Energy & Utilities Quick Savings Audit

A practical, short audit that helps hospitality teams find high-impact, low-cost utility savings and capture simple payback, priorities, and owners for immediate follow-up.

Interactive Tool

Energy & Utilities Quick Savings Audit

Purpose

This short audit helps you quickly identify common, high-impact energy and utility savings in restaurants, cafés, and other hospitality operations. Use it during a walk-through to capture observations, estimate simple payback, and assign owners so small projects actually get done.

How to use

  • Allow 15–30 minutes for a single location walk-through.
  • Answer each checklist item, add brief notes where helpful, and capture simple cost/savings estimates for top opportunities.
  • Use the Priority and Owner fields to create a short action list after the audit.

Scoring: Most items are yes/no or a short numeric check. At the end, add recommended measures and a simple payback (cost ÷ annual savings) to prioritize quick wins.

Name of the restaurant, café, or site (e.g., Main Street Café).
Person completing this audit.
YYYY-MM-DD or a short date string.
How long this audit took.
Check thermostats or building management setpoints for occupied vs. unoccupied periods.
Setback reduces heating/cooling during closed hours.
Typical recommended frequency is 1–3 months depending on filter type and usage.
Regular maintenance preserves efficiency and prevents breakdowns.
Economizers can save cooling energy when outside air conditions allow.
Estimate percent of fixtures converted to LED. Low-cost retrofits often pay back quickly.
Sensors turn lights off automatically in low-use spaces.
Timers and schedules prevent lights running overnight unnecessarily.
Inspect seals for gaps, cracks, or condensation.
Positive number = running warmer than setpoint; negative = colder. Large deviations increase energy and risk food safety.
Excessive defrost cycles increase energy use; check manufacturer guidance.
Commonly 49–60°C depending on code and needs. Lowering a few degrees can save energy but maintain safety.
Avoid heating large volumes overnight when not needed.
1 = Never, 5 = Always. Include ovens, grills, fryers where safe to shut down.
1.0 10.0
Simple behavioral changes often save noticeable energy.
Plug loads add up; switched strips can help.
Full-speed exhaust all day wastes energy; consider demand control where safe and appropriate.
Be specific about location and severity.
Examples: replace worn fridge gaskets, install occupancy sensors in storeroom, set hot-water thermostat to X°C.
Include material and labor if possible.
Estimate based on bills, rules of thumb, or vendor quotes.
Compute as cost ÷ annual savings. Enter N/A if unknown.
1 = Low, 5 = High
1.0 10.0
Who will be responsible for follow-up?
YYYY-MM-DD or month/year.
Longer-term measures, capital projects, or vendor follow-ups.
1 = Minimal, 5 = High (safety, food risk, equipment failure).
1.0 10.0
Summarize the most urgent items and a proposed first action (e.g., order gaskets, schedule HVAC service).
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