An Energy Audit is an assessment of a site’s energy consumption and provides recommendations of cost-effective strategies to reduce your energy use and costs.

There are three types of energy audit:

Type 1 is a basic energy audit. This audit will be based on a site visit and review of your power bills, and gives you some broad estimates of energy savings opportunities on the site.

Type 2 is a detailed energy audit. This audit will provide a more detailed assessment of your energy use and more specific recommendations to a medium level of accuracy.

Type 3 is a precision subsystem audit. This is a more specific audit designed to give more precise recommendations on a system like a pump and irrigation system or a cold room or on processing equipment.

There is an Australian Standard that defines what should be included in an audit and the skills and competencies of energy auditors. The AS3598:2014 standard and a good description of the audit types including a quick reference guide has been developed by the Energy Efficiency Council here. The screenshot below details the basic aspects of each audit type.

The most suitable audit for a given farm will vary depending on the energy spend for the site, the type of equipment and the level of detail required.

For example, a small farm with a number of separate irrigation pumps may consider a Type 1 audit for the whole farm plus some individual Type 3 audits for the pumps and irrigation system. A more complex farm with cold rooms, processing and packing sheds might consider a Type 2 audit to identify priority improvements or Type 3 assessments of specific systems.

An energy audit is worth considering before any major investments in energy equipment, including solar power.

Learn more about energy audits

Queensland Farmers’ Federation are currently working with farms on Type 1 Energy Audits through the EnergySQ Program. Learn more about the program and get involved here.

There are over 100 energy efficiency case studies from recent audit recipients that you can explore here.

For information on how to conduct an energy assessment yourself, click here.