Energy Design Reviews the End of the Energy Audit

Abstract

It is much more cost effective to design an industrial plant upfront for optimum energy efficiency rather than retrofit an existing plant, yet typically design engineers and project managers continue to focus on capital costs, not lifecycle costs, often ignoring substantial energy savings potential over the 20-50 year plant life. An average of over 30% in annual energy spending relative to the “business as usual design” baseline was identified in four recent energy design reviews (EDR) for large industrial companies. Typically, energy audits identify energy cost savings of 5-10% of energy spending, thus demonstrating the much larger savings potential of energy design reviews.

This paper will define an EDR, list the benefits, compare an EDR with Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, describe the methodology, present case study results and lessons learned from four EDRs, and conclude with suggestions on how to incorporate energy design reviews in your organization.