Design and development of a Smart Remote Energy Assessment Framework: A technology-driven approach

Remote energy assessments have emerged as a promising solution to overcome the limitations of conventional on-site energy audits, which are often costly, time-intensive, and logistically challenging. This thesis, titled “Design and Development of a Smart Remote Energy Assessment Framework: A Technology-Driven Approach," suggests the creation of an all-inclusive framework that would increase the effectiveness of auditing processes for industrial and commercial buildings while also maintaining a very high level of accuracy and cost-effectiveness. This study, guided by an extensive literature review and an examination of current market trends, highlights considerable limitations of conventional assessment approaches, including high operational costs, limited resources, and scalability issues. To overcome these limitations, a mixed-methods research design was used, blending qualitative input from industry experts and quantitative input from market surveys. The main elements of the resulting framework include the development of both a Skill Matrix and a Risk Matrix. The Skill Matrix classifies energy assessment tasks based on the level of expertise required, differentiating between activities that can be competently performed remotely by facility staff and those that require on-site attendance. Concurrently, the Risk Matrix evaluates the reliability of various data collection methods, ensuring that alternative remote data sources yield acceptable accuracy in energy savings estimates. Validation of the framework was conducted through simulated audits using historical data from Oklahoma State University’s Industrial Training and Assessment Center (OSU-ITAC), and the results show that remote audits are as effective as traditional audits in delivering estimates and cost savings. In addition, it was observed that audit times are decreased by around 45–50% with deviation in savings estimates within acceptable limits of ±5–10%. The results highlight the potential for the use of a hybrid model that incorporates remote assessments with selective on-site inspections for activities demanding higher levels of technical sophistication. The study concludes that the proposed Smart Remote Energy Assessment Framework offers a viable, scalable, and cost-effective alternative to traditional energy audits and can be used as standardized framework for energy assessment process. Future research directions include the enforcement of real-time auditing using remote means, the enhanced use of Internet of Things sensors and digital twin technologies, and the application of artificial intelligence in order to enhance analysis and decision-making processes. Overall, the study makes strong foundations for the digitalization of the auditing process for energy, hence making the process sustainable and more efficient in the built environment.