Types of energy audits and measurements in a company – which one to choose and when?

Not every energy-related problem in a company calls for the same type of audit. Sometimes the priority is to meet a statutory obligation in Poland and analyse energy use across the entire organisation. In other cases, the company already has a specific modernisation concept and wants to calculate savings, prepare documentation for the Polish White Certificate scheme or assess the investment case. In still other situations, the issue is highly technical: compressed-air consumption is rising, an installation is operating unstably, heat losses occur, or lighting quality needs to be checked.

That is why the right question is rarely: “which audit should we order?”. A better starting point is: “what decision do we want to make, and what data are we missing to make it?”. Only then can the scope of analysis, site visit and measurements be selected so that the result is genuinely useful.

Start by defining the objective: what does the company need to find out?

The simplest way to choose is as follows:

• if the objective is to meet a statutory obligation in Poland covering the entire enterprise, the appropriate route is an enterprise energy audit;
• if the objective is to assess a specific energy-efficiency improvement measure, especially for the Polish White Certificate scheme, funding or an investment decision, an energy efficiency audit is required;
• if the decision concerns the modernisation of a specific building, a building energy analysis is required; if the document is to support a thermal-modernisation project governed by Polish legislation on supporting thermal modernisation and renovation, the formal energy audit must follow the scope and form required for that purpose;
• if the issue concerns a specific installation or phenomenon, a specialist audit, diagnostic assessment or defined set of measurements will often be more appropriate;
• if the company is seeing high energy consumption but does not know the cause, it is worth starting more broadly with an energy balance and analysis of the main consumers, and only then directing measurements to areas that actually require investigation.

This distinction also matters from a cost perspective. There is no point in carrying out an extensive measurement campaign merely because “an audit should include measurements”. On the other hand, an analysis based only on utility bills may be insufficient if the decision depends on the actual operating parameters of an installation.

Types of energy audits and measurements – comparison

In practice, the boundaries between these analyses may overlap to some extent. Measurements are a tool, not a separate objective in themselves. The same power, temperature or flow profile measurement may form part of an enterprise energy audit, an energy efficiency audit or diagnostics of a single installation. What differs is the objective, scope and how the result is used.

Enterprise energy audit – when an organisation-wide view is needed

An enterprise energy audit is appropriate when a company needs a broad view of energy across sites, buildings, industrial installations, transport and processes. Its purpose is not to design one modernisation project in detail, but to organise energy-use data and identify areas with improvement potential.

What problem does it solve?

The most common objectives are:

• carrying out the statutory enterprise energy audit required in Poland;
• building a reliable energy-consumption balance;
• determining which processes or installations account for the largest share of consumption;
• selecting measures for further analysis;
• organising the list of actions before developing an energy strategy or investment plan.

If a company says, “our bills are rising, but we do not know where to look for the cause”, I would not usually start with one arbitrary measurement. First, the consumption structure and the variables affecting it need to be checked. Only then can we determine whether the issue is, for example, the operating profile of an installation, increased production, operation outside normal hours, process parameters, utility losses or the way energy is billed.

What data are required?

The scope depends on the organisation, but in practice it is useful to prepare:

• data on electricity, fuel, heat and other energy-carrier consumption;
• bills, metering profiles and demand data, where available;
• a list of sites and basic information on buildings and installations;
• data on production processes and the main energy consumers;
• transport data, where transport represents a significant share of consumption;
• production data, operating hours and other variables that make it possible to distinguish higher consumption from a change in the scale of operations;
• information on previous modernisations, measurements and audits.

For trend analysis, it is usually useful to have more than one full year of data. This is not, however, a universal statutory number of months for every case in Poland – the period should be selected according to data availability and representativeness.

Are a site visit and measurements required?

For the statutory enterprise energy audit in Poland, the basis is up-to-date, representative, measured and identifiable data on energy consumption and, for electricity, on power demand. This does not mean that additional loggers need to be installed on every system.

A site visit is particularly useful when the actual operation of equipment, setpoints, schedules, insulation condition, utility distribution or differences between documentation and real operation need to be verified. Additional measurements should be taken where existing meters and data do not allow the audit question to be answered.

What should the outcome be?

A good result is more than a list of equipment. It should show:

• where energy consumption comes from;
• which areas are significant;
• which actions can deliver savings;
• which proposals require a more detailed specialist audit or measurements;
• how the sequence of further work can be established.

For the company, it is therefore primarily a tool for setting priorities.

