Below is a list of articles and links related to Energy Savings and Metering that could help you in defining your cost reduction strategy. Most of these articles were published by government, universities or unbiased organizations. Many of these articles have guided EnergyToBill in our approach to solving our customer challenges.
Why is sub-metering important in reducing your energy cost. Many people think the main purpose of sub-metering is to invoice tenants for their energy consumption. It is much much more. In fact billing a tenant using sub-metering may not necessarily motivate him to reduce its energy foot print unless we can show him what are the potential savings and where he should focus his attention.
Sub-metering is the first step in understanding your power usage. It provides data which can be analyzed to determine:
a) how much energy each building systems (HVAC, hot water, process equipment, computers, lighting) is using, how is that energy split through out the day, the week or the year. How much energy is used in relation to overall building occupency.
b) comparing each system energy consumption with best in class will help you determine what are the potential savings, what should be the priorities, what target to set and how we will monitor the progress and make adjustments as we go along.
c) Sub-metering data can help you quickly identify when a system is out of tune, when it needs adjustment, maintenance or repair.
d) Energy-metering-as-a-service can reduce or eliminate the up-front cost of sub-metering
At EnergyToBill we can help you defining your energy saving strategy. We offer Energy-metering-as-a-service which means that the up-front cost of meter installation are paid on a monthly fee based on the target savings. Below are some unbiased articles on energy savings and sub-metering. Enjoy your reading!
1-Six Ways Submetering Improves Energy Insight
Published by the Facility Executive Magazine, this article describes how Energy meters in facilities can help reduce energy consumption, cut costs, and increase sustainability https://facilityexecutive.com/2020/02/energy-meters-six-ways-submetering-improves-energy-insight/
2-Assessing the implication of sub-metering with energy analytics to building energy saving
Published by the University of Colorado, this paper analyze the effect of the depth 0f sub-metering (i.e., from the whole-building level to system level tp equipment level and further to sensor level) on the energy savings that can be achieved in energy analytics or energy information system implementations. 21 case (building portfolio) were analyzed to determine the relationship between in depth sub-metering and energy savings achieved. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/335628142_Assessing_the_implications_of_submetering_with_energy_analytics_to_building_energy_savings
3-The Short Guide for Energy Monitoring
Published by the Washington State University Energy Program, This short article takes a look at submetering for energy management purposes. It discusses why and when to submeter, benefits and considerations of submetering, planning and installations, and a cursory look at some different types of equipment. How to interpret submeter data for energy management measures is not discussed. While the focus is on electrical submetering, there is some information on types of meters for natural gas, steam, water, and heated-water and chilled-water circulation. http://www.energy.wsu.edu/Portals/0/Documents/A_Short_Guide_to_Submetering-April2019-FINAL.pdf
4-Building Energy-Retrofit Projects and Submetering – How electric submeters can help facility operator’s measure, verify, and report energy performance
Article published by the EC&M (Electrical Construction and maintenance magazine https://www.ecmweb.com/maintenance-repair-operations/metering-monitoring/article/20896287/building-energyretrofit-projects-and-submetering
5-Energy Information Handbook – Applications for Energy-Efficient Building Operation.
This handbook was developed by the Berkelay Lab (University of California) and sponsored by the US Government. There are many methods and tools to identify where best to focus your energy-efficiency efforts. But with so many options, where do you start? This handbook will give you the information you need to plan an energy-management strategy that works for your building making it more energy efficient. https://buildings.lbl.gov/publications/energy-information-handbook
6-IVMPV Core Concepts
IVMPV stands for International Performance Measurement and Verification Protocol. It is published by the Efficiency Valuation Organization (EVO, www.evo.world.org) and aim at ensuring the accurate assessment of investment in energy and water efficiency, demand management and renewable energy project around the world. https://evo-world.org/en/general/1897-x-ipmvp-core-concepts-statutory-review-copy-1/file
7-Comment Implanter la Gestion de l’énergie dans les immeubles
Publié par le Gouvernement du Québec. Mieux gérer l’énergie, c’est d’abord et avant tout savoir poser le bon diagnostic sur l’état de vos installations et leur potentiel d’amélioration; il faut aussi savoir reconnaître et saisir les économies possibles en faisant une bonne planification et en réunissant une équipe dévouée qui travaillera à maximiser les occasions favorables dans une perspective d’amélioration continue. Pour ce faire, il est essentiel d’avoir une vision claire sur la façon d’y parvenir et une stratégie adaptée à vos besoins. Il faut aussi savoir utiliser efficacement les outils de suivi, de contrôle et d’aide à la prise de décision. Enfin, il est important de mobiliser une équipe qualifiée qui sera en mesure de faire les suivis et les contrôles nécessaires pour entreprendre les actions qui s’imposent. https://transitionenergetique.gouv.qc.ca/fileadmin/medias/pdf/batiment/TEQ-04-2018-Guide-implanter-gestion-energie-immeubles.pdf
8-Field Evaluation of Performance of HVAC Optimization System in Commercial Buildings
This study was developed by the Berkelay Lab (University of California) and sponsored by the US Government. New smart building technologies that offer continuous dynamic optimization of Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) control hold promise to advance building operations for efficiency and grid response. These technologies use data from the control system to determine the analytically optimal setpoints, and then write back the optimal setpoints into the control system to minimize system energy consumption or costs. There are limited studies documenting field validations of these technologies. This paper presents the results from a long-term field evaluation of a model-predictive HVAC optimization system that installed in four commercial buildings. https://eta-publications.lbl.gov/sites/default/files/10.1016_j.enbuild.2019.05.048.pdf
9-Building analytics and monitoring-based commissioning: industry practice, costs, and savings
Published by the Berkelay Lab (University of California) and sponsored by the US Government. As building energy and system-level monitoring becomes more common, facilities teams are faced with an overwhelming amount of data. This data does not typically lead to insights, corrective actions, and energy savings unless it is stored, organized, analyzed, and prioritized in automated ways. The Smart Energy Analytics Campaign is a public-private sector partnership program focused on supporting commercially available energy management and information systems (EMIS) technology use and monitoring-based commissioning (MBCx) practices. MBCx is an ongoing commissioning process with focus on analyzing large amounts of data on a continuous basis. EMIS tools are used in the MBCx process to organize, present, visualize, and analyze the data https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s12053-019-09790-2.pdf
10-Submetering – Commercial Energy Policy Toolkit – Fact Sheet for Local Government
One of the most vexing issues facing energy managers and policymakers is the “split incentive,” in which building owners and tenants can not effectively distribute the rewards of energy conservation efforts. This is frequently due to communal utility usage via master meters wherein tenant usage is aggregated by design. Submetering helps to overcome the “split incentive” by ensuring that tenants can measure their individual energy and water consumption. A good policy enables greater and more targeted access to information while fairly and clearly allocating any associated costs for submetering to responsible parties. https://www.imt.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Commercial_Energy_Policy_Fact_Sheet_-_Submetering.pdf
11-Outils pour économiser l’énergie – Guide et outil de vérification énergétique
Le présent guide a été préparé par le Programme d’économie d’énergie dans l’industrie canadienne (PEEIC), un partenariat entre l’industrie canadienne et l’Office de l’efficacité énergétique de Ressources naturelles Canada. De plus, le guide a été élaboré conjointement avec les provinces et territoires. https://www.rncan.gc.ca/sites/oee.nrcan.gc.ca/files/files/pdf/guide-et-outil-de-verification-energetique.pdf