ANSI/ASHRAE/ACCA Standard 211-2018

Standard for
Commercial Building
Energy Audits

Approved by ASHRAE on April 30, 2018; by the Air Conditioning Contractors of America on April 5, 2018; and by the
American National Standards Institute on May 1, 2018.

ASHRAE® Standards are scheduled to be updated on a five-year cycle; the date following the Standard number is the year
of ASHRAE approval. The latest edition of an ASHRAE Standard may be purchased on the ASHRAE website
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© 2018 ASHRAE and ACCA® ISSN 1041-2336

 ASHRAE Standard Project Committee 211
Cognizant TC: 7.06, Building Energy Performance
SPLS Liaison: Walter T. Grondzik
Jim M. Kelsey*, Chair Ellis G. Guiles, Jr.* Paul Mathew*
Barry C. Abramson* Stan Harbuck* Ronald O Nelson*
Chris A. Balbach* Adam W. Hinge* Benjamin T. O’Donnell*
Michael F. Bobker* Glenn C. Hourahan* Thomas L. Paxson*
David Eldridge, Jr.* Bruce D. Hunn* Xiaohui Zhou*
Supriya Goal* Dennis R. Landsberg*
Fredric S. Goldner* John Lee*

* Denotes members of voting status when the document was approved for publication

ASHRAE STANDARDS COMMITTEE 2017–2018

Steven J. Emmerich, Chair Roger L. Hedrick David Robin

Donald M. Brundage, Vice-Chair Rick M. Heiden Peter Simmonds
Niels Bidstrup Jonathan Humble Dennis A. Stanke
Michael D. Corbat Srinivas Katipamula Wayne H. Stoppelmoor, Jr.
Drury B. Crawley Kwang Woo Kim Richard T. Swierczyna
Julie M. Ferguson Larry Kouma Jack H. Zarour
Michael W. Gallagher Arsen K. Melikov Lawrence C. Markel, BOD ExO
Walter T. Grondzik R. Lee Millies, Jr. M. Ginger Scoggins, CO
Vinod P. Gupta Karl L. Peterman
Susanna S. Hanson Erick A. Phelps

Steven C. Ferguson, Senior Manager of Standards

SPECIAL NOTE
This American National Standard (ANS) is a national voluntary consensus Standard developed under the auspices of ASHRAE. Consensus is defined
by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), of which ASHRAE is a member and which has approved this Standard as an ANS, as
“substantial agreement reached by directly and materially affected interest categories. This signifies the concurrence of more than a simple majority,
but not necessarily unanimity. Consensus requires that all views and objections be considered, and that an effort be made toward their resolution.”
Compliance with this Standard is voluntary until and unless a legal jurisdiction makes compliance mandatory through legislation.
ASHRAE obtains consensus through participation of its national and international members, associated societies, and public review.
ASHRAE Standards are prepared by a Project Committee appointed specifically for the purpose of writing the Standard. The Project
Committee Chair and Vice-Chair must be members of ASHRAE; while other committee members may or may not be ASHRAE members, all
must be technically qualified in the subject area of the Standard. Every effort is made to balance the concerned interests on all Project Committees.
The Senior Manager of Standards of ASHRAE should be contacted for
a. interpretation of the contents of this Standard,
b. participation in the next review of the Standard,
c. offering constructive criticism for improving the Standard, or
d. permission to reprint portions of the Standard.

DISCLAIMER
ASHRAE uses its best efforts to promulgate Standards and Guidelines for the benefit of the public in light of available information and accepted
industry practices. However, ASHRAE does not guarantee, certify, or assure the safety or performance of any products, components, or systems
tested, installed, or operated in accordance with ASHRAE’s Standards or Guidelines or that any tests conducted under its Standards or Guidelines
will be nonhazardous or free from risk.

