Describe the property, audit depth, and systems you need to inspect. Makeform turns your brief into a field-ready energy audit checklist with equipment inventories, measured readings, condition findings, photo evidence, and follow-up priorities organized in one submission.
Route audit findings to Google Sheets, Slack, and Zapier.
Sample prompts for the checklist builder
Choose the audit scenario closest to your property, adapt the prompt, and send it to the Makeform builder. Each structure is an example you can revise for your own procedures.
Prompt ready4 formats
Audience
Energy auditors assessing occupied office buildings
Format
Room-by-room checklist with readings and photos
Prompt size
486 chars
Brief qualitySends to builder
Example checklist structure
Room-by-room checklist with readings and photos
Prompt exampleEditable in builder
Site, weather, occupancy, and audit time
Short answerFirst ask
2
Zone lighting, controls, and plug loads
Checkboxes
3
Setpoint and measured temperature
Number
4
Photos and observation notes
File upload
5
Priority, owner, and next step
Dropdown
Suggested routing tags
Suggested
Immediate attention
Further analysis
No issue observed
Ask for a measured value, unit, operating state, and observation time together. A number without context is difficult to compare or act on later.
Step 1
Scope
property, systems, schedules, and available records
Step 2
Observe
conditions, controls, readings, and operating state
Step 3
Document
location, evidence, issue category, and context
Step 4
Prioritize
next action, owner, urgency, and review status
Useful in the field
A checklist that records context, not just checked boxes.
An energy walkthrough produces useful evidence only when each observation stays attached to its location, operating condition, measurement, and follow-up. Structure those details at collection time instead of rebuilding them from notes afterward.
Repeatable coverage by system
Group envelope, lighting, HVAC, controls, hot water, plug loads, and process equipment into consistent sections. Auditors can cover every relevant system while skipping sections that do not apply to a particular building.
Conditional paths by property
Reveal boiler questions only when a boiler is present, refrigeration questions for refrigerated spaces, and tenant-area prompts where access is available. The form stays focused without losing specialized detail.
Evidence tied to each finding
Capture area ID, equipment tag, reading and unit, instrument, operating state, note, and photo together. Reviewers can understand what the auditor saw without guessing which image or number belongs to which asset.
Designed for real properties
Adapt one checklist to the building and audit depth.
A preliminary walkthrough needs different detail from an equipment-level investigation. Start with the right scope and keep terminology, units, rating scales, and handoff fields consistent across the audit team.
Pre-audit document review
Request utility periods, floor area, occupancy schedules, equipment lists, controls sequences, recent work orders, and known comfort complaints before the walkthrough. Mark missing records for follow-up rather than silently treating them as unavailable.
Mobile walkthrough entry
Use concise selections for common conditions, then open notes, readings, or uploads only when needed. Auditors can move room to room while still recording exact equipment and location details.
Consistent finding priorities
Define what immediate attention, short-term review, capital planning, monitor, and no issue observed mean for your team. A shared scale makes cross-building review clearer, while final decisions remain with the responsible reviewers.
A handoff that names the next action
Finish every finding with a proposed investigation or operational step, responsible role, target review date, access constraint, and status. Recommendations become a working queue instead of an unassigned observation list.
Checklist workflow
Build a usable audit record in four steps.
Give Makeform the building context and inspection logic, then refine the generated energy audit checklist around the way your auditors collect, review, and assign findings.
Name property type, size, operating hours, climate context, occupied areas, major systems, available records, and audit depth. Include any boundaries, such as no roof access or a sample of tenant spaces, so the generated structure reflects the actual visit.
02
Edit sections, logic, and units
Replace generic equipment choices with the site's systems, add actual area names and asset IDs, set required evidence, and choose consistent units. Use conditional logic to keep irrelevant branches out of the auditor's path.
03
Test the walkthrough sequence
Preview the form on a phone and run one representative zone. Check whether an auditor can record normal conditions quickly, expand an issue into evidence fields, save the right location, and distinguish not observed from not applicable.
