BPI audits for commercial clients generally generate higher returns than BPI audits for residential clients. This disparity derives from a few factors. A commercial building’s energy costs account for the majority of operating costs. Imagine a 20-story hotel with hundreds of units, each unit containing several lights, televisions, bathrooms, and any electronics that the occupants bring with them to the hotel. All of this constitues a great deal of energy consumption. These high consumption rates mean that energy improvements can return significant cost savings. Because the commercial client can probably allot more of his budget toward cost-effective energy improvements, the commercial energy auditor is well-positioned to profit considerably from the transaction.
Energy economics are an important subtopic of the commercial energy auditor course, which is a 40-hour certification training that can be taken online. A commercial energy auditor who has a strong grasp on energy economics can easily connect efficiency improvements with cost savings, and this person can also help commercial clients find incentives at the state or federal level to help fund their energy and building improvement projects. The commercial energy auditor training course will provide participants with a technical knowledge of building systems and emerging energy-efficient technologies, and by the end of the commercial energy auditor training, all participants will be prepared to successfully take the certifying exam.
Commercial energy auditors tend to work with small business clients who are typically the most diligent about seeking ways to cut operating costs. For these small businesses, some of which occupy mid-sized commercial buildings, every dollar in energy savings adds up to an impactful return on the initial investment in the commercial energy audits and any suggested energy upgrades such as retrofits and comfort improvements. Commercial building energy systems are costly to operate, making the role of the commercial energy auditor pivotal to small business sustainability.