ASHRAE INDUSTRIAL ADVERTISING POLICY ON STANDARDS

ASHRAE Standards and Guidelines are established to assist industry and the public by offering a uniform method of testing for rating purposes, by
suggesting safe practices in designing and installing equipment, by providing proper definitions of this equipment, and by providing other information
that may serve to guide the industry. The creation of ASHRAE Standards and Guidelines is determined by the need for them, and conformance
to them is completely voluntary.
In referring to this Standard or Guideline and in marking of equipment and in advertising, no claim shall be made, either stated or implied,
that the product has been approved by ASHRAE.
 CONTENTS
ANSI/ASHRAE/ACCA Standard 211-2018
Standard for Commercial Building Energy Audits
SECTION PAGE
Foreword .....................................................................................................................................................................2
1 Purpose.............................................................................................................................................................3
2 Scope ................................................................................................................................................................3
3 Definitions .........................................................................................................................................................3
4 Compliance Requirements................................................................................................................................4
5 Procedures........................................................................................................................................................4
6 Reporting.........................................................................................................................................................13
7 References......................................................................................................................................................19
Normative Annex A: Compliance Form .................................................................................................................20
Normative Annex B: Energy Savings Calculations................................................................................................21
Normative Annex C: Reporting Forms (http://www.ashrae.org/211-2018) .........................................................22
Informative Annex D: Report Outlines...................................................................................................................23
Informative Annex E: Recommended Data Exchange Formats............................................................................25
Informative Annex F: Building Energy Model Calibration ......................................................................................26
Informative Annex G: Risk Analysis and Assessment Methods............................................................................27
Informative Annex H: Informative References.......................................................................................................28

NOTE

Approved addenda, errata, or interpretations for this standard can be downloaded free of charge from the ASHRAE
website at www.ashrae.org/technology.

© 2018 ASHRAE and ACCA

1791 Tullie Circle NE · Atlanta, GA 30329 · www.ashrae.org · All rights reserved.
ASHRAE is a registered trademark of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, Inc.
ACCA is a registered trademark of the Air Conditioning Contractors of America
ANSI is a registered trademark of the American National Standards Institute.
(This foreword is not part of this standard. It is merely Beyond the three audit levels defined in this standard, sim-
informative and does not contain requirements necessary ple benchmarking of energy performance is sometimes referred
for conformance to the standard. It has not been pro- to as a “Level 0” audit. In recent years, other preliminary
cessed according to the ANSI requirements for a standard analyses such as “virtual” or “remote” energy audits, have
and may contain material that has not been subject to become common. These have a role to play in initial screen-
public review or a consensus process. Unresolved objec- ings, but they should not be considered a replacement for an
tors on informative material are not offered the right to onsite energy audit by an experienced, qualified energy auditor.
appeal at ASHRAE or ANSI.)
The two primary intended uses of this standard are
FOREWORD
a. for building owners, as a means of specifying a defined
The commercial energy audit industry is largely unregulated, scope for an energy audit of their facilities and for ensur-
and products that are labeled “energy audits” vary greatly in ing a common scope and level of rigor under contract or
scope, rigor, and quality. This standard is intended to bring through a competitive bid, and
some order to the chaos by establishing minimum perfor-
mance levels for energy audits. ASHRAE’s Procedures for b. for government agencies who require energy audits within
Commercial Building Energy Audits, Second Edition (aka, their jurisdiction.
The Green Book, or PCBEA) helped define terms, and Audit
Levels 1, 2, and 3 are now commonly used in the U.S. and This standard attempts to serve the needs of each of these
abroad as a shorthand for audit scoping. However, this prior use cases at a minimum, though a broader application in the
work was not written in code enforceable language, and industry is expected. The standard is also intended as a mini-
PCBEA leaves much room for interpretation. mum performance standard and not as a guideline for best
Standard 211 is intended to bring additional definition to practice. In many cases, best practice may go beyond the min-
the level descriptions within PCBEA. With an increasing imums required herein.
number of mandatory energy audits required by cities around The standard makes reference to “the Authority Having
the U.S., and a critical need to reduce the energy footprint of Jurisdiction (AHJ)” as the entity requiring compliance with
our building stock, there is a need to more closely ensure that the standard. It is intended that this term refer to either the
audits are held to the appropriate level of rigor and depth. government jurisdiction or the building owner, as applicable.
Greater consistency in approach also promises lower costs if The AHJ is expected to use the standard to suit their own
energy auditors can establish consistent reporting rather than objectives and to modify the scope, procedures, and reporting
use custom approaches that are often required by different as appropriate for their own goals and priorities.
contracting entities. The hope of the committee is that stan-
dardization may lead to greater efficiency and overall impact. The standard includes normative (required) reporting
With the publication of this standard, there is overlap forms in Annex C. These forms are a compromise, in a sense,
between the energy audit level definitions herein and the prior as many people and organizations have very different view-
definitions that are part of the PCBEA. Standard 211 is points as to what should be reported in an energy audit. The
intended to provide the new working definition of Energy AHJ may choose to implement the standard using these forms,
Audit Levels 1, 2, and 3, and the PCBEA will be revised to by modifying them or by explicitly opting out of their use, as
address best practices. Revision of that publication has they see fit. The forms are included in the standard for three
already begun. principal reasons:
Standard 211 adjusts the scope of the Preliminary
Energy Use Analysis methods and Audit Levels 1, 2, and 3. • They provide a minimum standardized reporting path to
Although both the PCBEA and Standard 211 refer to utility follow for local jurisdictions who do not have the
bill analysis as “Preliminary Energy Use Analysis” (PEA), resources to develop their own.
Standard 211 considers PEA and benchmarking activity to be • They are designed to facilitate the use of electronic data
part of a Level 1 audit. As before, the Level 1 audit is less transfer.
intensive than Level 2; therefore, the energy savings and costs
of potential energy efficiency measures (EEMs) identified are • They require important quality control checks on energy
intended to be qualitative in nature. savings estimates.
Before the development of this standard, even with the
guidance provided in the PCBEA, energy audit levels did not This standard is the product of countless volunteer hours
have sharp boundaries. They existed, instead, as general cat- spent developing and refining it, and of numerous comments
egories for identifying the type of information that can be and suggestions during public review intended to improve its
expected and as an indication of the level of confidence in the quality, consistency, and usability. These efforts represent a
results; that is, various measures may be subjected to differ- significant contribution toward reducing the energy consump-
ent levels of analysis during energy analysis of a particular tion of our building stock. The committee is deeply grateful to
building. Standard 211 provides more clarity to the differ- everyone who offered their time and enthusiasm in service of
ences between Level 1, 2, and 3 audits. this important mission.

