Evaluating the Payback of an Energy Audit

This morning, a Canadian visitor to my blog sought the "payback on an energy audit." Interesting question. In fact, the payback on an energy audit itself is always zero. Zip.

Payback measures apply to the actual improvement measures that the audit recommends. Just because you have the energy audit report on your desk, doesn't mean you have saved anything. All energy audit recommendations remain unfulfilled until they are actually implemented. In other words, an energy audit provides only the road map of how to "get you there." It does not do the "driving." You can measure payback only on the measures you implement.