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An energy audit is a comprehensive assessment of a facility aimed at collecting and analysing data on the consumption of electricity, thermal energy, gas, fuel, and other resources. Its purpose is not only to identify heat losses, but also to determine the causes of inefficient energy use, calculate potential savings, and develop technically justified measures to improve energy efficiency.
A building energy audit helps determine how much energy the facility actually consumes, which systems account for the main load, where losses occur, and which improvements can deliver measurable economic benefits. As a result, the client receives not a general list of recommendations, but a justified action plan with calculations of expected savings, costs, and implementation priorities.
In Uzbekistan, the energy audit procedure is regulated by the Law of the Republic of Uzbekistan No. ZRU-940 “On Energy Saving, Rational Use of Energy and Improvement of Energy Efficiency”, as well as by Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 690, which establishes the procedure for assessing consumers of fuel and energy resources and the energy consumption of buildings and structures.
An energy audit is an activity involving the collection, processing, and analysis of reliable data on consumed fuel and energy resources and energy efficiency indicators, followed by the preparation of a formal conclusion.
In practice, the terms energy audit, energy assessment, and energy survey are often used with similar meanings. In each case, the purpose is to assess the facility’s actual energy consumption, the technical condition of its engineering systems, and opportunities to reduce costs without compromising operating conditions.
An energy efficiency audit is not limited to a visual inspection of a building or a review of electricity bills. A comprehensive energy assessment includes an analysis of documents, actual equipment operating modes, the condition of the building envelope, heating, ventilation, air-conditioning, lighting, and energy metering systems.
A building energy audit is carried out when the owner or operating organisation needs to identify the objective causes of excessive resource consumption.
Reasons for an assessment may include rising utility and operating costs, uneven heating of premises, overheating of certain areas, insufficient ventilation performance, frequent equipment failures, complaints from building users, or preparation for major repairs and modernisation.
An energy assessment of buildings and structures is also useful before replacing boiler, pump, ventilation, or refrigeration equipment. Without prior analysis, there is a risk of installing equipment with excessive capacity, retaining an inefficient control system, or transferring existing losses into the upgraded system.
When preparing for reconstruction, an energy audit should preferably be carried out together with a technical inspection of the building. A technical inspection evaluates the condition of structures and engineering systems, while an energy audit evaluates the efficiency of resource consumption and the potential for reducing operating costs.
The legislation of the Republic of Uzbekistan distinguishes between mandatory and voluntary energy audits.
A mandatory energy audit is carried out for legal entities included in the State Energy Register. This category includes organisations that consume at least 500 tonnes of standard fuel and/or at least 250 tonnes of motor fuel per year.
Entities included in the State Energy Register may be subject to initial, periodic, extraordinary, and express energy audits. A periodic audit is carried out at least once every five years.
Organisations not included in the register may conduct a voluntary energy audit to reduce costs, prepare for modernisation, assess the effectiveness of completed improvements, or develop an energy-saving programme.
A mandatory energy audit is carried out on the basis of a technical assignment agreed with the territorial department of Uzenergoinspeksiya. For a voluntary assessment, the technical assignment is prepared taking into account the client’s objectives, the characteristics of the building, and the systems to be examined. In both cases, the energy audit is performed under a contract between the client and the service provider.
An initial energy audit is carried out to determine the baseline level of resource consumption, assess energy efficiency, and develop an initial list of improvement measures.
A periodic energy assessment makes it possible to evaluate changes in performance after modernisation, repairs, equipment replacement, or changes in production and operating loads.
An extraordinary energy audit is carried out in cases established by decisions of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan.
An express energy audit is used for a faster assessment of energy efficiency indicators and the results of technical or technological modernisation.
A local energy audit covers a specific resource, system, unit, or performance indicator. For example, the heat supply system, ventilation system, pumping equipment, lighting, or electricity consumption may be assessed separately.