2 ANSI/ASHRAE/ACCA Standard 211-2018

1. PURPOSE energy auditor: see qualified energy auditor.
The purpose of this standard is to establish consistent prac- energy cost: the total cost for energy supplied to a building or
tices for conducting and reporting energy audits for commer- building site, including such charges as base, demand, cus-
cial buildings. tomer, power factor, and miscellaneous, such as sales taxes.
This standard Energy Cost Index (ECI): the total annual energy cost for the
a. defines the procedures required to perform Energy Audit building divided by the gross floor area.
Levels 1, 2, and 3; energy efficiency measure (EEM): an action taken in the
b. provides a common scope of work for these audit levels operation or equipment in a building that reduces energy use
for use by building owners and others; of the building while maintaining or enhancing the building’s
c. establishes consistent methodology and minimum rigor of safety, comfort, and functionality; also referred to as “energy
analysis required; and conservation measure” (ECM).
d. establishes minimum reporting requirements for the
energy use intensity (EUI): total annual building energy use
results of energy audits.
divided by the gross floor area. The EUI may be expressed as
2. SCOPE a site energy EUI or a building energy EUI.

2.1 This standard applies to all buildings except single-family gross floor area: the sum of the floor areas of all the spaces
houses, multifamily structures of three stories or fewer above within the building with no deductions for floor penetrations
grade, manufactured houses (mobile homes), and manufac- other than atria. It is measured from the exterior faces of exte-
tured houses (modular). rior walls or from the centerline of walls separating buildings
but it excludes covered walkways, open roofed-over areas,
3. DEFINITIONS porches and similar spaces, pipe trenches, exterior terraces or
steps, roof overhangs, parking garages, surface parking, and
3.1 General. Certain terms, abbreviations, and acronyms are
similar features.
defined in this section for the purposes of this standard. These
definitions are applicable to all sections of this standard. interactive effect: the change in resultant energy savings esti-
Terms that are not defined herein, but that are defined in stan- mates or actual energy savings due to analyzing or imple-
dards that are referenced herein, shall have the meanings as menting multiple EEMs that impact one another.
defined in those standards. Other terms that are not defined life-cycle cost analysis: a general approach to economic eval-
shall have their ordinarily accepted meanings within the con- uation that encompasses several related economic evaluation
text in which they are used. Ordinarily accepted meanings measures, including life-cycle cost (LCC), net benefits (NB)
shall be based on American Standard English language use, or net savings (NS), savings-to-investment ratio (SIR), net
as documented in an unabridged dictionary accepted by the present value (NPV), and adjusted internal rate of return
authority having jurisdiction (AHJ). (AIRR), all of which take into account all dollar costs related
authority having jurisdiction (AHJ): the agency or agent to owning, operating, maintaining, and disposing of a project
responsible for enforcing this standard. over the appropriate study period.
base case: an operating scenario prior to consideration of model: mathematical representation or calculation procedure
energy efficiency measures (EEMs); used as a reference for used to estimate the energy used in a building or facility.
evaluation of subject EEMs. Models may be based on equations that specifically represent
the physical processes.
building energy: energy consumed by a building as measured
at the boundaries of the building Ebld. practical measure: an EEM that is determined to be techni-
cally feasible.
building energy model: model based on first-principles engi-
neering methods that provides information on the energy- owner’s criteria: a set of criteria determined through commu-
using systems in a building (heating, ventilation, and air condi- nication between the owner or owner’s representative and the
tioning; lighting; occupancy; plug loads; building envelope). qualified energy auditor by which recommendations and find-
The model, along with weather data, serves as the input data ings are evaluated.
for a specific computer building energy simulation program. qualified energy auditor: an energy solutions professional
When run, the computer simulation program will estimate the who assesses building systems and site conditions; analyzes
energy use and demand in the described building for a time and evaluates equipment and energy use; and recommends
interval specified in the building energy model. Depending on strategies to optimize building resource use. Experience must
the kind of simulation program and how it is set up to run, var- include completion of five commercial (nonresidential) build-
