Certified Energy Auditor Certification Certified Energy Auditor Certification 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which ASHRAE standard defines the three levels of energy audits (Preliminary, General Survey, and Detailed Analysis)?
- ASHRAE Standard 55
- ASHRAE Standard 90.1
- ASHRAE Standard 211 (Correct answer)
- ASHRAE Standard 62.1
Correct answer: ASHRAE Standard 211
ASHRAE Standard 211 (Standard for Commercial Building Energy Audits) establishes the scope, methodology, and reporting requirements for the three audit levels: Level 1 (Walk-Through), Level 2 (Energy Survey and Analysis), and Level 3 (Detailed Analysis).
Question 2: An energy auditor uses an infrared camera to scan a building's exterior walls on a cold winter night. Bright (warm) spots on the thermal image most likely indicate:
- Areas of high thermal mass retaining daytime heat
- Locations where insulation is missing or defective (Correct answer)
- Zones where vapor barriers are installed correctly
- Sections of wall with above-average exterior reflectivity
Correct answer: Locations where insulation is missing or defective
In heating season thermography of exterior surfaces, warm areas indicate heat escaping through the building envelope, which is characteristic of missing, compressed, or wet insulation that fails to resist heat flow.
Question 3: A duct leakage test (duct blaster) measures CFM25 at 25 Pascals of pressure. This value is typically expressed as a percentage of what reference quantity to assess duct system performance?
- Outdoor air design flow rate
- Total system airflow or conditioned floor area (Correct answer)
- Return-air grille free area
- Supply plenum static pressure
Correct answer: Total system airflow or conditioned floor area
CFM25 leakage is normalized to total system airflow (CFM_total) or conditioned floor area to yield a leakage percentage or CFM25 per 100 sq ft, allowing comparison across systems of different sizes.
Question 4: A chiller's efficiency is rated at 0.55 kW/ton. What does this metric directly indicate?
- The heat removed per kilowatt-hour of electricity consumed
- The electricity consumed per ton of cooling capacity produced (Correct answer)
- The ratio of cooling output to heat rejected at the condenser
- The seasonal average COP across varying load conditions
Correct answer: The electricity consumed per ton of cooling capacity produced
kW/ton is an efficiency metric for chillers expressing the electrical power input (kilowatts) required to produce one ton (12,000 BTU/hr) of cooling. Lower values indicate higher efficiency.
Question 5: During an energy audit, a thermal bridge in a building envelope is best described as:
- A duct connection that transfers heat between supply and return plenums
- A highly conductive pathway through the insulation layer that bypasses thermal resistance (Correct answer)
- A radiant barrier installed to reflect heat toward the conditioned space
- An air gap intentionally designed to slow heat conduction in a cavity wall
Correct answer: A highly conductive pathway through the insulation layer that bypasses thermal resistance
A thermal bridge is a material or assembly (such as a steel stud, concrete column, or window frame) with significantly higher conductivity than surrounding insulation, creating a low-resistance path for heat flow and reducing effective wall R-value.
Question 6: An energy auditor calculates a simple payback period of 4.2 years for a lighting retrofit. Which formula was most likely used?
- Annual energy savings (kWh) ÷ Installed cost ($)
- Installed cost ($) ÷ Annual cost savings ($/yr) (Correct answer)
- Lifetime energy savings ($) × Discount rate (%)
- Annual demand reduction (kW) ÷ Utility rate ($/kWh)
Correct answer: Installed cost ($) ÷ Annual cost savings ($/yr)
Simple payback period equals the total installed (capital) cost divided by the annual cost savings. It expresses how many years it takes for the savings to recover the initial investment, without accounting for the time value of money.
Certified Energy Auditor Certification Certified Energy Auditor Certification 1
Which ASHRAE standard defines the three levels of energy audits (Preliminary, General Survey, and Detailed Analysis)?