Project management skills are in my opinion very beneficial for EA success, having in mind that EA will recommend certain measures / projects that should be prepared and implemented in the next phase.

An energy auditor should be able to present the solution with all the benefits: energy savings, costs avoided, maintenance schedule, financial benefits (ROI, Simple payback, NVP, etc), social benefits. The energy auditor is involved in every step of the process and technical knowledge, communication, environmental and social awareness, financial knowledge are some of the more important skills.

Certified Energy Manager with the deep knowledge of the industry vertical in which energy to be saved. Additionally ISO : certification calculation of the ROI is very much important.