ious kinds of output may be produced. ing energy audits within the past three years or a cumulative
combined heat and power (CHP): simultaneous production completion of ten or more commercial building energy audits.
of thermal and electric power; also referred to as “cogenera- The auditor must be one of the following:
tion.” a. A person who holds a certification from a credentialing
distributed energy resource (DER): the onsite production of program approved by the U.S. Department of Energy Bet-
electric power by any of a variety of technologies; may also ter Buildings Workforce Guidelines for Building Energy
include energy storage technologies. Auditors or Energy Managers

ANSI/ASHRAE/ACCA Standard 211-2018 3

b. A licensed professional engineer or a licensed contractor ESP energy service provider
specifically approved by the AHJ to conduct energy audits EUI energy use intensity
c. A person approved as qualified by the authority having
jurisdiction (AHJ) HRV heat recovery ventilation

Informative Note: For a current listing of certifications HVAC heating, ventilation, and air conditioning
that meet the requirements of the DOE’s Better Building Work- IAQ indoor air quality
force Guidelines, see the website referenced in Informative IEQ indoor environmental quality
Annex H. Only credentialing programs that specifically certify
building energy auditors or energy managers are applicable. IRR internal rate of return

recommended measure: a practical measure that has been kBtu 1000 Btu
vetted for interactive effects with other practical measures and LCCA life-cycle cost analysis
determined by the qualified energy auditor to provide net ben- MBTU 1,000,000 Btu
efit to the building ownership. LCCA may be used as the
O&M operations and maintenance
methodology to filter practical measures to recommended
measures. PEA Preliminary Energy Use Analysis
renewable energy resource: a nonfossil-fuel energy source RER renewable energy resource
such as solar, wind, or geothermal energy. For purposes of ROI return on investment
this standard, consideration is to onsite opportunities for use
SHW/DHW service hot water or domestic hot water,
of such sources.
depending on building type or end use
simple payback: estimated initial EEM cost divided by the
VAV variable air volume
EEM first-year calculated cost savings. Both savings and
costs are in dollars ($) or other consistent monetary units, and VRF variable refrigerant flow
the simple payback is expressed in years.
4. COMPLIANCE REQUIREMENTS
simple return on investment (simple ROI): the EEM first-
year calculated cost savings divided by estimated initial EEM 4.1 Compliance
cost. Both savings and costs are in dollars ($) or other consis- 4.1.1 Compliance with the standard shall be certified by a
tent monetary units. qualified energy auditor using the compliance form in Nor-
mative Annex A. By signing and certifying the compliance
site energy: energy consumed by a building as measured at
form, the qualified energy auditor attests that the energy audit
the boundaries of the building site Esite. Site energy use is the
conforms to the methods and procedures of this standard and
sum of annual electric use in kWh (converted to kBtu or MJ)
that the work was reviewed or completed, as required, by a
and all other annual energy use (in kBtu or MJ). It includes
qualified energy auditor.
fuel used for any onsite generation but not the output of that
generation. Site energy use is net of onsite generation such as 5. PROCEDURES
solar or wind.
Informative Note: More details about site energy and other 5.1 Scope of Systems
energy consumption boundaries are included in ASHRAE 5.1.1 The scope of the energy audit shall include the fol-
Standard 105 and in Figure 1. lowing systems, as applicable to the building:
3.2 Abbreviations and Acronyms a. Envelope (including infiltration, exfiltration, and stack
AEE Association of Energy Engineers effect pathways)
b. Lighting (interior and exterior)
AHJ authority having jurisdiction c. HVAC (cooling, heating, air distribution, ventilation and
BAS building automation system exhaust systems [including those to meet loads due to
CBECS Commercial Building Energy Consumption laundry and mail chutes])
Survey d. Building automation systems (BASs)
e. Heating, chilled, condenser, and domestic water systems
CHP combined heat and power and associated pumps
DDC direct digital control f. Steam systems
DER distributed energy resource g. Refrigeration (except for food processing refrigeration)
h. Onsite power generation equipment, including renewable
DOAS dedicated outdoor air system energy systems
ECI energy cost index i. Uninterruptible power supplies, power distribution units,
EEM energy efficiency measure and critical power systems
j. Data centers and information technology infrastructure
EIA Energy Information Administration k. Conveyance systems (escalators, elevators, baggage han-
ERV energy recovery ventilation dling, moving sidewalks, and similar)

