Measuring energy savings for modernization projects
- Cowan Quality Buildings, Toronto, Ontario (Canada)
- Schiller Associates, Oakland, CA (United States)
Energy savings are often used to help finance a facility`s modernization program. The process of determining these savings has come under the microscope as facility owners often pay energy service companies based on savings measurements. Unfortunately, financiers and facility owners usually do not appreciate that determination of savings is an Art, subject to discretion. To them, savings are determined by accountants subtracting one year`s costs from another year`s costs. For those wishing to properly quantify avoided cost, engineering judgments must be added to this simplistic subtraction process. How do you measure something you don`t have? This is the challenge in measuring energy savings. The absence of energy use cannot be measured. However, energy savings can be determined indirectly, using measurements of the presence of energy use, engineering judgment and analysis. This article summarizes the state of the art in savings measurement, particularly as it may be applied by an energy service company (ESCO) in an energy performance contract.
- OSTI ID:
- 538141
- Journal Information:
- ASHRAE Journal, Vol. 39, Issue 8; Other Information: PBD: Aug 1997
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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