Important: the current statutory obligation in Poland and proposed changes

Legal status checked as at 10 August 2026: under the currently applicable Article 36 of the Polish Energy Efficiency Act, an enterprise energy audit must be carried out every 4 years by an entrepreneur other than a micro, small or medium-sized entrepreneur. The Act also provides an exemption linked to a specified energy management system or EMAS where an audit has been carried out within that system. The audit must include a detailed review of energy consumption covering at least 90% of the enterprise’s total energy consumption, and notification must be submitted to the President of the Polish Energy Regulatory Office (URE) within 30 days of the audit, no later than 31 December of the year in which the entrepreneur is required to carry it out.

In parallel, legislative work is under way in Poland on draft bill UC77. DRAFT — IT IS NOT YET BINDING LAW. The draft provides for replacing the current enterprise-size criterion with thresholds based on average energy consumption over the previous 3 years, including 10 TJ for the audit obligation and 85 TJ for a certified energy management system. As at the verification date, however, these are provisions proposed in the draft bill, not thresholds currently in force. If a company is approaching the deadline for its next audit, the current legislative stage should be checked before making a formal decision.

Energy efficiency audit – when the company has a specific measure in mind

An energy efficiency audit answers a different question. Here, the starting point is much narrower: a specific asset, device, installation or measure has been identified and the objective is to calculate the energy effect of the proposed change.

Examples include modernising a compressed-air system, replacing a drive, heat recovery, changing a process, modernising lighting, or another measure intended to improve energy efficiency.

What problem does it solve?

An energy efficiency audit is primarily used to:

• define the baseline;
• define the post-modernisation condition;
• calculate potential energy savings;
• compare options;
• assess economic viability;
• prepare documentation required by specific support mechanisms.

Unlike an enterprise energy audit, it does not have to answer the question “where can savings be found across the whole company?”. Instead, it should answer very precisely: “what effect will this specific measure deliver, and what causes that effect?”.

What data are required?

Most commonly, these include:

• parameters of the existing solution;
• energy or fuel consumption during the baseline period;
• operating time, load and control strategy;
• production or another measurable useful output;
• external conditions affecting consumption;
• parameters of the planned solution;
• investment assumptions required for the economic analysis.

Comparability of the “before” and “after” conditions is crucial. If production, weather, operating hours or other variables affect consumption, they cannot be ignored.

Are measurements required?

Not always. If the company has reliable data from an existing metering system, meters, controllers or process documentation, these may be sufficient. However, if the baseline is unknown or operating parameters change materially, measurements may be necessary to perform calculations that can be technically substantiated.

Energy efficiency audit and the Polish White Certificate scheme

For Polish White Certificates, the sequence of actions matters. The Polish Energy Efficiency Act provides that an energy efficiency certificate is issued upon application by an entity planning to start the works, and an energy efficiency audit is, as a rule, attached to the application. “Commencement of works” may mean not only the physical start of works, but also the first legally binding commitment to order equipment or another commitment that makes the measure irreversible.

A company planning to use the Polish White Certificate scheme should therefore not be referred for an audit only after the modernisation has been completed. The formal route must be checked and the required documentation prepared first; only then should irreversible investment commitments be made.

Building energy audit – when the decision concerns thermal modernisation

A building-related audit primarily addresses questions concerning the building’s energy characteristics, envelope and technical systems. The industry term “thermal-modernisation audit” is also used in Poland, but the Polish regulation governing thermal-modernisation projects uses the formal term “energy audit”. The names should therefore not be treated as separate, universal document types: the scope must always be adapted to the investment objective and formal legal basis. It may cover, among other things, insulation of the envelope, windows and doors, the heat source, heating systems, domestic hot-water preparation, ventilation or other elements affecting energy consumption.

What data does it require?

Usually, the following are needed:

• plans, sections and basic building documentation;
• information on floor areas, volumes, zones and use of the building;
• data on the construction of the envelope and windows/doors;
• information on heating and cooling sources, ventilation and other systems;
• energy and fuel consumption;
• data on previous modernisations;
• information on the planned investment scope.

If the documentation is incomplete, some data need to be verified during the site inspection. Depending on the issue, thermographic surveys, airtightness testing or other diagnostic measurements may also be useful.

What is the outcome?

The outcome should include action options together with an assessment of their energy and economic effects to the extent required for the relevant purpose. For a formal energy audit prepared in Poland for a thermal-modernisation project, the scope and form are specified in implementing regulations concerning support for thermal modernisation and renovation.

This is a different document from an energy performance certificate. The certificate describes the building’s energy performance in accordance with the applicable methodology, whereas an audit is primarily used to analyse modernisation options and select a solution.

The topic is discussed in more detail in the material on the building energy audit. Information on the different purpose and application of this type of documentation is available on the page devoted to the energy performance certificate.

Audits of specific installations – when you know where to look for the problem

Not every company needs a broad audit. If the problem has already been localised, it is better to build the analysis around the specific system from the outset.

