Is an Energy Audit worth it?

Balda Energy Audits are customized to your needs and your budget. The most basic, and least expensive, does not employ any diagnostic equipment. It will, however, reveal the ages and efficiency ratings of the heating and cooling systems on site. In addition we evaluate the building envelope, including windows and doors, and make suggestions for improving the efficiencies of those components. We will also analyze moisture issues and health and safety concerns.

A higher, and more expensive, level of service would include the use of a blower door and thermal-imaging camera in order to help pinpoint air leakage spots in the building’s thermal envelope. A duct leakage test procedure would also be included to evaluate how much conditioned air is getting to where it should, and how much is wastefully leaking away.

The best thing about having an energy audit is that you have a trained professional on site, walking your space, pointing out improvements that could be made that are specific to your specific circumstances.

Energy audits do however cost money, and some business owners are reluctant to make that investment to find out how they can improve the energy performance. But having an energy audit can help you put your building improvement money where it will do the most good, and where it will yield the greatest return.

An energy audit is a wise investment. The money saved on utility bills will likely pay for the assessment in a short amount of time, and you’ll work in a more comfortable environment after you address some of the issues identified.

Why Have a Building Energy Audit Performed?

Now more than ever it is important to keep operating expenses to a minimum. One difference between those companies that survive these difficult times and those that don’t will be that the survivors will be those who have reduced their unnecessary expenditures before it is too late.

Unnecessary costs include a portion of your utility costs, which for many until now were just considered “a cost of doing business.” By running an inefficient building, you are overpaying your utility for energy. It just doesn’t make any sense.

“A good building energy audit will point the way to reduce your energy costs by 10% to 40%. For large organizations, this can be substantial, and could be the difference between staying afloat and going under”, says Rick Balda, President of Balda Development.

Balda Development performs energy audits for a wide range of industries. They are seeing an emerging trend in the small to mid size business owner recognizing the value of this audit and its immediate impact on their bottom line.