10 exam-style questions with answers and explanations, straight from our 1,030-question bank. Tap an answer to check yourself. When you're ready, take the scored version in the free practice test.
These 10 free BEP questions are organized by exam domain, so you can see how each part of the Certified Business Energy Professional blueprint is tested. Reveal the answer and explanation under each question.
Domain 1: Codes and Standards and Green Buildings (3-5%)
Question 1
Two office buildings have validated ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager data for the same year. Office A has a annual site energy use intensity of 54 kBtu/ft² and an ENERGY STAR score of 61. Office B has a annual site energy use intensity of 72 kBtu/ft² and a score of 84; it operates longer hours and accommodates more workers per square foot. A portfolio report labels B the less efficient building solely because its site energy use intensity is higher. What should replace that conclusion?
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Correct answer: D - B performs better against adjusted national peers despite its higher site energy use intensity.
Domain 2: Energy Fundamentals (5-7%)
Question 2
An independently tested heat pump delivers a heating coefficient of performance (COP) of 3.2. A finance director says the result violates conservation of energy because useful heat output exceeds electrical input. The energy professional's response should explain that:
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Correct answer: A - The heat pump transfers environmental heat as well as converting electrical work into delivered heat.
Domain 3: Utility Rate Structures (7-11%)
Question 3
A manufacturer's tariff bills monthly demand at the greater of the current month's highest 15-minute demand or 80% of the highest measured demand in the preceding 11 months. That historical peak is 1,000 kW. A controls project would reduce this month's peak from 900 kW to 700 kW without changing energy consumption. The demand charge is $18/kW, with no other demand minimum. How much would the project reduce this month's demand charge?
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Correct answer: B - $1,800
Domain 4: Electric and Gas Procurement (7-11%)
Question 4
A manufacturer expects to add a production shift, but the expansion date and resulting electricity use remain uncertain. The CFO wants to fix the commodity price per kWh for all consumption within the anticipated operating range; the CFO accepts that buying more kWh will increase the total bill. Delivery charges and supplier creditworthiness are comparable. Which offer fits that instruction?
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Correct answer: B - A fixed-price, full-requirements offer covering the expansion.
Domain 5: Energy Accounting, Carbon Auditing, Metering and Energy Information Services (EIS) (10-16%)
Question 5
A company owns and operates natural-gas boilers and purchases electricity from the grid. For the reporting year, it retires wind renewable energy certificates covering all purchased electricity. The certificates carry a zero direct-generation emission factor and meet every applicable quality criterion in the GHG Protocol Scope 2 Guidance (2015). The grid's average emission factor is positive. Its emissions disclosure should show:
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Correct answer: A - Zero market-based Scope 2, grid-average location-based Scope 2, and boiler combustion in Scope 1.
Domain 6: Energy Assessment and Instrumentation (7-11%)
Question 6
At an industrial substation, a technician proposes replacing a meter by disconnecting the secondary leads of a conventional 5-A current transformer. The primary conductor remains energized and carries load. There is no approved arrangement to keep the secondary shorted during the change. The energy professional reviewing the work should require the technician to:
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Correct answer: A - Defer the change until qualified personnel isolate and verify the primary de-energized under the site's energy-control procedure.
Domain 7: Energy Economics and Alternative Financing (9-13%)
Question 7
An energy manager must recommend whether to fund an independent retrofit. Installation would cost $120,000 now. An $18,000 audit has already been paid for and cannot be recovered. For six years, the retrofit would avoid $37,000 in annual utility costs but add $7,000 in annual maintenance. All annual cash flows occur at year-end. The required return is 10%, and the six-year uniform-series present-worth factor at 10% is 4.3553. There are no taxes, replacements, or salvage proceeds. Which recommendation follows from the project's incremental net present value?
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Correct answer: C - Proceed: NPV is approximately +$10,700.
Domain 8: Commissioning and Measurement & Verification (M&V) (6-10%)
Question 8
A factory will replace lighting and add occupancy controls. Lighting circuits can be separately metered, but their operating hours vary substantially. Changes in production overwhelm the lighting savings in whole-facility utility data, and lighting-HVAC interactions are negligible. The owner requires direct measurement of both the lighting load and its operation, with comparable occupancy conditions accounted for before and after installation. Select the M&V approach that meets those requirements.
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Correct answer: C - IPMVP Option B: isolate the lighting circuits and measure all relevant energy-use parameters.
Domain 9: Building Systems (10-14%)
Question 9
On a humid morning, an office air handler's dry-bulb economizer opens to 100% outdoor air. Outdoor air is 20°C with an enthalpy of 54 kJ/kg; return air is 24°C with an enthalpy of 48 kJ/kg. Verified sensors show that mechanical cooling demand increases. Supply airflow, supply-air conditions, and occupied-space requirements are unchanged. Which operating change addresses the cause while preserving ventilation?
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Correct answer: D - Return to the required minimum outdoor airflow; the outdoor air carries more total heat.
Domain 10: Industrial Process and Utility Equipment (7-11%)
Question 10
A packaging actuator needs at least 95 psig to operate reliably. During a sustained production run, the compressed-air header remains at 110 psig. Simultaneous gauges read 108 psig immediately before the actuator branch's filter and 84 psig immediately after it. Other production areas operate normally, and the compressors have unused capacity. Where should corrective work be concentrated?
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Correct answer: C - On correcting excessive pressure loss across the branch filter.