A lot of energy consultants can help you find the "low-hanging fruit of energy efficiency, for example, lighting system upgrades. But if the efficiency goals your company has set are more holistic—that is, they extend to all company areas—an experienced industrial energy auditing firm is the right group to contact.

D.L. Steiner is a full-service industrial energy auditor located in the PJM (Pennsylvania, Jersey, Maryland Power Pool) regional transmission organization (RTO) of the national power grid. With more than two decades of energy auditing experience in industrial facilities,

commercial buildings, and public institutions, we help our clients capitalize on energy savings opportunities that other auditors would simply pass right over.

D.L. Steiner’s ASHRAE Level 1, 2, and 3 Energy Audits (described below) will identify the gaps in your enterprise-wide energy efficiency profile so that you don’t miss any reasonable opportunity to conserve energy and save money. We’ll work with you to develop a comprehensive plan that offers more energy savings alternatives—and greater benefit from the ones you choose to implement.

The first step in energy efficiency is getting a picture of where your energy use currently stands. D.L. Steiner’s Level 1 Energy Audit (our “basic” audit) helps your company know where it is energy-wise—and where it can go.

The Level 1 Audit begins with a walkthrough of your facility to become familiar with its layout and operations. During this time, we collect selected data on the facility’s building envelope and its energy-using systems, including recent billing histories for electric, gas, water, and other utilities. We also speak with your personnel about facility operations and maintenance practices.

D.L. Steiner uses the walkthrough information we collect to analyze your energy use and patterns. We then compare this to nationally recognized energy

performance indexes to build a benchmark energy usage profile for your facility. This profile indicates where your energy efficiency is compared to facilities of a similar size and function: above average, average, or below average.

From this, we develop a list of basic energy conservation opportunities (ECOs) that you can take advantage of—along with estimates of their potential energy savings, implementation costs, and projected ROI.

With D.L. Steiner’s Level 1 Audit, you get solid energy management information that will help you prioritize your company’s ECOs and determine if a more in-depth (Level 2 or 3) energy audit would be useful.

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D.L. Steiner’s Level 2 Energy Audit (our “standard” audit) provides quantified analysis of your company’s energy-using systems, giving you a roadmap to follow for reaching your energy efficiency goals.

Our Level 2 Audit begins with in-depth data collection at your facility. During this phase, we gather a wide range of information needed to accurately baseline your current energy use and efficiency, including utility billing histories, equipment specifications, and device maintenance records. We also conduct measurement and verification (M&V) at selected facility locations and interview your key personnel to understand facility operations and maintenance practices.

Next, we run the data we’ve collected through a battery of industry-recognized energy assessment calculations and use these results to—

• Quantify your facility’s baseline energy efficiency (its usage and losses).

• Identify the energy conservation measures (ECMs)—the retrofits, updates, and additions—that best support your energy reduction targets.

Finally, we calculate the cost and savings of all proposed ECMs to determine their capital investment requirements and the ROI you can reasonably expect.

D.L. Steiner’s Level 2 Energy Audit offers you accurate, numbers-based analysis that will enable you to determine with assurance which ECMs to implement and the proper timetable for their implementation. That way, you can pursue your best project financing options at the same time you pursue energy efficiency.

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D.L. Steiner's Level 3 Energy Audit (our "investment-grade audit") delivers comprehensive analysis of your company’s total energy use. Its scope and depth guarantee that, before you implement them, your energy conservation measures (ECMs) will deliver the cost savings and ROI they promise.

To begin the Level 3 Audit, we conduct an in-depth review of your energy-using systems and the facility that houses them. We examine your facility’s footprint and envelope, the climate in which it operates, and its “usage pattern” (hours of operation; types of activities). We also conduct (a) measurement and verification (M&V) on all energy-using systems and (b) interviews with your key personnel to understand facility operations and maintenance practices.

This information is then fed into our energy analysis software to create a computer-simulated baseline model of your facility that mirrors its actual conditions, operating characteristics, and energy use. We calibrate this model with data from various sources (engineering

studies, maintenance and testing programs, etc.) andyour facility’s “people factor” (the profiles of those who use the facility). The result is an accurate digital representation of your facility that we can use for analysis and comparison.

Next, D.L. Steiner uses this model to identify all short- and long-term ECMs appropriate for your company. Finally, we evaluate these against five critical criteria to produce a master list of ECMs, each of which is quantified in terms of the energy and cost savings it will deliver.

D.L. Steiner’s Level 3 Audit provides reliable up-front analysis of your facility’s ECM costs and paybacks. This gives management and lending institutions the assurance they need for confident decision-making when considering which energy efficiency projects they will choose to fund.

Download our Energy Management Services brochure