Grantees may elect to train their own staff to conduct audits, or may hire a contractor to perform this service. You can find an auditor through the following sources:

• State or local government energy or weatherization office.
• Electric or gas utility companies.
• Telephone classified directory under headings beginning with the word "Energy".

When hiring an auditor, it is recommended that the following be considered:

• Expertise. The consultants performing the audit should have appropriate educational and technical background, such as related college degrees, professional licenses, and professional affiliations. The type of expertise should correlate with the type of audit they are to perform, specifically:
  • Comprehensive Energy Audits require the consultant to have a broad experience on all types of energy efficiency projects, such as building envelope, HVAC, domestic hot water, and lighting. The recommended experience is at least three years.
  • Single Purpose Audits require that the consultant has specialized expertise in the specified project area, such as envelope air sealing, or heating and cooling equipment replacement. Again, it is recommended that the consultant has at least three years of experience in their area of specialization.
    
    
• Conflict of Interest. If the auditor represents a vendor or has a vested financial interest in implementing a certain system, his/her objectivity about recommending cost-effective projects may be compromised. This could result in recommending inappropriate equipment or overstating the value of the project. Therefore, each proposed auditor should identify any financial relationships with equipment vendors or service companies.
  
  
• References. It is a good idea to ask auditors to provide information about projects that they have completed recently. If possible, the auditors should be asked to provide the name of the organization, contacts, project description, project cost, and savings (e.g., estimated versus actual).
  
  References should be contacted to determine:
  • A record of implementing similar projects;
  • The feasibility of the recommended projects;
  • The accuracy of energy savings calculations and project cost estimates;· Responsiveness to client's needs; and
  • Incidence of any conflicts of interest.When implementing energy efficiency techniques one must be aware of related problems and how to ensure that effective techniques are employed to provide better energy efficiency and to avoid these problems.
    
    
• Additional information can be found in Handbooks for Energy Efficiency and websites such as the Department of Energy's Energy Audit Briefs.