Compressed air: leak detection or a full audit?

This is a good example of two services that are often confused.

Compressed-air leak detection answers one specific question: where is the system losing compressed air? Its outcome should identify the leak locations and provide documentation that allows repairs to be planned.

A full compressed-air system audit can cover much more: generation, treatment, storage, distribution, pressure level, compressor control, demand profile and how air is used by end users.

If a plant simply has many leaks, detection may be the right first step. If, however, compressors are running for increasingly long periods, pressure is being raised despite problems at points of use, the system frequently runs unloaded, or it is unclear whether the number of operating compressors is justified, leak detection alone may be too narrow.

Lighting audit

A lighting audit cannot stop at counting luminaires and their wattage. It should consider how the space is used, operating hours, zoning, controls, daylight availability and required lighting conditions.

Input data usually include an inventory of luminaires, their power and control method, operating hours and the function of individual zones. Illuminance and other parameter measurements are selected according to the audit objective and measurement conditions.

The outcome may include an assessment of the current condition, identification of areas requiring improvement and comparison of modernisation or control options. The purpose of such an audit is to support a technical decision, not merely to answer how much energy the existing lighting uses.

Thermographic surveys

Thermographic surveys of heating systems are an example of diagnostics focused on a specific phenomenon. Thermography can help locate areas of elevated temperature, missing or damaged insulation, thermal bridges or other anomalies, provided that the survey is performed under appropriate conditions and interpreted correctly.

Depending on the facility, thermography can be carried out from ground level or using remote solutions such as a drone. A thermographic image on its own is not yet an energy audit – it is a data source that must be interpreted in relation to the construction, installation parameters and operating conditions.

Building airtightness testing and other measurements

Airtightness testing answers a different question from thermography: it makes it possible to assess airflow through leaks in the building envelope under defined test conditions. It may form part of building diagnostics, but it does not replace a full building energy audit.

Other technical measurements should be treated in the same way: electrical power profiles, temperature, flow, pressure, utility consumption or drive operating parameters. First define the technical question; only then select the measured variable, measurement point and logging period.

Are a site visit and measurements always necessary?

No. Their scope should follow from the risk of error and the decision that needs to be made.

If an enterprise has detailed data from submeters, an EMS/BMS, equipment controllers and production history, some conclusions can be based on those data. If, however, the system is not metered, load varies significantly or there is uncertainty as to whether equipment operates as documented, a site visit and measurements become much more important.

The practical rule is simple:

We do not measure because “that is what an audit looks like”. We measure when the result improves the quality of the diagnosis or decision.

For example, a single compressor power reading during a site visit may say little about a system with a highly variable operating profile. In that case, logging over a representative operating cycle provides more value. In a well-metered plant, by contrast, some of this information may already be available in the existing system.

Four typical scenarios – which audit should you choose?

1. The company wants to meet a statutory obligation in Poland

Choice: enterprise energy audit.

The starting point is to determine whether the entrepreneur is subject to the current Polish obligation and when the audit is due. The organisational boundaries must then be defined, data on all energy carriers collected, and the required consumption coverage ensured.

If the audit identifies a specific modernisation measure, a separate energy efficiency audit can later be carried out for that measure. The two documents serve different purposes and one should not be assumed to automatically replace the other.

2. The company is planning a modernisation and wants Polish White Certificates

Choice: an energy efficiency audit of the specific measure and correct completion of the Polish formal procedure before work begins.

First, the existing condition and planned change need to be described, data collected to establish the baseline, and eligibility of the measure for the Polish scheme checked. If measurements are needed, they should be planned so that they represent actual operation of the installation.

Timing is particularly important in this scenario: the formal route must be checked before the investment is irreversibly commenced.

3. Energy consumption has increased, but the company does not know why

Choice: first analyse consumption and the energy balance, then carry out targeted measurements.

It is worth comparing consumption with production, operating hours, outdoor temperature or another variable relevant to the plant. An increase in MWh consumption alone does not necessarily mean that efficiency has deteriorated.

Only after this analysis can a decision be made whether to measure, for example, the power profile, compressor operation, medium flow, refrigeration-system parameters, process temperatures or the consumption of selected production lines.

4. The problem has already been identified – for example compressed air or lighting

Choice: a specialist audit or diagnostics of the specific installation.

If the objective is well defined, a broad audit of the entire enterprise does not have to be the first step. Care is still needed to avoid making the scope too narrow. For compressed air, leak detection alone will not answer questions about compressor selection or pressure level; for lighting, a luminaire inventory alone will not assess lighting conditions or control opportunities.

How should data be prepared before speaking to an auditor?