The scope of work is determined by the technical assignment, but a comprehensive energy audit of buildings and structures usually includes several interconnected stages.
Before visiting the facility, specialists review information about the building and its operation:
— utility bills and meter readings
— energy supply contracts and applicable tariffs
— design and as-built documentation
— specifications of installed equipment
— building operating schedules
— information on floor area, intended use, and occupancy
— information on repairs and modernisation
— operating and maintenance logs and failure records
Consumption is analysed not only in absolute terms but also over time. Seasonal changes, outdoor temperature, equipment operating hours, number of users, and changes in load must also be taken into account.
The energy balance shows how much energy enters the facility and how it is distributed between heating, ventilation, cooling, lighting, hot water supply, process equipment, and other consumers.
Without an energy balance, it is difficult to objectively determine where the main losses occur. High overall consumption may result not from a single fault but from several factors, such as poor regulation, worn equipment, incorrect operating modes, and inadequate metering.
The required measurements are carried out at the facility, including:
— electrical parameters
— surface and heat-transfer fluid temperatures
— water, gas, and thermal energy consumption
— air temperature and humidity
— lighting levels
— ventilation parameters
— equipment operating modes
— condition of thermal insulation
— actual loads of individual consumers
Instrumental measurements make it possible to distinguish assumed causes of excessive consumption from those confirmed by actual data.
We carry out technical energy audits, including analysis of initial data and instrumental measurements, identify the causes of inefficient energy use, and develop an energy-saving action plan.
When inspecting walls, roofs, floors, windows, doors, and other elements of the building envelope, specialists assess the likelihood of excessive heat losses.
Potential causes include insufficient or damaged insulation, defective junctions, unsealed installation joints, localised freezing, air leakage, and thermal bridges.
An assessment of building insulation should take into account not only surface temperatures, but also wall construction, operating conditions, humidity, and indoor and outdoor temperature conditions.
An energy audit of the heat supply system includes checking the heat source, heating substations, pipelines, pumps, valves, automation, and heating devices.
Specialists assess actual temperatures, flow rates, pressure differences, insulation condition, regulation quality, and heat distribution throughout the building.
A common problem is that some rooms are overheated while others do not receive enough heat. In such cases, increasing the capacity of the heat source does not solve the problem. The system should first be checked for balancing, pump operating modes, automation settings, and network condition.
The assessment checks whether the actual air exchange corresponds to the intended use of the premises, as well as the operating modes of ventilation units and the condition of filters, heat exchangers, and air ducts.
Significant losses may occur due to unnecessary round-the-clock equipment operation, absence of variable-speed control, simultaneous heating and cooling, or insufficient heat recovery from exhaust air.
Electricity consumption analysis includes identifying the main consumers, checking load schedules, power factor, phase load distribution, and unnecessary consumption outside working hours.
For lighting systems, specialists assess installed power, actual lighting levels, operating schedules, zoning, and opportunities for automatic control.
The accuracy of energy audit conclusions directly depends on the quality of resource metering.
The assessment checks the presence and location of meters, whether metering zones correspond to the structure of consumption, the completeness of available data, and whether major consumers can be analysed separately.
If the entire building is measured by a single meter, identifying the source of excessive consumption becomes significantly more difficult. In this case, one of the recommendations may be to install additional meters or introduce automated data collection.
A thermal imaging survey is used to identify temperature irregularities on the surfaces of the building envelope and engineering equipment.
It can reveal areas of possible freezing, insulation defects, unsealed junctions, overheating of electrical equipment, and heat leaks from pipelines.
However, a thermal imaging inspection does not replace a comprehensive energy audit. A thermogram shows temperature distribution, but identifying the cause of a defect requires consideration of the building structure, measurement conditions, air temperature, humidity, and operation of engineering systems.
Thermal imaging control of buildings and structures should therefore be used as one tool within a comprehensive energy assessment rather than as independent evidence of all causes of heat loss.