04
Route findings for review
Publish the checklist, send submissions to the facilities inbox or spreadsheet, and notify the relevant reviewer. Keep raw observation, proposed action, decision, owner, and completion status as separate fields so the review trail stays understandable.
Collection methods compared
Choose a format that survives the handoff.
Paper and general notes may be enough for a very small walkthrough. A generated online checklist is stronger when several buildings, auditors, systems, readings, and follow-up owners need the same structure.
Approach
What gets recorded
Where it fits
ApproachPaper checklist
What gets recordedFast marks and handwritten notes, with photos and readings stored separately unless the auditor reconciles them later.
Where it fitsA short, one-person walkthrough where immediate digitization and cross-site comparison are not needed.
ApproachGeneral notes or spreadsheet
What gets recordedFlexible observations, but location, units, operating state, evidence, and status can vary by author and row.
Where it fitsExploratory work led by an experienced auditor who will personally normalize the record afterward.
Approach
Generated online checklist
What gets recordedRequired system coverage, conditional branches, structured readings, photos, priority, proposed action, owner, and review state in one submission.
Where it fitsRepeatable building audits that need mobile capture, consistent evidence, team review, and a clean action handoff.
Field guide
What an energy audit checklist should capture.
The checklist should establish when and where an observation happened, what was operating, how a value was obtained, and what review comes next. These six sections give auditors a practical structure to tailor to the property.
Scope and baseline
Establish the building context first.
Record property identifier, address, building use, approximate floor area, construction or renovation era, audit date, auditor, weather, occupancy, operating hours, and areas included or excluded. Add the utility period and account or meter reference when records are available, but avoid forcing auditors to invent missing values.
Audit level, purpose, boundaries, access restrictions, and contacts.
Current occupancy, operating schedule, unusual events, and weather context.
Available utility data, drawings, equipment lists, controls information, and work orders.
Envelope and zones
Locate losses and comfort clues precisely.
Organize observations by facade, roof area, entrance, floor, room, or thermal zone. Record insulation information when known, visible gaps, door seals, glazing type, shading, moisture signs, and occupant-reported drafts or overheating as observations that may warrant further investigation.
Exact area, orientation, component, material, and observed condition.
Door closure, weatherstripping, window condition, shading, and penetrations.
Photo, thermal image reference if used, access limitation, and follow-up note.
Lighting and loads
Record what is on, why, and for how long.
Inventory representative fixture or lamp types, quantities, control types, daylight availability, schedules, and lights operating in vacant spaces. Include office equipment, vending, kitchen, laundry, server, charging, and other plug or process loads that materially shape the site's operating pattern.
Fixture type, approximate count, wattage when verified, zone, and control method.
Occupancy sensor, timeclock, daylight response, manual override, and observed behavior.
After-hours equipment, load schedule, shutdown opportunity, and responsible department.
HVAC, controls, and hot water
Connect equipment condition to operation.
Capture equipment tag, system type, served area, nameplate details, fuel or energy source, apparent condition, filters and coils, setpoints, schedules, overrides, simultaneous heating and cooling clues, and domestic hot-water storage or delivery settings. Keep observations distinct from confirmed diagnoses.
Asset ID, model, capacity, age when known, served zone, and operating state.
Setpoint, schedule, measured temperature, flow or pressure reading, unit, time, and instrument.
Control sequence concern, maintenance indicator, access issue, and recommended technical review.
Measurements and evidence
Give every reading enough context to be reusable.
A reading needs a location, timestamp, unit, instrument, operating mode, and nearby conditions. Add photo uploads and equipment-tag images directly to the related finding. Provide explicit not measured, not observed, and not applicable choices so blanks do not create false certainty.
Measured value, unit, instrument or method, time, location, and equipment state.
Photo caption, asset tag, reference point, and observation note.
Reason a reading was unavailable, including access, shutdown, safety boundary, or missing instrument.
Findings and actions
Separate the observation from the decision.
Record the observed condition, supporting evidence, affected system, and potential operational consequence before proposing a next step. Then capture priority, responsible reviewer, target date, required access or vendor input, review decision, and status. Savings or cost estimates should identify their source and assumptions rather than appearing as unsupported facts.
