How do you track the impact of your energy-saving efforts?

One of the good practices for calculating the baseline of the building is to identify the relevant and variable factors, including: outdoor temperature and humidity, the number of operating hours for the building (employees attendance, hours of operation of the chillers + lighting) and then compare the electricity bills with the electricity meters inside the building. To calculate a baseline with the lowest error rate, the building can be simulated and compared with the actual baseline and the final baseline setting.

"If your not measuring it, you cannot manage it?" Now measuring can be expensive so we use simple solutions easily installed. Energy Star does a great job but is too wide, gotta narrow it to each energy consuming load - like HVAC. The you can really solve the problem.

In terms of factories, baselining is usually the past trends, measuring operational efficiencies with random samples, calculating KPIs based on past data, utility bills, operational load of plant / volume / output etc.

While setting a baseline for an organization, one of the key factors is to understand how much your building consumes when the occupancy is near zero. That will determine what is your base load and then how much energy consumption occurs when other factors like occupants and outdoor temperature come into the picture. Considering these factors always helps in determining the base load with +-5% accuracy. P.S: The rise in energy consumption with the rise in occupancy is not linear, it totally depends on how the occupants are spread out in the building.

Start measuring energy consumption of various electrical equipments in the premises and track them over time.., Study the data and see abnormalities and take corrective action to see improvement in energy usage and costs saving. This can easily be done with so many affordable IOT and Energy monitoring SAAS Platforms available in the market..

We can't improve what we don't measure! In monitoring three key important things are; 1 - maintain a consistent frequency of obtaining data (hourly, monthly, yearly or more granular like 5mins), 2 - Maintain data quality (avoiding any data anomalies) 3 - Good record keeping and avoid human error. Use technology to gather and store data

The same KPIs, operational efficiency measurements will help you monitor on consistent basis with certain basis of assumptions. These will help you identify a long range or a short range plan which will help you define a path to decrease or sustain the energy consumption or in certain cases monitor the increase which may be due to increased load due to new machinery, additional volume etc. A good approach is to always go for a process energy modelling technique which works just like IPO (Input Processing Output)

Depending on the type of baseline you have set, you may have to measure not just your own project, but a reference base case as well; a control group. On few occasions, setting a fixed baseline is feasible, whereas in other cases you have a variable baseline, in which case you should monitor both your and this other control group. For example, when you are implementing large scale energy efficient cookstove projects, you not only measure the operating efficiency of the cookstoves, but also the usage of baseline type cookstoves over the same period, so that you can clearly assess the difference.

To monitor the performance in an excellent way, the savings must be calculated on a monthly basis and comparing with same interval of baseline, this gives an impression of the final savings at the end of the year and also gives you an impression of the extent of the energy performance in the building so that it is easy for you to identify any emergency that may hinder the annual savings targets to be achieved and dealt with quickly.

The International Performance Measurement and Verification Protocol (IPMVP) sets forth standards for objectively measuring energy savings. There are a few different methods (A, B, C, and D) that can be applied to different energy efficiency measures to show how they have affected energy consumption.

We need to analyse our data against 1 - benchmarks - so we know how we operate compared to the others with similar parameters 2 - our baseline - so we know we have performed against our own benchmarks 3 - our targets - so we can see where we are against our targets Analysing results gives some great insights for - further energy saving measures, - helps us to identify our abnormal energy usages, - energy wastage from our end & - potential behaviroul changes

The key is not just one-time measurement, but a continuous trend. Doing just one month of measurement does not reflect an accurate assessment, as there may be externalities that have influenced your use or non-use of energy. When you do it consistently over a period of time, you will then be able to identify a trend, and thereby assess the overall impact of your energy efficiency measures.

Sometimes, measures don't have the same impact in real life that they showed during the energy calculations - and that's ok! This is why it is critical to periodically perform measurement and verification (M&V) and adjust the plan if savings goals aren't being met. Once, we discovered a client wasn't meeting energy savings because they had stopped implementing an unoccupied setback measure. Their reasoning was that in the summer, the building was too humid in the morning when the building became occupied. By adding in an optimal start sequence to the HVAC controls, they were willing to give the unoccupied setback measure another try!

If you are focusing on financial savings, one important aspect to keep in mind is time of use. Many countries and jurisdictions have tariffs / fees that vary during the day. Energy is typically cheaper during the night and in the middle of the afternoon and more expensive in the early morning and late afternoon / early evening. Taking that into consideration, it is worth investigating if some loads can be shifted. For instance, you can adjust your HVAC system during the summer to cool down your building 1 or 2 degrees below the ideal adjustment after lunch and set it to 1 or 2 degrees above the ideal in the late afternoon.

Today, technology is developing rapidly. The simulation process is done more accurately in energy analysis software. Equipment for measuring energy consumption with more facilities and accuracy is being built. In this way, the learning process must be continuous and in synchro with the advancement of technology. That is, how to use the best method in energy management.

Smart meters wi fi operated are showing the consumption of electricity and fuel (gas) here in UK.This helps in monitoring the consumption for control purposes.

At its simplest the baseline should be over a few years to average out weather considerations. Better yet do some regression analysis against basic weather data, also factor additional (or reductions) in square footage, staffing and other relevant levels. Considering these factors and getting a better understanding of how the affect energy consumption not only gives a better baseline, but a better understanding of how your facility uses energy. In selling the effort look up some basic cost accounting and do a usage variance. In its simplest form difference in utility usage from the baseline times current unit costs. Do each energy source separately.

As important or even more important than having indicators and a baseline is having traceability and confidence in that data. If the data comes from uncalibrated sources, if it is taken at irregular intervals, if the data collection is not systematic, the subsequent analysis will suffer from flaws. Any statement about the evolution of the indicators, about the fulfillment of objectives, about the improvements achieved may be questioned if the data that gave rise to them does not come from reliable sources or does not have clear traceability. That is why we must dedicate time to understanding where the basic data comes from, how it is collected, who collects it, when, how often, where it is recorded, what treatment is given to it afterwards.

Energy-not-wasting. One of quite a few problems with this article is its title, which perpetuates the failed concept of energy being saved. By finding ways to use less energy to get the job done (an entire topic of its own) you are not "saving" energy. What you are doing is finding ways to not waste as much energy, or, in an ideal situation, to not waste any energy at all. The term "energy-not-wasting" is cumbersome, but it is both more accurate and more motivating than "energy saving". Suggestions for a better term than "energy-not-wasting" are welcome!

Energy Savings Initiatives don't always result in double-digit savings percentages. We generally neglect the energy-saving opportunity because the impact will be around 2-3%, but that also matters. Few initiatives like these and BOOM, you have reached your target of 10% energy savings.

An example with this is also monitor the energy consumption of each of the big appliance. We can star by using the energy label of the appliance. Also we can try to organize the loads in the distribution panels, that way we can identified the electricity circuits and the loads these circuits are feeding and do the corrections as necessary. Use other source of energy as saving can also work, ie solar panels. They may produce a big amount of energy depending of the space you have. One good thing solar panel have, is that some technologies may help you to monitor your consumption as well as your solar production.

LED lighting and smart thermostats is valuable. Also, understanding human behaviour plays a crucial role. For instance, a community initiative where residents were shown their neighbours' energy savings can significantly reduce overall energy consumption. Lastly, integrating renewable energy sources, like a school using solar panels, not only cuts costs but also educates about sustainable practices. These examples underscore the multifaceted approach needed for effective energy management.