Energy Solutions & Commercial Energy Audits
Bowtie Engineering’s Energy Solutions help facilities cut energy costs through an engineering-led energy audit and a prioritized action plan. Our credentialed engineers analyze how your facility uses and pays for energy, identify energy management opportunities, and quantify the simple payback on each one — so you can make capital decisions with data, not guesswork. Used on its own or alongside our maintenance and safety programs, it targets one outcome: lower operating cost without compromising reliability or your facility’s mission.
What does an energy audit deliver?
- Energy analysis. Our engineers assess how your facility uses energy, what you pay for it, your operating practices on energy-consuming equipment, and your electric utility tariffs. We evaluate energy management opportunities (EMOs) — from replacing inefficient lighting to power factor correction on large induction motor loads — and the feasibility of renewable sources like solar.
- Energy action plan. We deliver a prioritized plan that quantifies simple payback and return on investment for each opportunity, sets up the data and metering to track savings over time, and gives your CFO clear visual tools to support capital decisions.
- Continuous improvement. With permanent metering in place, we help you trend performance and keep finding savings — a standardized, transparent process you can repeat across sites.
You get a documented picture of where your facility wastes energy, a simple-payback and ROI figure for each recommended fix, standardized tools and full transparency into the data, and a repeatable path for continuous improvement. Bowtie’s energy work is led by a licensed Professional Engineer and Certified Energy Manager (C.E.M.) with sub-metering and utility-tariff expertise — so recommendations are engineered and costed, not generic.
What Does a Commercial Energy Audit Evaluate?
An effective commercial energy audit looks beyond the monthly utility total. Bowtie reviews how a facility uses electricity, how utility charges are calculated, and which operating practices may create avoidable expense. The goal is to identify practical energy management opportunities and quantify their financial value.
Depending on the facility and agreed assessment scope, the review may consider electrical demand and load patterns, utility tariffs, lighting efficiency, large motor loads, power factor, equipment operating schedules, and available sub-metering data. Potential improvements can range from operational changes to equipment upgrades. Renewable options, including solar, can also be assessed for feasibility rather than assumed to be cost-effective.
The result is an engineering-informed basis for deciding which opportunities deserve closer attention and capital investment.
Common Energy Problems We Identify
High energy bills do not always mean a facility needs an expensive equipment replacement. Costs can also be driven by equipment running longer than necessary, inefficient lighting, poorly understood demand charges, unfavorable operating patterns, or a lack of reliable measurements.
For example, large induction motor loads may warrant a review of power factor, while utility-bill and tariff analysis can reveal how the timing and magnitude of electrical demand affect cost. Without metering and a documented baseline, teams may struggle to tell whether an improvement is delivering the savings they expected.
Bowtie’s approach is to examine the evidence, identify energy management opportunities, and compare potential savings against the cost and practicality of each change. Recommendations should support facility reliability and operating requirements, not compromise them.
Our Commercial Energy Audit Process
1. Understand the facility and its goals. The assessment begins with the facility’s operating priorities, energy concerns, and available information about utility costs and equipment use.
2. Review energy and operating data. Engineers examine relevant utility tariffs, consumption information, operating practices, and available metering data to understand where costs originate.
3. Evaluate opportunities. Potential improvements are assessed for technical practicality and their expected impact on energy use and cost. The depth of any on-site review or additional measurements is established as part of the project scope.
4. Prioritize the action plan. Findings are translated into recommended next steps with estimated savings, investment considerations, simple payback, and return on investment where the available data supports those calculations.
5. Track progress. Where ongoing monitoring is included, metering and performance trends can help evaluate results and support continuous improvement.
Energy Engineering for Commercial and Industrial Facilities
Energy decisions look different from one facility to another. A commercial building may be focused on utility costs and equipment schedules, while an industrial operation may need to evaluate large electrical loads without disrupting production. Multi-site organizations also need a consistent way to compare opportunities and prioritize investment across locations.
Bowtie’s engineering-led analysis is designed to connect energy recommendations to the facility’s actual operating requirements. Rather than relying on a generic checklist, the assessment considers energy use, utility pricing, equipment practices, and the financial case for improvement.
Energy Solutions can be considered independently or alongside Bowtie’s electrical maintenance and testing services when a coordinated scope makes sense. Specific facility types, site access, and technical requirements are confirmed during project planning.
What Will You Receive From Your Energy Audit?
The central deliverable is a documented, prioritized energy action plan—not simply a list of possible upgrades. Bowtie’s existing Energy Solutions approach includes analysis of energy use and utility costs, identification of energy management opportunities, and financial evaluation of recommended improvements.
Depending on the agreed scope and available data, findings can include estimated energy and cost savings, implementation considerations, simple-payback and ROI calculations, and recommendations for metering or performance tracking. This gives facility leaders and financial decision-makers a clearer basis for comparing projects.
For organizations considering longer-term energy management, repeatable measurements and transparent data can help determine whether implemented changes are performing as intended and where additional savings may be available.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a commercial energy audit?
A commercial energy audit is an engineering assessment of how a facility uses and pays for energy, identifying specific opportunities to cut waste and quantifying the payback on each. Bowtie’s audits are led by a licensed PE and Certified Energy Manager.
How do energy solutions benefit my business?
They reduce operating costs and can extend equipment life. When equipment runs more efficiently, you spend less on energy and defer capital replacement — savings that go straight to the bottom line.
Can energy solutions be combined with maintenance or safety work?
Yes. Energy Solutions works as a standalone service or as part of Bowtie’s integrated systems approach alongside electrical maintenance and NETA testing, so one site visit can serve multiple goals.
Do you assess renewable energy options?
Yes. The energy analysis includes the feasibility of renewable sources such as solar, evaluated on the same simple-payback basis as every other recommendation.
What information should we prepare for an energy audit?
Recent utility bills, available interval or sub-metering data, equipment information, and operating schedules can help establish a useful baseline. Bowtie can confirm the specific records needed once the assessment scope is defined.
How much does a commercial energy audit cost?
The cost depends on the facility, available data, assessment scope, and whether site visits or additional measurements are required. Contact Bowtie to discuss the facility and request a project-specific scope.
How long does an energy audit take?
Timing depends on the size and complexity of the facility, data availability, and the work included in the agreed scope. Bowtie can discuss a realistic schedule during project planning.
Will an energy audit require an electrical shutdown?
Reviewing utility bills and existing operating data does not itself require a shutdown. Any field measurements, inspections, or equipment access requirements should be planned with the facility team; shutdown needs cannot be determined without a defined scope.
How are energy-saving recommendations prioritized?
Recommendations are evaluated using factors such as estimated savings, implementation cost, simple payback, ROI, and operational practicality. The resulting action plan helps decision-makers compare opportunities rather than treating every potential improvement as equally urgent.
In Short
Bowtie’s Energy Solutions are an engineering-led audit and action plan that identify where your facility wastes energy and quantify the savings from each recommended improvement. Our PE-led team serves facilities nationwide.