A Simple Energy Audit Checklist for Small Businesses
A basic energy audit doesn't require hiring a consultant or buying equipment — a focused walkthrough of your own space, checking the items below, routinely finds real, fixable waste. Set aside an hour or two, walk the space at both a busy time and after hours, and work through this list.
Before you start: pull two things
A recent utility bill and, if you can get it, a few months of usage history — most utility online portals show this, or Certo's report includes it automatically. Knowing whether a bill's usage or its rate is the bigger driver of cost changes what you should focus the audit on.
The walkthrough checklist
- HVAC. Check the thermostat schedule against actual operating hours — is it conditioning the space when nobody's there? Check filters; a clogged filter makes the system work harder for the same result. Note the age of the equipment — HVAC systems more than 10-15 years old are often meaningfully less efficient than current models.
- Lighting. Walk the space and note anything still using older fluorescent or incandescent fixtures rather than LED. Check whether lights in low-traffic areas (storage, back rooms, restrooms) are on a timer or motion sensor, or just left on all day.
- Refrigeration (if applicable). Check door gaskets on walk-ins and reach-ins for gaps, confirm condenser coils aren't caked in dust, and make sure strip curtains are in place and intact. This is one of the highest-value, lowest-cost checks on the whole list.
- Compressed air (if applicable). Listen for hissing during a quiet period — leaks are extremely common in older piping and fittings, and compressed air is an expensive way to lose energy.
- Equipment left running after hours. Do a second walkthrough after closing. Note anything still running that doesn't need to be — computers, monitors, printers, break room appliances, signage, and any equipment without an automatic shutoff.
- Water heating. Check the water heater's temperature setting (many are set higher than actually needed) and look for any obvious insulation gaps on tanks or pipes.
- Building envelope. Check door seals, weatherstripping, and obvious drafts around windows and loading doors — conditioned air leaking out (or unconditioned air leaking in) makes HVAC work harder for no benefit.
- The bill itself. Look for a demand charge, and if there is one, note what time of day usage tends to spike — that's usually the fix, not total usage. Check whether the account is on a rate structure (like time-of-use) that might not fit the business's actual hours.
Turning findings into action
Not everything on this list deserves the same priority. Sort what you find into three buckets: things that cost nothing to fix (a schedule change, a door left open, a light left on), things that cost a little but pay back fast (LED conversion, weatherstripping, a programmable thermostat), and things that need real capital investment (HVAC or major equipment replacement). Handle the free fixes immediately, budget for the fast-payback items over the next few months, and treat bigger equipment decisions as a separate planning conversation rather than something to decide during the walkthrough itself.
When to bring in a professional
A walkthrough audit is a strong first pass, but it has limits — it won't precisely quantify how much a specific fix will save, and it can't diagnose something like duct leakage or insulation gaps hidden inside walls. If the walkthrough turns up a likely aging HVAC system, signs of a bigger envelope problem, or a bill that still looks unexplained after working through this list, a professional energy audit (sometimes available at reduced or no cost through a utility efficiency program) is the reasonable next step.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to hire a professional to do an energy audit?
Not for a basic first pass. A walkthrough audit using a checklist like this one can be done by an owner or manager in an afternoon and often finds meaningful, low-cost fixes. A professional energy audit is worth considering afterward if the walkthrough turns up bigger issues (like an aging HVAC system) that need a technical assessment to size a fix correctly.
How often should a small business redo an energy audit?
Once a year is a reasonable baseline for most small businesses, plus an extra check any time there's a noticeable, unexplained jump in the energy bill or a change in how the space is used (new equipment, extended hours, a layout change).
What's the fastest win in a typical small business energy audit?
Compressed air and refrigeration leaks, and equipment left running outside business hours, are consistently among the fastest wins across business types — they cost nothing to check for and, when found, cost little to fix.
See this on your own bill
Upload your electric or gas bill and Certo reads it for you — a free bill health score, a plain-English breakdown, and whether your rate is competitive.
Want it tracked automatically every month?
Plus and Pro track bill history, flag rate hikes and unusual usage, and (on Pro) build a custom efficiency checklist and savings tracker — so you're not re-checking this by hand.