Understanding Industrial Energy Audits – How To Understand What Certifications Are Official

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Nobody can deny that getting an commercial energy audit will help you improve your industrial energy efficiency. The challenge is finding a qualified auditor to do the work. Although there are a ton of people out there willing to take your money, it can be tricky to find the right combination of education and experience.

It Can Be Confusing

It may be challenging to evaluate an auditor’s capabilities, so several organizations have created standards and certifications. Although this does help you select an auditor, it has created an alphabet soup of certifications: HERS, HESP, RESNET, BPI, AEE, CEM, EMIT, CEA, CSDP, CRM, CBCP, BEP, CMVP, CEP, CLEP, DGCP, GBE, CGD, CPQ, REP, EBCP, BESA, CRU, HPB, REA, NEASI, EEA, and EAI.

Another thing adding to your uncertainty is the fact we now have at the least six certifying organizations. Some offer overlapping coverage. Several are legitimate and respected, while some are of questionable validity.

Everybody Claims They Are The Best

One can’t even look towards the organizations themselves for advice. Every certifying organization states they’ve got the very best certifications. While the majority are authentic and high quality, they can’t all be the best!

Take into account Your Requirements

You also will want to take into consideration what form of building or facility the certifications cover. Most cover residential, some cover commercial, and only one even vaguely addresses industrial audits. Because residential, commercial, and industrial audits need distinctive skills and education, you’ll need to ensure your auditor’s certifications complement your needs.

For example, BPI and RESNET certifications focus on residential audits. They cover energy conservation basics, but deal with weatherization and household appliances. This means they are perfect for residential and light commercial audits, but these certifications don’t do anything to confirm an auditor’s expertise for anything else.

Contrast this with AEE’s CEA/CEM certifications. They also cover energy conservation principals, but their target is on commercial equipment, HVAC systems, and lighting. Weatherization is barely mentioned since it is just not used in commercial audits.

Industrial Audits Are A Unusual Breed

If you need an industrial energy audit, your options are limited. The only certifications that cover industrial audits are through AEE. That being said, the AEE certification in reality qualifies an assessor to perform commercial audits. For industrial audits you also want someone with extensive industrial experience, someone who understands your process and industrial gear.

We Have Created A Guide To Help You Interpret Energy Assessment Certifications

You are not alone if ashrae energy audit certifications confuse you. Over and overour clients ask us “what certification should I look for.” To answer these questions we created a free guide to help sort out energy auditor certifications: Deciphering Energy Audit Certifications. Check out our website at industrialenergyaudit.com and download it today.

Industrial Energy Audit Services are industry leaders in the field of ashrae energy audits. Our decades of experience will make your energy efficient audit quick, effective, and inexpensive. We are so certain that we will save you money, that we pledge that we are going to save you 15% or more on your energy bills.