4 ANSI/ASHRAE/ACCA Standard 211-2018

Figure 1 Relationship of site energy (Esite) and building energy (Ebld).

l. Plug loads (including office equipment, personal comput- consumption data spanning a minimum of 12 consecutive
ers, appliances) months and up to three consecutive years, as available. For
m. Laundries buildings with multiple tenants, the sampling procedure
n. Food preparation described in Section 5.3.1.2 shall be applied.
o. Pools, saunas, and spas Informative Note: Summary information about bench-
The following end uses are not included in this standard: marking energy use, based on 2003 CBECS data, is presented
in the 2015 ASHRAE Handbook—HVAC Applications, Chap-
a. Industrial processes ter 36, “Energy Use and Management.” More recent 2012
b. Agricultural processes CBECS data are published by the DOE Energy Information
c. Irrigation Administration. Additional data are available from ENERGY
5.2 General Procedures STAR Portfolio Manager, which compares measured energy
data to that of a peer building (by building type and weather).
5.2.1 Introduction. This standard defines three levels of
Data specific to multifamily housing are available from 2009
energy audits: Levels 1, 2, and 3. Each successive level builds
RECS statistics or from EPMI.
on the preceding levels, such that a Level 2 Audit includes all
items that had already been required through a Level 1 audit 5.2.3.1 Calculate the Energy Use Intensity. Calculate
and analysis. A Preliminary Energy Use Analysis (PEA) is the total annual building energy use, either including or
included in the Level 1 audit. excluding onsite renewable energy, and divide by the gross
5.2.2 Role of the Qualified Energy Auditor. The follow- floor area to obtain the energy use intensity (EUI). If the
ing activities must be completed by the qualified energy audi- onsite renewable energy is included, the numerator is building
tor to achieve compliance: energy Ebld. If onsite renewable energy is excluded, the
numerator is site energy Esite. The choice of site or building
a. Conduct a site visit for Levels 1, 2, and 3. energy must be documented as part of the audit report. Site
b. Identify and qualify EEMs for Levels 1, 2, and 3. and building energy are defined in Figure 1, as documented in
c. Conduct quality assurance for Levels 1, 2, and 3. ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 105 1, Standard Methods of Deter-
d. Conduct risk assessment for Level 3. mining, Expressing, and Comparing Building Energy Perfor-
e. Present results to building owner for Levels 1, 2, and 3. mance Greenhouse Gas Emissions.
f. Sign the compliance form.
Informative Note: Building energy use includes imported
The qualified energy auditor shall conduct or supervise energy such as electricity, natural gas, chilled water, steam,
the completion of all other required tasks as described in this district hot water, propane, coal, compressed air, or any other
standard. source of supplied energy. These energy sources are included
5.2.3 Preliminary Energy Use Analysis (Benchmark- without regard for whether the energy is paid for by the build-
ing). Benchmark the building’s normalized energy consump- ing owner, tenant, operator, or other entity. Where estimates
tion relative to that of similar (peer) buildings using energy are made of energy data, the auditor shall state the reason why

ANSI/ASHRAE/ACCA Standard 211-2018 5