A complete technical archive is not required to start defining the scope. It is useful, however, to prepare seven pieces of information:

1. What is the problem or objective? A statutory obligation, high cost, planned investment, abnormal system operation, financing?
2. What decision is to be made? Does it concern the entire enterprise, one site, a building, an installation or a specific device?
3. What energy data are available? Bills, 15-minute profiles, submeters, BMS/EMS, controller data?
4. How does the activity vary? Production, number of shifts, operating hours, seasonality, temperatures, load?
5. What technical documentation is available? Diagrams, designs, equipment lists, manuals, setpoints?
6. Has the modernisation already been planned or ordered? This is particularly important for the Polish White Certificate scheme and some funding programmes.
7. What result needs to be delivered to management or the technical department? An action list, investment option, energy saving, formal document, measurement plan?

On this basis, it is possible to determine what is actually missing and whether additional measurements are needed.

How do you commission the right scope for an audit or measurements?

Before commissioning an analysis, it is worth specifying not only the service name but, above all, the expected outcome. A request to a contractor should ideally state:

• the problem to be solved;
• the scope of assets and installations;
• the available data and the period they cover;
• the decision expected after the analysis is completed;
• the required formal purpose, if the audit is to be used for a Polish statutory obligation, the Polish White Certificate scheme or financing;
• whether the contractor is to plan and carry out measurements;
• whether modernisation options and an economic analysis are expected.

In practice, this is the stage at which it is easiest to avoid two extremes: a scope that is too narrow to answer the question, and an unnecessarily extensive study that generates data not subsequently used in any decision.

Audit, measurements, or both at the same time?

In most cases, there is little value in treating these as alternatives.

An audit structures the problem, builds a model of the current condition and leads to conclusions. Measurements provide data where existing information is insufficient. A well-planned analysis may begin with historical data and a site visit, then identify several measurement points and, once the data have been collected, proceed to calculations and modernisation options.

If, on the other hand, a company only needs to confirm one specific technical hypothesis, a full audit may be unnecessary. Precisely planned diagnostics will then be more appropriate.

Which route should you choose?

If it is still unclear where to start, the following sequence can be used:

• statutory obligation applying to the enterprise in Poland or need for a broad review → enterprise energy audit;
• specific modernisation and calculation of its effect → energy efficiency audit;
• building modernisation → building thermal modernisation and building energy audit;
• compressed air → compressed-air system audit or leak detection, depending on the problem;
• lighting → lighting audit;
• heat losses and thermal anomalies → thermographic surveys of heating systems.

The key point is that the scope should follow from the decision, not the other way round. If the question the analysis must answer is defined first, it becomes easier to select the right data, measurements and level of detail.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between an enterprise energy audit and an energy efficiency audit?

An enterprise energy audit broadly covers energy use across the organisation and is used, among other things, to identify areas and measures that can improve efficiency. An energy efficiency audit focuses on a defined asset, device, installation or measure and determines the energy saving that can be achieved and, depending on the purpose, its economic viability.

Is an enterprise energy audit enough to obtain Polish White Certificates?

This should not be assumed. An enterprise energy audit may identify a worthwhile measure, but the Polish procedure for issuing an energy efficiency certificate generally requires an energy efficiency audit relating to the specific measure and compliance with the required sequence of actions.

Does every audit require a site visit?

The scope should be adapted to the objective and data quality. In technical analyses, a site visit is usually very valuable because it makes it possible to verify actual operating practice. This does not mean, however, that every type of audit requires the same extent of inspection and additional measurements.

What should you choose if energy consumption is high but the cause is unknown?

It is worth first analysing the structure of consumption and identifying the largest consumers and the variables affecting the result. Only then should targeted measurements or audits of specific installations be planned. Starting with arbitrary measurements may produce a large amount of data but little information needed for the decision.

Is a building energy audit the same as an energy performance certificate?

No. A building energy audit is primarily used to analyse modernisation options and their effects, whereas an energy performance certificate describes the building’s energy performance in accordance with separate Polish regulations and methodology.

Legal sources and materials for further verification

• Polish Energy Efficiency Act of 20 May 2016 – consolidated text published in the Journal of Laws 2025, item 711
• Draft UC77 – draft Polish Act amending the Energy Efficiency Act and certain other acts
• Polish regulation concerning energy efficiency audits – amendment of 24 November 2025, Journal of Laws 2025, item 1648
• Polish regulation on the scope and form of energy audits for thermal-modernisation projects
• Amendment to the Polish regulation on energy audits for thermal-modernisation projects – Journal of Laws 2022, item 2816
• Polish Act on supporting thermal modernisation and renovation – consolidated text published in the Journal of Laws 2026, item 920
• Polish Energy Regulatory Office (URE) – energy efficiency certificates