The statutory basis
Under the Energy Conservation Act framework administered by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency, notified designated consumers in energy-intensive sectors are required to have energy audits conducted by an Accredited Energy Auditor at prescribed intervals.
The audit is not a formality. It establishes plant energy accounting, specific energy consumption at section level and a documented set of energy conservation measures with investment and savings figures.
What a mandatory energy audit should contain
- Plant-wide energy accounting and energy balance
- Section-level and product-level specific energy consumption
- Measured performance assessment of major energy-consuming equipment
- Benchmarking against applicable standards and sector best practice
- Energy conservation measures with investment, annual saving and payback
- Recommendations for monitoring and continued performance improvement
Common gaps we find
- Energy accounting that does not close because sub-metering is incomplete
- SEC computed on inconsistent production or calorific value basis
- Equipment performance assumed from nameplate rather than measured
- Recommendations without an investment number, so they never get funded