Finding category, location, observation, evidence, confidence, and open question.
Proposed operational change, maintenance task, investigation, or project for evaluation.
Connect the audit to inspection and maintenance work.
Use focused forms for equipment detail, property inspections, corrective requests, and the audit summary. Each link below points to an existing Makeform tool.
Practical answers for energy auditors, facility managers, property teams, and consultants preparing a building walkthrough.
What is an energy audit checklist?
An energy audit checklist is a structured field form for reviewing how a building and its systems use energy. It guides the auditor through scope and records, envelope, lighting, HVAC, controls, domestic hot water, plug or process loads, measured readings, and observed operating conditions. A useful checklist also connects each finding to an exact location, evidence, a proposed next action, priority, and reviewer. It supports consistent collection; the audit team's methods and qualified review determine the final analysis and recommendations.
What should I include in a building energy audit checklist?
Begin with property details, audit boundaries, date, weather, occupancy, operating hours, access limitations, and available utility or equipment records. Add sections for the envelope, lighting and controls, HVAC equipment and schedules, domestic hot water, plug loads, process equipment, and relevant building-specific systems. For every reading, request the value, unit, location, time, instrument or method, and operating state. For every issue, collect a clear observation, photo or other evidence, category, proposed investigation or action, priority, owner, and review status.
Can I customize the checklist for offices, warehouses, schools, or multifamily buildings?
Yes. Describe the property type, spaces, operating schedule, major equipment, and audit depth in the prompt, then edit the generated fields. An office version may emphasize zone controls, schedules, and plug loads; a warehouse may add high-bay lighting, dock doors, compressed air, or refrigeration; a school may separate classrooms, kitchens, gyms, and portable buildings; and multifamily properties may need common systems plus sampled units. Conditional logic can show specialized sections only when the auditor selects a relevant system.
How should the form handle measurements and photos?
Keep each measurement and photo attached to the related area, asset, or finding. A measurement record should include the value, unit, timestamp, location, equipment operating state, and instrument or method. A photo should have a caption and, where relevant, the visible asset tag or reference point. Offer separate options for not measured, not observed, and not applicable, plus a reason field. This avoids treating an empty answer as a normal condition and gives reviewers enough context to interpret the evidence.
Can multiple auditors use the same energy audit checklist?
Yes. Publish one checklist and have each auditor create a submission for the assigned building, area, system, or visit. Add required auditor name, property ID, zone, date, and equipment tag fields so records can be combined later. Standard dropdowns for system type, finding category, priority, and status make submissions easier to compare. Before deployment, agree on the meaning of each rating, the units to use, required photos, and when an observation should be escalated for specialist review.
How do I turn audit observations into a follow-up plan?
End each finding with fields for the observed condition, supporting evidence, open question, proposed next step, responsible role, review date, and status. Keep a proposed action separate from the approved decision so reviewers can accept, revise, defer, or reject it without overwriting the field record. If you include cost, energy, or savings estimates, also capture the source, calculation method, assumptions, and person responsible for review. Route accepted maintenance items into a request workflow and retain completion evidence for later verification.
Is the energy audit checklist generator free?
Yes. Makeform supports unlimited free forms and responses, so you can generate, edit, publish, and use your energy audit checklist without a response cap. The paid tier removes the Makeform badge. You can revise the checklist before publishing and reuse its structure for different properties, while keeping location, schedule, equipment, and rating choices tailored to each audit.
Does a generated checklist replace an energy auditor or engineering analysis?
No. The generator creates a configurable collection structure from your description; it does not inspect the property, validate measurements, diagnose equipment, calculate savings, or approve projects. Your audit team should choose appropriate methods and instruments, define site-specific safety and access procedures, review evidence, verify assumptions, and decide which findings need specialist analysis. Treat generated wording as an editable starting point and align the published checklist with your organization's audit scope and review process.
Turn the walkthrough into an organized record.
Generate an energy audit checklist built around your property and systems.
Unlimited free forms and responsesEditable system and rating fieldsReadings, photos, priorities, and owners
