Advanced Measurement and Verification-Pilot Study

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A Pilot - Advanced Measurement and Verification

BACKGROUND

The CT utilities administer the state’s energy efficiency and demand management programs with the goal of reducing energy consumption in buildings. These programs also provide CT residents with cost savings, better air-quality, jobs, and electric grid improvements. To ensure that these programs continue to provide value to CT, evaluators track project energy savings. Generally, traditional methods can take more than a year to determine building energy savings. This pilot examines an approach to learn about building energy performance within months, or sooner than traditional methods.

PROJECT TEAM

Project Contact: Michele Melley, Associate Research Analyst, Michele.L.Melley@ct.gov 860 827-2621

Organizations: CT DEEP, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab (LBNL), Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships, Inc. (NEEP), Eversource, United Illuminating, U.S. DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.

State Partners: New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont

Audience: State energy offices, regulators, utilities, evaluators, system planners, facility managers.

THE PILOT STUDY

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) awarded the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) a grant to conduct a study that focused on piloting innovative technologies-while fostering partnerships with state energy offices, scientific research labs, businesses, and non-profit organizations. The pilot explored a new approach – “Advanced Measurement and Verification” – to quantify energy consumption and savings in buildings. These advanced, automated, data analysis tools use energy consumption data – such as high-frequency interval data, from advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) systems – to provide near real-time building-level information on energy usage. As part of this work, the team investigated whether these technologies could support a cost-effective and complimentary approach to traditional methods, for monitoring utility administered energy efficiency programs.

OBJECTIVES

To gain experience with advanced data collection and analytic tools in commercial and residential buildings – in an effort to streamline and compliment evaluation, measurement, and verification (EM&V) practices that provide support for the development of energy efficiency policies and markets.

The pilot intended to:

Test the use of advanced M&V (AM&V) and compare to traditional EM&V practice in terms of savings certainty, time frame, and other aspects;
Assess how advanced M&V tools are best coordinated with traditional evaluation;
Transfer knowledge to build regional capacity to implement emerging tools and practices; and
Share pilot results and resources to states through outreach, conferences, and publications.