How Better Energy Audit Quality Drives Real Efficiency Results

Energy audit quality is the missing link between energy efficiency potential and real-world results.

If you work in energy efficiency you are probably aware that its falling well short of its potential to save money and reduce carbon emissions. 

And you can probably, in the blink of an eye, roll out some good reasons. Such as the split incentive between tenant and landlord, the fact that energy is commonly a relatively small expense for many businesses, the difficulty in attracting financing. 

But here’s one of my takes on it. 

Mediocrity. 

Reducing energy usage in a building or factory is deceptively un-easy. It looks a lot easier to do than it is. But because intuitively it looks easy – just replace the equipment with more efficient equipment – there is an implicit inference that only moderate skill and effort is needed to realize the benefits of EE. 

But apply moderate skill and effort to something that’s not actually easy, and the results don’t come. Singing in the shower doesn’t make you up to singing in an opera house. Just as taking a short course over 4 ½ day course and passing a multiple choice exam doesn’t mean you can effectively manage and reduce energy consumption. But even that’s better than having no training at all. 

And yet we are happy to accept someone with no training, or only a micro-credential as being reasonably proficient in energy efficiency. 

The consequences:

• Uninformed energy users are impressed by micro credentials – in the absence of any well known alternatives. 
• The advice provided is consequently mediocre
• The energy user doesn’t get the results expected, and gives up on energy efficiency. 
• Thus demand for energy efficiency advice and services is low.
• Low demand means a low supply of energy advisors, who don’t think they can afford to learn more than the bare minimum because the demand is not there. 
• Resulting in more mediocre advice. 

So how do we deal with mediocrity? 

I suggest that we stop accepting it. 

Public policy is a major driver of energy efficiency. Policy makers need to be expecting more from energy efficiency advisors. Expecting them to be better qualified. To be more accountable for results. 

If taxes or levies are to be spent on energy efficiency, the bar needs to be raised for the consultants or advisors who identify the energy efficiency measures that its spent on. 

Requiring Investment Grade Energy Auditor Certification is a minimum. This is a qualification that is much harder to achieve than a short course and multiple choice exam – so far the fastest student to successfully get through it has taken 12 months. 

Lets stop thinking of energy efficiency as something that’s “easy”, that any engineer can do. 

Lets stop accepting mediocrity, and hold energy efficiency advisors accountable for the business cases they put forward. 

Lets relegate mediocrity in energy efficiency to the history books.