This article systematizes the experience of conducting energy audits of production facilities and municipal establishments in the form of recommendations. The purpose of the analysis is to substantiate the criteria for an effective energy audit for thermal power stations. The object of the study is the formal and regulatory content of such criteria. The subject of the analysis (a prerequisite for objectification) is the systemic relationship of formal criteria with production efficiency. Based on the experience of energetic examinations, the general requirements for the subjects of the energy audit of thermal power stations are highlighted and the general approaches and the sequence of the analytical audit are recommended. It is generalized that the restoration and improvement of thermal power stations as elements of the Ukrainian energy system are cost-effectively provided that the relations between the customer and the energy auditor are transparent and open. From the perspective of energy management, the external on-site energy examination assesses the technical and economic performance of thermal power stations in a broad, comprehensive manner, identifying shortcomings and reserves, providing forecasting and determining the main areas of a thermal power station’s operation, and improving the plant’s reputation.