The Green Energy Audit, a new procedure for the sustainable auditing of existing buildings integrated with the LEED Protocols

Energy audits of buildings are the most effective tool to promote energy retrofitting measures for existing buildings, which are major consumers of energy in cities. Energy audits have multiple goals, including reducing energy consumption, managing costs, and environmental impact. The methodology of Green Energy Audit proposed defines an approach that is somewhat different from the traditional one. The added value lies in the word "green", a word that refers to and summarises a common concept: sustainability. The proposed method is not intended to be a new energy auditing procedure, but rather a new and more modern interpretation of the classic methodology. The sustainability achieved by applying a retrofit measure is assessed with reference to the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Protocol. The Green Energy Audit integrates two strategic elements, energy and environment, by mixing the energy audit and LEED methodologies. This synergy strengthens the role of the classic energy audit by providing a method that not only optimise the energy performance of existing buildings but also achieve a green retrofit of buildings, making buildings, and so future cities, more sustainable. A case study of the application of this method is discussed in this paper. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.