The Ferreira Group, Energy Consulting

Energy Audits

The Ferreira Group offers three types of energy audits:

Level 1 - Preliminary Audit
Preliminary audits are often referred to as “walk-through” audits, because they involve simply walking through a facility, briefly interviewing facility personnel and quickly reviewing the facility's utility bills. The preliminary audit will usually uncover only major energy use problems, because of its brevity, and is not usually considered sufficient for reaching energy management conclusions and usually includes photographs of systems and equipment. These audits often identify no-cost/low cost operational practices that can substantially reduce energy usage. Preliminary audits allow prioritization of problem areas and determination as to whether or not a more detailed audit is necessary.

Level 2 - Scoping Assessment
A scoping assessment sometimes expands upon the preliminary audit in terms of thoroughness. More detailed information regarding facility operation is collected and utility bills will be gathered in order to evaluate a facility’s usage profile. In addition to analysis of utility bills, additional metering may be implemented on known high-usage equipment to help track down energy waste patterns. Detailed interviews of facility personnel are performed to gain a better idea of variations in energy use within a facility, as well as, to better understand the equipment within the facility. Scoping assessments will identify all appropriate energy conservation measures for a facility and a financial analysis will be performed based on implementation costs, operating costs and attainable savings. Scoping assessments are sufficient for drawing energy management conclusions.

Level 3 - Investment-Grade
The investment-grade audit expands upon the scoping assessment by providing more detailed financial information regarding energy use and operation of the equipment in the facility. Often times, investors will require more rigorous financial projections than scoping assessment provides. An investment-grade audit provides realistic savings reports with regard to baseline operating costs and potential savings and avoided costs. These reports will stress the expected return on investment and projected savings will be presented in such a way that provides intensive detail and instills confidence in the investor.

Here are examples of items addressed during the audit process where applicable:

• Air Conditioning
      - Chillers
      - AHUs
      - CW / ChW Pumping
      - Cooling Towers
      - Package / DX / Split Units

• Boiler and Steam System
      - Distribution
      - Generation

• Building Automation Systems
      - Pneumatic
      - Electric / Electronic
      - Direct Digital Controls

• Building Envelope

• Compressed Air
      - Usage
      - Distribution
      - Control

• Desalination
      - Reverse Osmosis
      - Distillation

• Effluent Treatment
      - Waste Water Treatment

• Electricity Distribution

• Fuel Shift and Cogeneration
      - Microturbines
      - Reciprocating Engines
      - Turbines
      - Fuel Cells

• Lighting
      - Outdoor
      - Indoor

• Maintenance Management Systems

• Maximum Demand Management

• Motors

• Pumping Systems
      - System Improvement
      - Pump Improvement

• Renewable Energy
      - Photovoltaic
      - Solar Thermal
      - Wind
      - Geothermal

• Transportation

• Utility Bill and Tariff Analysis

• Water Consumption

• Water Heating

• Workflow Management Systems

Energy Star Rating

ENERGY STAR®
Energy Star is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy helping people and businesses save money and protect the environment through energy efficient products and practices.

Energy Star Buildings Label
The Energy Star Buildings Label (www.energystar.gov) is awarded to buildings that, as benchmarked against their peer facilities, achieve an energy efficiency score of 75 or greater on a scale of 1 to 100. Buildings that do not meet the requirements for a label should use Energy Star as a tool to continually benchmark their facility and put a plan in place to raise their score until the threshold is met.

The Ferreira Group will benchmark a building using the EPA’s Portfolio Manager© online tool to obtain a score for its Energy Star score.

In order to perform the Energy Star rating analysis the following will be required:

• The most recent 18 - 24 months of utility bills for electricity, natural gas, water/sewer
• Accurate gross square footages of the building
• Space types and names
• Occupancy schedules
• Equipment schedules

Should the score meet or exceed the threshold, a licensed professional engineer can be assigned to qualify the building for the label. This process is clearly defined in a document entitled: 2009 Professional Engineer's Guide to the ENERGY STAR® Label for Commercial Buildings and can be obtained by clicking on the following link: www.energystar.gov/ia/business/evaluate_performance/pm_pe_guide.pdf

Commodity Risk Management

With the rise and volatility in today's energy rates, your business can't afford to simply accept the variable rates charged by the local utilities serving your business locations. With deregulation, commercial businesses can purchase energy from third party energy providers, often at a significant discount to the local utility rates. And just as important, today's deregulated markets have created a new suite of risk management tools that allow buyers to hedge their exposure to volatile prices.

The Ferreira Group will help your business reduce its energy risk and advance your long-term strategy. Through our strategic relationships, we provide the following tools:

• Contract savings reports
• Contract summary reports
• Risk analysis reports
• Market driver updates
• Access to online contract database (on request)

Energy Rebate / Incentive Consulting
The Ferreira Group will help you reduce costs by investigating and expediting monies available from the state, utilities and the federal government programs for renewable projects and system and equipment upgrades and replacements that reduce energy, e.g. lighting, HVAC, controls, etc. Our staff will initiate the pre-approval process and determine your eligibility for the incentive programs and help navigate through the process.

HVAC&R Systems Performance Efficiency Evaluation
Heating, Ventilation and Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration (HVAC&R) systems and equipment consume significant amounts of energy in buildings and in process industries. The energy consumed in HVAC&R systems fluctuates dependent upon myriad conditions, not the least of which being changes in the load of the facility, ambient conditions and operational and maintenance practices.

The Ferreira Group will assess the performance of HVAC&R systems and equipment by applying a combination of field measurements techniques and solid engineering practices. The purpose for this exercise is to determine for the customer how efficient or inefficient their systems and components may be in order to develop a plan to enhance operational effectiveness and reduce energy consumption.

Building Information Modeling (BIM)
Building Information Modeling (BIM) is the process of generating and managing building data during its life cycle. Typically it uses three-dimensional, real-time, dynamic building modeling software to increase productivity in building design and construction. The process produces the Building Information Model (also abbreviated BIM), which encompasses building geometry, spatial relationships, geographic information and quantities and properties of building components.

The Ferreira Group will provide the capabilities to perform Building Information Models as part of the enhancement of a facility’s performance or as an independent service to end users.