Product Spotlight: Measurement and Verification

When investing in new equipment or a new operational strategy for your business, it is imperative to measure & verify your savings. Measurement and verification is the process of quantifying the energy and cost savings resulting from ECMs, which can include new equipment (e.g. high-efficiency chillers, LED lights, low flow toilets, etc.), operational changes (e.g. temperature set points, night ventilation, pre-cooling, etc.), controls (energy management systems, automated temperature adjustments, etc.), and other energy saving projects.

Our M&V module can handle the analytics, where meter readings and any necessary independent variable(s) data are integrated and analyzed to automate your M&V calculations, so you can ensure that your energy efficiency projects are meeting their goals. Energy conservation measures and efficiency projects are tracked within WatchWire and measured and verified according to IPMVP and ASHRAE Guideline 14-2014. Designed by AEE-accredited Certified Measurement and Verification Professionals (CMVP), our M&V module processes both IPMVP Option B and C analysis, depending on the data ingested.

You can use the Measurement and Verification section to track any plan you may have to reduce energy usage and save money, giving you continuous updates on how much energy and money you save each month.

• Track all invoice and metering data in real-time
• Easily uncover any inconsistencies
• Report successful projects directly to sustainability reports

How it works 

Module: M&V

View and Create new projects easily in the designated M&V module. Have access to high-level project summaries showing performance, return on investment, and more details.

• M&V Dashboard: WatchWire’s measurement & verification project dashboard offers a high-level view of all active or completed efficiency projects.
• M&V Analysis: All projects are measured and verified according to IPMVP and ASHRAE Guideline 14-2014. Designed by an AEE-accredited Certified Measurement and Verification Professional (CMVP), our M&V module processes both IPMVP Option B and C analysis, depending on the data fed to the module.
  • Option B utilizes sub-metering and/or equipment-level metering for retrofit isolation
  • Option C utilizes invoice and/or whole building interval data, combined with cost data from the utility invoice
  • Data is regressed against weather and occupancy variables (similar to the budgeting process), and then consumption/demand is projected to report what usage would have been in the absence of the efficiency project
  • Current period costs are projected based on the projected usage/demand and the marginal unit cost in the current billing period
  • The savings (cost and energy avoidance) is the difference between what was projected and the actual metered consumption
  • Relevant statistics necessary for compliance with ASHRAE Guideline 14-2014, such as model CV(RMSE), are provided by the platform
• M&V Analytics: WatchWire provides analytics for total dollar savings/cost avoidance, carbon impact, energy savings, and return on investment.
• Non-Routine Adjustments: In the cases where the project is seeing low or negative savings, there may have been non-routine adjustments that need to be considered in the project’s M&V analysis. Non-routine adjustments can be entered directly into the M&V analysis.
• Reporting: M&V project performance reports can be run directly in WatchWire’s reporting module.

Use Cases

Energy Managers and Procurement teams will find our M&V features to be particularly useful. Managing new energy conservation projects and retrofits is a crucial piece in properly managing the energy efficiency of a facility or organization. As these managers implement conservation measures, monitor energy consumption, assess business decisions for sustainability, and seek out opportunities for increasing energy efficiency, they will find that the m&v module is a comprehensive and easy-to-use roll-up of all the necessary performance data and savings making it easy to coordinate future renovations and retrofits.

Importance

When measuring and verifying efficiency projects, it is not enough to simply review year-over-year utility bills (e.g. July this year vs. July last year).  Several factors may have changed that can have huge impacts on the energy conservation measure (ECM) performance: occupancy (offices, hospitals, hotels, schools, etc.), production (manufacturing, industrial), operating schedules, weather, etc.  The measurement and verification of efficiency projects is part science, part art, and is critical in determining the energy, water, and cost savings that result from the installation of ECMs.

Whether recommended or required, measurement and verification processes provide benefits well beyond their costs (which are typically 2-5% of projected annual savings):

• Allocate risks between the contractor and the customer
• Accurately assess energy savings and persistence of savings for a project
• Reduce uncertainties to reasonable levels
• Aid in monitoring equipment performance
• Identify additional savings
• Improve operations and maintenance (O&M

About WatchWire

WatchWire is a market-leading sustainability and energy data management platform that uses cloud-based software to collect, automize, and analyze utility, energy, and sustainability data metrics. WatchWire streamlines, automates, and standardizes your sustainability reporting process by integrating directly and/or providing reporting exports to ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager, LEED Arc, GRESB, CDP, SASB, GRI, and more. The platform provides customizable dashboards, which allow asset managers, sustainability managers, engineers, and more to monitor individual key performance indicators (KPIs) and create custom views for specific use cases. WatchWire provides:

• Automatic collection of energy, utility, sustainability, and emissions data through real-time metering. The data is then fully audited and organized in one place
• GHG emissions tracking
• Goal tracking (e.g., Net Zero, SBTi, waste diversion)
• Carbon offset view of power purchases from the grid vs. on-site renewables generated vs. off-site RECs.
• Opportunities to implement projects (track EEMs) and monitor distributed energy resource production (e.g. on-site solar)

To discover more about WatchWire and its capabilities, you can visit our website, blog, or resource library, request a demo, or follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, or Twitter to keep up-to-date on the latest energy and sustainability insights, news, and resources.