Assessing Energy Reduction Opportunities

If you think that all energy audits are created equal, think again.

Many companies perform energy audits, but they typically focus on “big ticket” items: those obvious – but costly – efficiency changes. Loureiro’s energy audit program, which we call Assessing Energy Reduction Opportunities (AERO), has a different philosophy: we first review energy use from the “inside out”, from its use back toward generation. Our reasoning is simple: if you don’t need to use the energy in the first place, you will not have the upstream energy generation/distribution losses. We believe it best to first evaluate conservation, then look at efficiency, and finally the synergy of the two. Only after all this do we believe it appropriate to review alternative energy sources.

Loureiro’s inside-out approach typically finds great savings with little or no cost, often decreasing the ultimate cost of major capital projects. It also provides the client with the widest array of cost-effective energy reduction opportunities, frequently providing strong energy savings simply through better use of existing equipment. Our approach helps you classify energy use as baseload, production-driven, weather-related, or employee-driven, so you can make better decisions on appropriate courses of action.

We also evaluate the larger energy use systems, such as boilers, HVAC, lighting, and the like. However, because the Loureiro team has designed and installed many such systems, we know the intricacies and true costs for any major changes. And we can help you through the complete process: from evaluation, through design, to installation.

We can perform simple ASHRAE Level 1 analysis, a more detailed Level 2 analysis (most common), or an investment-grade Level 3 analysis. Whatever your energy evaluation or reduction need, we can provide you with the most cost-effective plan to achieve it, while allowing you to better target your limited energy reduction resources.