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em&v

Sep 08
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Evaluation, Measurement and Verification; From a Neander Cave

By Energy Rant No Comments
A title like Lies, Damned Lies and Modeling: Energy Efficiency’s Problem With Tracking Savings sounds like a natural fit for The Energy Rant, and in this regard, it did not disappoint.  Contributions to the article can be summarized as follows: professionals serving the evaluation, measurement and verification (EM&V) business are Neanderthals.  Having just discovered the open flame, these grunting upright creatures appear to be working on their next great discovery: rolling objects. Okay smarty pants.  The challenges for EM&V professionals can be boiled down to two words: Money Access  Little Money The article describes the fact that too much EM&V…
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Mar 21
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Image shows a graphic of stacked books with "Energy Rant" on the spine. Next to graphic is text displaying: "The Book of Energy Program Evaluation - Tssssss"

The Book on Energy Program Evaluation – Tssssss

By Energy Rant No Comments
Although, or maybe because Michaels Energy has provided research and evaluation services for about 25 years, I’ve been a consistent critic of evaluation, measurement, and verification (EMV), and I’ll tell you why in several chapters. Chapter 1 Resource Acquisition Evaluation methodologies are predominately based on widget programs, also known as resource acquisition programs. The hypothesis is this: efficient equipment costs more, and that extra cost is the barrier. How to mitigate or remove the barrier? Pay down the incremental cost with a rebate after the purchase or incentive before the purchase. It’s that simple and dumb. The simpleton approach to…
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Jul 06
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Hidden Barriers to Energy Efficiency

By The Big Why of Evaluation
At their core, energy efficiency programs exist to help the market overcome barriers preventing the adoption of energy-efficient equipment or behaviors. Some barriers, like the high first cost of equipment, are obvious and often targeted, but they may mask other obstacles that are even harder to overcome. Better understanding and addressing these overlooked barriers can help programs increase their participation and savings. Commonly Addressed Barriers When developing a program, the program administrator should create a program theory/logic model (PTLM) to list the barriers preventing the adoption of energy efficiency, followed by the activities to help the market overcome these barriers, then the…
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May 11
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The Case of the Wonky Solar Data

By The Big Why of Evaluation
No matter the methodology, we calculate energy savings or production using data. Sometimes, however, the data is missing or appears to be an outlier due to a variety of reasons. When this occurs we need to figure out why and how to fix it. Let’s dig into a recent issue with my solar panels as an example. The Backstory I am an unapologetic energy nerd. So it is no surprise that I love regularly looking at the online data dashboard for my home’s solar PV system. I find it so interesting that, despite the hour-to-hour changes in weather in New…
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Apr 13
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End of the Year Crunch: Does the Timing of Projects Affect Their Savings?

By The Big Why of Evaluation No Comments
When evaluating commercial and industrial (C&I) energy efficiency programs, it often seems like the most extensive and complicated projects (those most likely to be adjusted during our review) come in at the end of the year. Is that the case, or is that just selective memory? I wasn’t sure, so I decided to investigate. Making Waves Evaluations of C&I programs are often conducted in waves for several reasons. First, they provide more “real-time” feedback to program implementers to make changes to the program as quickly as possible. Segmenting projects into waves also spreads the evaluation work over a more extended…
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Mar 28
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Decoding Code Compliance, Part 2

By The Big Why of Evaluation No Comments
In Part 1, we covered what energy code programs do and different ways of measuring code compliance. In this part, we will examine the steps needed to estimate program savings. Code adoption and compliance change over time. To estimate savings, we must consider the counterfactual of what would have happened if the program did not exist. When would a code have been adopted and how would building practices have changed over time? These are not easy questions, but let’s dig in. If Only It Was So Easy Recently I was looking through the Rhode Island TRM and chuckled when I found this description…
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