For those who own or manage commercial property, poor energy efficiency equates to a direct loss in revenue. Unfortunately, while they would like to identify and repair these inefficiencies, hiring a contractor to perform an energy audit generally takes several weeks and can cost upwards of $10,000, not to mention the cost of actually implementing the suggested changes. With the new eAuditPro software, however, increased efficiency (and money saved) begins with the audit itself.
eAuditPro is the first simple commercial energy audit software. Launched publicly on January 9, it is the result of three years of research and development, and includes energy audits of 80 commercial buildings (the best known being Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin West).
The software was developed through a close partnership between local energy audit company Big Green Zero and Clarisoft Technologies, and its creators see it as a three-step process. First, building managers and contractors collaborate in performing a professional commercial energy audit. Next, they compare the costs and benefits of any number of potential solutions. Finally, the software automatically creates and downloads a comprehensive report.
According to Jim Burpee, Big Green Zero President and Chief Engineer, “There has been little progress in improving commercial energy efficiency because the two ‘dots’ (e.g. building managers and contractors) have been disconnected. eAuditPro connects the dots.”
Unlike a traditional energy audit, the software brings the contractor and building manager together from the very beginning to decide what should be changed. Getting a contractor involved early helps the manager better understand where the most energy is being wasted, the cost of changing equipment out, and how much energy it will save. On average, building managers can reduce their energy bills by 20% to 40% after implementing the changes suggested in an energy audit.
eAuditPro customers pay a flat rate of $499 per building, and can run an unlimited number of energy audits on that building. The obvious customer for this software is the contractor who runs energy audits for a living, however, a technically savvy building manager could also purchase eAuditPro and potentially cut the contractor out of the equation entirely.
While the software is now out of beta, its creators are still looking for pilot users. These users can run audits on eAuditPro for free in return for their feedback and suggestions for additional features. If you’re interested in becoming a pilot user, you can contact info[at]eauditpro[dot]com.
You can currently run eAuditPro on any device with a full web browser; however, the company is also in the process of developing a tablet app that should be available in a few months.
More About eAuditPro
Founded: 2012
Co-Founders: Jim Burpee and Bob Roth of Big Green Zero
Funding: Angel investor funded
Website: eauditpro.com
Headquarters: 4950 E. Thomas Rd. Phoenix, AZ 85018
What a pack of rubbish. Audits with no field inspection are of little use.
That’s a great point if the building manager cuts out the contractor, but otherwise I believe the contractor would still provide a field inspection. The software would just change the method of data entry/calculation.
There is always a field inspection. That is the first step. See “How it Works” at http://www.eauditpro.com/how-it-works/
I missed the part where it says no field inspections are required. If you go to Big Green Zero’s web site, you can find where they state that the first step is the field investigation.
The whole idea is that it is based on a hands-on inspection of every piece of energy equipment in a building.
>> First, building managers and contractors collaborate in performing a professional commercial energy audit.
So is this audit software or recording software ? -a bizarre misnomer. Is it one-off or rolling – vague. Worth the money ? – No idea !
fully agree with you: insert what you know and the software will confirm… That’s what it sounds likez
So, the building manager and the contractor are now considering themselves energy engineers? Is this a “general” contractor? Where are the results of the instrumentation and documentation to support their hypotheses to the boss? “Well, the contractor entered information into this computer program and it told us we should do this and that.”
Engineers are interested in instrumentation and documentation. Commercial property managers and owners are interested in lower energy bills. Contractors can propose real solutions with real numbers. Facilities managers and/or CFOs can use software to calculate the best combination of solutions based on budget and ROI objectives.
No expensive “energy engineer” needed. Just a facility manager, some software and a CFO.
It’s always good to have inspection.
EnergyWiseUtah.com