BluePrint: Energy Auditing Tool
Carbon Descent's BluePrint software has been designed to automate and streamline the energy audit process with significant savings on the assessor's time on data collection, analysis and reporting, against a conventional paper based auditing approach.
The web version of BluePrint is now ready!
https://blueprint.carbondescent.org.uk/
Who is it for?
The BluePrint software is relevant for organisations undertaking energy surveys and audits in non-domestic buildings.This includes low carbon assessors, Carbon Trust consultants, facilities managers and energy auditors.
What does it do?
Conventional energy audits are repetitive and time consuming. They consist of:
- A walk round survey to collect building data on paper
- Data entry and analysis in a spreadsheet
- Typing up a advisory report in a word processing package
Using the software on a handheld tablet PC will assist auditors when collecting on-site data about building fabric, energy usage and services. The software can be configured to manage different types of assessment, from the simpler mini-audit where quick wins are identified, to complete surveys analysing the buildings equipment and services.
Using BluePrint, the paper recording stage is eliminated and the assessor can analyse the survey data by using inbuilt calculation models either on-site or back at the office. A reporting facility enables the auditor to make recommendations and tailor these results for the customer, resulting in a fully customised audit report.
BluePrint has been tested on Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge.
Also required is MS Word 2016 or 365 in order to generate the final report.
Key points of BluePrint
- Register organisations/sites for survey and projects encompassing a number of audits
- set up projects encompassing a number of audits
- Schedule surveys, defining the type of audit, the resources and data profiles to be included
- Set up the layout of the site, floor areas and annual hours in use
- Input pre-survey data prior to visiting the site
- Collect and record data on-site, including photographs, using a suitable tablet PC
- Enter any missing data once back in the office
- Determine the appropriate measures, enter parameters for these measures and calculate the energy savings, costs and additional outputs predetermined by the client
- Merge results from the analysis into preformatted reports
- Potentially review and report on savings across audits for one or all projects
What are the benefits?
Time saving - The software has been designed to automate and streamline the auditing process. This is achieved through a user interface designed for data entry on a tablet PC, automated processing of the data and standardised reporting. The paper recording stage is completely eliminated; data analysis and report generation is largely automatic with the assessor able to customise the process and the results.
Consistency - The tool brings a consistent methodology from audit to audit as well as across a team of energy auditors.
Improved accuracy - An automated paperless system not only saves time but should improve the accuracy and consistency of reporting. It produces accurate results through the use of an in-depth calculation method and up to date reference data.
Convenience - Paperless auditing takes the hassle out of managing maps and notepads. The data is collected ready for processing on the spot.
BluePrint features
BluePrint is user configurable - It has been designed so that other types of data can in principle be collected. This could extend beyond the current energy data to include water, waste and user comfort surveys or even health and safety data.
Up to date data entry - Data such as emissions factors and the costs of measures are regularly updated to ensure accurate results are produced.
BluePrint is versatile - A further aspect to its configurability is the ability to collect data at different levels of detail and still produce meaningful reporting. The calculation routines allow the software to produce customised recommendations even where limited data is available - effectively the equivalent of NHER data entry levels (0-3) but for non-domestic buildings.
Up to date reference data - Data such as emissions factors and the costs of measures are regularly updated to ensure accurate results are produced.
It includes benchmarking functionality - i.e. the ability to show current performance against typical benchmarks for buildings of a similar type.
BluePrint was developed as part of the Government funded Knowledge Transfer Partnership, Carbon Descent has worked with London South Bank University to develop BluePrint, software to carry out energy and environmental audits of non-domestic buildings.
To try it out go to: https://blueprint.carbondescent.org.uk/
For enquiries and expressions of interest please contact software@carbondescent.org.uk