In This Issue
Heat Meters Using Ultrasonic Flow Measurement
Measurement & Verification: At the Core of Energy Performance Contracting
November 2021 - M&V Focus Issue # 9
EVO's IPMVP Non-Routine Events and Adjustments application guide (NRE/A Guide) was used by Amir Kamandlooie, Scott Rouse, and Lucas Oliveira of Energy@Work to verify energy savings during COVID. Non-Routine Adjustment (NRA) Method #2, #6, and #10 were used to help Toronto Hydro verify 16,717,742 kWh across 21 commercial offices from 2017 to December 31, 2020. This article reports results for one of these buildings.
Vilnis Verma explains how clamp-on ultrasonic flow meters were fitted to measure cooling energy as part of a measurement and verification project. Preliminary analysis in the early weeks of the project showed that all was not well: there were big apparent performance swings unrelated to what M&V experts knew was going on in the plant—an interesting case of the importance of the human factor in M&V.
The energy transition calls for rational use of all forms of energy, and resulting energy savings must be credibly validated with recognized Measurement and Verification (M&V) techniques. This is particularly important for projects performed under the Energy Performance Contracting (EPC) business model. Pierre Langlois and Denis Tanguay explain how M&V activities are at the core of energy efficiency projects and discuss the role of M&V in EPC.
Bill Koran presents an interesting application of M&V for a residential building located in Boise, Idaho. He reports on an HVAC system upgrade and explains how he used the ECAM spreadsheet add-in to analyze energy use in the building.
Finally, Denis Tanguay illustrates a sad case where energy savings did not translate into financial savings. The case study presents a ground-source heat pump system installed many years ago. He shows the importance of gathering the appropriate information before installing an energy efficiency measure, during its installation, and during the performance period.
Using EVO's Non-Routine Adjustment (NRA) Methods to Quantify Electricity Savings During the 2020 Pandemic
By Amir Kamandlooie*, Scott Rouse**, and Lucas Oliveira***
Energy@Work is sharing its experience to help unleash the potential for economic energy efficiency (EE) within the commercial office sector. By following EVO's IPMVP Non-Routine Events and Adjustments application guide (NRE/A Guide), we implemented Non-Routine Adjustment (NRA) Method #2, #6, and #10 to help Toronto Hydro verify 16,717,742 kWh across 21 commercial offices from 2017 to December 31, 2020. The avoided electricity savings is equivalent to the average annual electricity use of 1,922 Ontario homes.
Heat Meters Using Ultrasonic Flow Measurement
By Vilnis Verma *
Clamp-on ultrasonic flow meters are tricky things to deploy and I always get a sinking feeling when somebody says they’re going to use them. In this case they were fitted to measure cooling energy as part of a measurement and verification project. Provisional analysis in the early weeks of the project showed that all was not well: there were big apparent swings in performance, which were unrelated to what we knew was going on on the plant.
Measurement & Verification: At the Core of Energy Performance Contracting
By Pierre Langlois* and Denis Tanguay**
For decades, specialists worldwide have estimated cost-effective investments in energy efficiency (EE) in billions of dollars annually. Yet only a fraction of this vast potential has been exploited. The EPC business model, implemented by ESCOs, has long been identified as a method to deliver the large-scale implementation of EE projects. Since an EPC implies that the remuneration of an ESCO will be tied in some ways to the performance of the implemented projects, it requires that parties involved have a high level of trust in the information on which the payments are based. To create such confidence in EPCs, building owners and financiers need some hardcore evidence of their benefits. EPC is an innovative EE projects implementation scheme where M&V plays a crucial role in demonstrating that energy savings will be sufficient to meet project costs.
Energy Savings from New HVAC with Variable Flow and Capacity, and Higher SEER, at a home near Boise, Idaho, USA
By Bill Koran*
The residence is a new home first occupied in November 2019. The original HVAC met the 2018 International Energy Code. The home was setup for two zones—downstairs and upstairs—with zone valves controlling which zone received airflow based on the call from the thermostats. The fixed capacity heating and cooling system maintained space temperature setpoints. The challenge of satisfying two dissimilar zones with single-capacity equipment resulted in issues with supply air temperatures in both heating and cooling. It also resulted in very high noise levels in the smaller zone when it was calling for heating or cooling. Also of great importance, the system often operated outside of its specification limits for temperature rise in the furnace.
Not all Savings are Created Equal
By Denis Tanguay*
When you decide to install an energy efficiency measure in a facility, you must make several hypotheses concerning the equipment performance and prospective scenarios on energy prices and their escalation rates. But these are assumptions, and as such, they do not always materialize. The equipment may not perform as expected. And energy prices may take some unexpected directions. Hence the necessity for inherent risk management.
