Energy Efficiency Audit Checklist

The portfolio analyst pulls electric, gas, and water bills for the last 24 months from the utility portal or Energy Star Portfolio Manager. Two years lets you separate weather-driven swings from real consumption changes. Note any months where the property was vacant or under construction so they can be excluded from the baseline.

Enter square footage, occupancy, and 12-month consumption to get the EUI (energy use intensity, kBtu/sq ft/yr) and a 1-100 score. NYC LL84, Boston BERDO, and many California cities require this benchmark annually — check whether the property is on a covered list before scheduling the walkthrough.

Pull year-built, last major renovation, square footage, and construction type (wood frame, masonry, steel) from the property record. Pre-1980 buildings almost always have envelope and insulation issues; pre-1978 buildings carry lead-paint disclosure risk if any envelope work disturbs painted surfaces.

Walk the exterior and unit interiors looking for staining, peeling, daylight at door bottoms, and visible gaps at penetrations. Single-pane windows, failed double-pane seals (fogging between panes), and torn weather-stripping at exterior doors are the most common envelope findings on pre-2000 stock.

Pull an attic sample and check depth and type. Current IECC code calls for R-49 to R-60 in most US climate zones; pre-1990 attics are often R-19 or less. For wall insulation, use a borescope through an outlet plate rather than cutting drywall.

Required for ASHRAE Level 2 and 3 audits. Target ACH50 and identify the largest leak paths with a smoke pencil or thermal camera. Common leak sources: rim joists, attic hatches, can lights into unconditioned space, plumbing chases.

Capture make, model, serial, tonnage, and SEER/AFUE rating from each rooftop unit, split system, and furnace. Anything older than 15 years or below SEER 13 is a refresh candidate; R-22 systems are end-of-life regardless of age because the refrigerant is no longer manufactured.

Common-area and vacant-unit thermostats are the biggest source of waste — units conditioned at 72°F year-round during vacancy add up. Recommend smart thermostats with vacancy schedules; many utilities rebate $50-100 per unit.

Visual check at accessible runs in attic and crawl space. Disconnected boots at registers and uninsulated runs in unconditioned space are typical. A duct blaster test gives a real leakage number for Level 2 audits.

Replacement is the call when equipment is past useful life (15+ years), running R-22, or oversized for the load. Mark Yes only if recommending capex within the next 12 months — that drives the heat-load calc step below.

Before sizing replacement equipment, run an ACCA Manual J calc. Existing oversized units are extremely common — contractors rule-of-thumb at 400 sq ft/ton, but Manual J typically lands at 600-800 sq ft/ton for newer envelopes. Right-sizing avoids short-cycling and humidity issues.

Walk common areas, parking, exterior, and a sample of units. Record fixture count, lamp type (incandescent, CFL, T8/T12 fluorescent, LED), and wattage. T12 fluorescents and any incandescent in common areas are immediate retrofit candidates with 2-3 year paybacks.

Stairwells, laundry rooms, trash rooms, and amenity spaces should have occupancy or vacancy sensors. Many local codes (CA Title 24, IECC 2018+) require them — older buildings get grandfathered until renovation triggers compliance.

Exterior fixtures running 24/7 because the photocell failed are easy to spot — drive by at 10 AM. Failed photocells and stuck timeclocks waste several hundred dollars per year per fixture on parking lots and building wash lighting.

Tank temperature should be 120°F per most plumbing codes — anything above wastes energy and creates scald risk. Wrap uninsulated tanks with an R-10 blanket and insulate the first 6 feet of hot-water pipe; both are sub-$50 fixes with quick payback.

WaterSense thresholds: showerheads ≤2.0 gpm, bathroom faucets ≤1.5 gpm, toilets ≤1.28 gpf. Use a flow bag at a representative sample of units. Pre-1994 toilets often run 3.5-5 gpf — replacement saves 15-25% on the water bill in older multifamily stock.

Running toilets are the #1 hidden water cost — drop a dye tablet in the tank and check the bowl after 15 minutes. Also check irrigation backflow preventers, hose bibs, and the meter at 3 AM (any flow with no occupancy is a leak).

Refrigerators pre-2001 use 2-3x the electricity of current Energy Star models — at common-area or in-unit owner-paid power, replacement pays back in 4-6 years. Check make/model against the Energy Star database to flag refresh candidates at next turnover.

Federal Pacific Stab-Lok and Zinsco panels are known fire hazards and uninsurable in many markets — flag for immediate replacement regardless of energy impact. Also note any double-tapped breakers or aluminum branch wiring.

Use a Kill-A-Watt or clamp meter on the leasing office, fitness room, and business center after hours. Monitors, vending machines, and water coolers running 24/7 are typical findings; smart power strips with timers cut these by 60-80%.

Pull the roof's age and remaining life — solar carries a 25-year warranty, so a roof under 15 years remaining needs to be replaced before install. Check shading, orientation (south is ideal, east-west works), and structural capacity. PVWatts gives a quick production estimate by ZIP.

Stack the federal ITC (30% through 2032), state rebates, SRECs where applicable, and any utility net-metering credit. For owner-paid common-area load, payback often lands 6-9 years; for tenant-paid units, the structure is community solar or a virtual net-metering arrangement, which is more complex and state-specific.

Pull production data from the inverter portal (Enphase, SolarEdge, SMA) for the last 12 months and compare to the original PVWatts estimate. Underperformance >15% usually means soiled panels, a failed optimizer, or a tripped string — worth a service call.

Sort recommendations into three buckets: no-cost operational fixes (setpoint changes, photocell repair), sub-3-year payback retrofits (LED, low-flow, smart thermostats), and 5+ year capex (HVAC, windows, solar). Owners almost always green-light buckets one and two on the spot.

Most utilities offer mid-stream and custom rebates for commercial multifamily — LED, HVAC, controls, motors. DSIRE (dsireusa.org) is the canonical lookup. Pre-approval before purchase is required for custom rebates; buying first usually voids eligibility.

Final deliverable to the asset manager: executive summary, EUI baseline, ranked recommendations with payback, and a phased capex schedule that fits the hold-period strategy. Include the sign-off so the owner's go/no-go on each bucket is captured for the file.