CEA

AEE describes it for professionals who evaluate and analyze energy use in a facility, identify energy conservation opportunities, and recommend where consumption can be reduced or optimized. That includes practicing energy auditors validating their experience, consultants specializing in building and building-system efficiency upgrades, and auditors working in government buildings to the U.S. Department of Energy's Guide to Energy Audits.

AEE publishes a twelve-part Body of Knowledge: developing an energy audit strategy and plan; energy use analysis; data collection and analysis; economic analysis; lighting systems; HVAC systems; domestic hot water systems; motors, drives, and compressed air systems; building envelope; BAS, PAS, and EMCS; alternative generation and storage; and transport. AEE does not publish a per-domain weighting on this page, so treat all twelve as required.

AEE states that CEM and CEA are accredited by the ANSI National Accreditation Board based on ANSI/ISO/IEC 17024, and that the programs in Spain are accredited by ENAC under UNE-IN/ISO/IEC 17024. AEE also states the CEA was the first recognized program under the U.S. Department of Energy Better Buildings Workforce Guidelines and is recognized by DOE as Energy Skilled in Home Energy Audit - Multifamily.

AEE lists many: ASHRAE Standard 211-2018 audit work, New York Local Law 87 auditing, Boston BERDO 2.0 compliance, Texas PACE independent third party reviewer audits, Washington's Energy Audit Incentive for Public Buildings and Clean Building Performance Standard, Atlanta's Commercial Building Ordinance, Montgomery County Maryland benchmarking verification, and San Jose's Energy and Water Building Performance Ordinance, among others.

Start with the methodology domains, since they frame everything else: audit strategy and planning, energy use analysis, and data collection and analysis. Add economic analysis next so you can compute savings, simple payback, and lifecycle results for any measure. Then work system by system through lighting, HVAC, domestic hot water, motors/drives/compressed air, envelope, controls, alternative generation and storage, and transport, practicing the savings calculation for each.

Candidates typically lose points on unit handling, on mixing measured and estimated baseline data without justification, and on economic metrics computed from the wrong cash flow. Others under-specify the audit level and scope, or recommend measures without an implementation plan. Practice stating assumptions explicitly, keeping energy units consistent end to end, and tying every recommendation to a quantified baseline.

Expect quantitative work throughout: energy use analysis, data collection and analysis, and economic analysis all imply calculation, and system domains require estimating measure savings. Be comfortable converting between units, computing load and consumption from operating data, and applying payback and lifecycle cost methods. AEE does not publish a calculator policy on this page, so check the certification FAQ before exam day.

Those details are not stated on the CEA program page, which links to Application, Eligibility, Certification FAQ, Training, and Renew sections. Use AEE's Certification FAQ and the application materials for current format, timing, fees, and retake terms. Confirm anything you read elsewhere against those pages, since policies change between revisions.

AEE maintains a Renewal Process page and advises certificants to maintain their account and track certification requirements for renewal. Specific renewal credit requirements are not listed on the CEA program page, so consult the renewal resources and your AEE account for the current requirement rather than relying on secondhand figures.