Utilities looking for deeper energy savings from complex, whole-building energy conservation projects want empirical evidence of real savings – measurement and verification that covers HVAC, lighting, plug loads, data centers, and more. Smart grid technology can help.

 

In this video, Joan Effinger, technical manager with PECI, describes a research paper looking at three interdependent questions:

• How much energy savings is required to enable accurate verification?

• How much uncertainty (or what confidence level) is acceptable?

• How long should the monitoring period be?

Joan Effinger Technical Manager PECI

Her presentation summarizes the results of case studies in three office and five grocery buildings. Among the findings:

• Three to six months of monitoring can suffice, although higher savings rates require shorter monitoring periods, and vice versa.

• Data is more reliable if the monitoring period includes a “swing season” (spring or fall).

 

The research paper also explores the need for an approved programmatic framework to help give whole-building M&V traction for verifying savings in commercial buildings. That framework should include pre-screening criteria for choosing the M&V method, setting the acceptable level of uncertainty, and choosing the methods for claiming savings.

November 2012