Commercial Audit Site Visit Checklist

Site visits are complicated to set up, and can be a significant disruption to any operation's daily routine. It is therefore important that the auditor cover all necessary points to maximize the results and reduce the chances of a second visit. When performing a site audit the auditor should do the following:

1. Conduct a walk-through tour with the plant electrician to familiarize himself with the main panels and the sub-panels.
   
2. Inspect the electrical distribution supplying the troubled equipment.
   
3. Make sure to question the plant electrician about any recent electrical changes.
   
4. Survey the wiring and grounding to make sure that everything is correct.
   
5. Visually inspect the wiring for secure connections, arcing, burned areas, and code violations.
   
6. Record the nameplate data on the supply transformer, including the voltage, kVa, power factor, and the transformer impedance.
   
7. Measure the voltage at the source or main panel.
   
8. Measure the voltage at the trouble equipment.

If monitoring equipment is needed, the auditor may install one or more diagnostic power monitors. In doing this the auditor should always consider the following:

• Install the monitor at the equipment experiencing the problems. While it may be necessary to move the monitor toward the main panel later, it is always a good idea to start at the troubled equipment.
  
• Leave the monitor on for a complete work cycle. This usually means five business days and a weekend.
  
• Set the monitor thresholds correctly. This usually means an initial setting of 10% above and below the voltage measure at the power supply of the troubled equipment.