An energy assessment report should contain not only a description of identified deficiencies, but also verifiable source data, measurement results, and calculations.
The report typically includes:
— description of the facility and operating conditions
— structure of resource consumption
— energy balance
— actual energy efficiency indicators
— identified losses and their causes
— results of instrumental measurements
— proposals for changing operating modes
— technical improvement measures
— expected reduction in consumption
— estimated costs
— payback periods
— implementation priorities
The legislation identifies the main objectives of an energy audit as assessing potential resource savings, developing proposals for rational energy consumption, preparing energy-saving measures, and developing an energy passport.
Standard forms for technical assignments, programmes, energy passports, and organisational and technical action plans are approved by a joint resolution registered by the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Uzbekistan under No. 3629. The document also establishes minimum requirements for energy auditors.
Energy-saving measures should be specific and directly related to the identified causes of excessive consumption.
A recommendation such as “replace the equipment with energy-efficient equipment” without calculations is not sufficient for an investment decision. The report should specify which equipment needs to be replaced, why the existing solution is inefficient, how much energy is expected to be saved, and how long the investment will take to pay back.
Energy efficiency measures should preferably be prioritised.
Priority measures include organisational and low-cost actions such as adjusting operating schedules, configuring automation, eliminating leaks, balancing systems, and switching off equipment outside working hours.
Medium-term measures may include installing additional meters, variable-frequency drives, automatic control systems, and restoring thermal insulation.
Capital measures may involve replacement of major equipment, reconstruction of engineering systems, insulation of building structures, or changes to the energy supply system.
This approach allows the client to begin with measures that provide a rapid effect while incorporating capital improvements into a justified investment programme.
An energy audit examines the actual resource consumption of an operating building, structure, or piece of equipment.
An energy efficiency review serves a different purpose. It is carried out to verify whether the design and cost documentation for new and reconstructed facilities complies with legislation and technical regulations in the field of energy efficiency.
Therefore, during design or reconstruction, it may be necessary not only to assess the existing facility but also to evaluate the solutions included in the design documentation. The development and adjustment of such solutions should be linked to professional design of buildings and engineering systems.
The cost of an energy audit cannot be accurately determined based on building area alone.
The price depends on:
— intended use of the facility
— number of buildings
— composition of engineering systems
— number of energy sources and consumers
— availability of design documentation
— quality of existing metering
— scope of instrumental measurements
— need for a thermal imaging survey
— number of operating modes
— required final documentation
— need to prepare an energy passport
— location of the facility
A local assessment of a single system will cost less than a comprehensive building energy audit covering all resources, engineering systems, and building envelope elements.
To obtain a justified energy audit cost estimate, the client should provide a brief description of the facility, its area, intended use, information about the engineering systems, and the objectives of the assessment.
A high-quality report should answer four questions:
If an energy audit report contains only general recommendations without measurements, calculations, and priorities, its practical value will be limited.
The results of an energy assessment should allow the client to prepare a technical assignment for modernisation, determine the required budget, compare alternatives, and monitor the achieved savings after the recommendations have been implemented.
We carry out comprehensive energy audits of buildings and structures, analyse electricity and thermal energy consumption, inspect building envelope elements and engineering systems, perform instrumental measurements, and identify the causes of inefficient resource consumption.
As a result, the client receives a report, energy balance, list of identified losses, and an energy efficiency improvement plan with calculations of the expected effect.
To order an energy audit, submit a request on the Technical Energy Audit page.
An energy audit is not a formal review of utility bills or a standalone thermal imaging inspection. It is a systematic analysis of actual consumption, the condition of engineering systems, operating modes, and the causes of energy losses.
A professionally conducted energy assessment makes it possible to determine the actual savings potential, avoid unjustified investment, prioritise improvement measures, and prepare the facility for technical modernisation.
The more accurate the source data, measurements, and calculations, the more reliable the savings forecast and the easier it is for the client to verify the results after implementing the recommendations.
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