SAVEnergy Audits

Photo of Visitor Center at Rocky Mountain National Park

The Rocky Mountain National Park Visitor Center is one of 43 national park facilities that have received and benefitted from a SAVEnergy Audit.

The SAVEnergy Audit is a comprehensive examination of the energy systems in your facility or building. Engineers, pre-qualified by FEMP as specialists in building energy systems, evaluate the condition of the building envelope—windows, walls, floors, and roof—and the performance of energy-consuming equipment, including lighting, furnaces, chillers, and pumps. The auditors evaluate the operating condition of your facility, assess its energy use, and identify operation and maintenance (O&M) activities.

SAVEnergy Audits can benefit your facility by helping you—

Identify cost-effective, energy-saving measures in your facility
Evaluate the performance of your facility's heating, ventilating, and cooling systems
Screen your facility for opportunities to conserve water and use clean, renewable energy systems
Create action plans for greater energy and water efficiency
Form an action team to implement conservation measures
Meet the requirements of Executive Order 13423 and your agency's goals for energy efficiency

Agencies can request the following options, in addition to the basic SAVEnergy survey:

Water Conservation Survey: The Water Conservation Survey is a more comprehensive study of water use at a facility. This survey covers a facility's water supply, major water-using processes and equipment, and more.

Whole-Building Computer Simulation: The Whole-Building Computer Simulation uses the building's energy-use profiles, operating schedules, energy-consuming systems, and other items to characterize current energy use and address the interactive effects of recommended energy conservation measures (ECMs). This study identifies all life-cycle cost-effective measures.

The auditor reports the results of each facility audit in a SAVEnergy Action Plan. This plan lists the ECMs and O&M improvements identified in the audit, offers recommendations, and describes the financing options available to you. The plan helps facility managers choose those energy improvements and financing options that best meet their needs.

Agency Commitment

In order for SAVEnergy Audits to lead to more than simply a list of recommendations, agencies must be prepared from the onset to commit to reviewing the recommendations and implementing identified improvements where appropriate and feasible. To help ensure that this service leads to results, FEMP asks participating agencies to assemble a team of agency representatives to be responsible for the following:

review and evaluate the SAVEnergy Action Plan
facilitate the use of alternative financing to implement ECMs as needed
leverage utility incentives
track and report savings from implemented improvements

SAVEnergy Funding

FEMP funding for SAVEnergy audits was eliminated in FY 2006, although the SAVEnergy contracts remain in place. Federal agencies are encouraged to fund audits using the DOE contract. Federal agencies are encouraged to fund audits at their sites. Requests should be sent to:

FEMP SAVEnergy Audit Program
c/o U.S. Department of Energy
Golden Field Office
1617 Cole Boulevard
Mail Stop 1501
Golden, CO 80401-3305

Audit Materials & Information

The SAVEnergy Action Plan Overview (PDF 113 KB, 5 pp) describes Action Plan components, what the plan does, and how agencies can qualify for a SAVEnergy audit. Download Adobe Reader

The SAVEnergy Audit Request Form (MS Word 49 KB) is used to request an audit. We recommend the request form be completed and submitted electronically.

The SAVEnergy Audit Summary Form (MS Word 187 KB) is used by the SAVEnergy contractor to report the audit's findings, including potential savings and ECMs.

For more information, contact:
Ab Ream
SAVEnergy Program Manager
U. S. Department of Energy
1000 Independence Ave., S.W.
Washington, DC 20585
Phone: 202-586-7230
ab.ream@ee.doe.gov