Virtual Audits: The Promise and The Reality (original) (raw)

In recent years a new service offering, virtual audits, has appeared in the market, which claims to provide energy audits on buildings at a faster rate, and a lower cost by completing the audit virtually. Several vendors offer this service, and have directed their marketing efforts at the utility and Federal sector. This paper examines claims made by purveyors of virtual audits against the reality. Positive aspects of virtual audits include: lower cost, less time required of building employees, faster audits, and better aggregation of results. Negative aspects of virtual audits include small number of energy efficiency measures found, lack of specificity on measures that are found, and inability to properly cost the measures. This paper presents the inherent shortcomings of virtual audits, and suggests the net effect of deficient audit reports on the building owner.

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