Commercial/Institutional Services

Advisory Services

Our advisory service provides general advice and answers questions. In some cases where in depth analysis is required, a fee may be charged.

Energy Auditing – Institutional, Commercial, and Industrial Buildings

The operational heating and electrical requirements of Institutional, Commercial, and Industrial (ICI) Buildings can be significant.  Energy audits can help identify energy saving opportunities.  There are four levels of energy audits of ICI Buildings, as per the Federal Building’s Initiative Audit Standards Guidelines:

  • Yardstick audit – Identifies if buildings may or may not have energy saving potential.  Click here to learn more.
  • Screening audit – Determines energy end-use breakdown and energy saving potential
  • Walkthrough audit – Includes a site visit, verifies equipment systems and type, identifies energy saving opportunities, implementation costs, and cost savings
  • Engineering audit – Complete Walkthrough audit, including extensive data collection and finalized engineering designs of proposed implementations

The AEA provides Yardstick audits for free.  The Yardstick audit will analyze utility data and compare a building’s energy intensity with statistical averages, as well as the Model National Energy Code for Buildings (MNECB), for buildings of the same function and climate region.  The Yardstick audit will show you if your building is using more energy than other similar buildings, and will provide the basis for more detailed audits.

Walkthrough audits are required to access funding available through the Commercial Energy Auditing Program (GNWT ITI), as well as the Federal ecoEnergy Retrofit Program.  The AEA can assist your organization in developing Terms of Reference for properly specifying the requirements of a detailed energy audit, finding qualified energy auditors of ICI buildings, as well as reviewing audit reports for technical content.  In some cases, the AEA may perform the Walkthrough audit on a fee-for-service basis.

Case Study

The Government of Canada “Greenstone Building” in Yellowknife, featured on the right, is an example of sustainable building practice. The building is LEED Gold Certified, and used 65% less energy than an MNECB Reference building. Many features have been incorporated into the building’s design to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.