Documenting consistent measurement techniques and reporting standards for DEM-funded energy efficiency projects is a vital step in facilitating judicious project selection and efficient program management. In agency applications for DEM project funding, the use of measurements (as opposed to general assumptions) yields more accurate estimates for baseline consumption and expected avoided energy use. Measurements promote a verifiable methodology that enhances the validity of the application and a best practice that is aligned with the City’s goals.
Prioritizing Appropriate, Necessary Measurements
The primary goal of collecting measurements is to establish a reasonable characterization of the system before and after the retrofit in a simple, non-invasive, and replicable manner. This involves collecting data that reasonably document the operational patterns and energy consumption using tools available from the NYC Energy Tools equipment library. This guide is appropriate for a project where the International Performance Measurement and Verification Protocol (IPMVP) Option A or Option B for retrofit isolation is being used. Option A and B require direct or proxy measurements of some or all the key variables associated with the implementation of an ECM.
An engineering problem, such as measuring the amount of energy used by a piece of equipment or a system, can be solved using many different techniques. These guides provide a primary recommendation for direct or proxy measurements of key system variables. It is understood that other techniques may be more appropriate for specific situations and that the user can adjust these recommendations based on the specific details of the project they are undertaking.
The measurement processes outlined in this guide were established to meet four key criteria and to standardize GHG reduction reporting across City facilities and agencies. Measurements should be:
Reasonable
These measurements will not reflect the exact annual energy consumption of a device or system. Rather, they are expected to represent a reasonable characterization of the annual energy consumption and are generally normalized either by measured operation or weather-dependent variables such as outdoor air temperature (OAT). When measurements are being taken before and after a retrofit, the measurement techniques may change based upon the characteristics of the ECM, but both techniques are expected to provide equally reasonable results.
Replicable and Consistent
A key goal is to provide methodologies that are easily replicable by a wide range of users who have varying degrees of familiarity with the facility’s operations and system configuration. This guide has multiple measurement strategies with differing levels of accuracy, however the results from any of these strategies are consistent enough to enable comparison across ECMs or facilities.
Simple
The measurement strategies and processes in this guide are intended to be as minimally invasive as possible, and relatively easy to set up. Setup time for most measurements should be less than an hour; however, in some cases, specialized personnel such as electricians operating engineers should be engaged to assist with the installation of measurement equipment. This guide highlights methods of data collection that do not interfere with regular system operation and that are not excessively difficult to perform, and the tools used for measurements can be borrowed from NYC energy Tools. The guides also provide standardized demonstrations for equipment setup, data collection protocols, and post-processing of the data to develop estimates of annual energy consumption.
Purpose-driven
While there may be different reasons for collecting these measurements (conducting full M&V, identifying preliminary avoided energy estimates, fault detection diagnostics, etc.), all methodologies represent the intent to estimate annual energy consumption and associated emissions.
Taking measurements provides verification of the two key variables associated with energy consumption in facilities: 1) operating schedule; and 2) energy used by the system when operating. Measuring operational variation in energy consumption over time, and other variables like OAT, allow for short term measurements to be extrapolated to a seasonal or annual estimate of energy consumption. For example, measuring a boiler can reveal the general time of day when the boiler is used in the facility, and how often it operates with respect to OAT. Given a range of measurements under varying temperatures, a reasonable model of operation can be developed and applied to all times that the boiler is used over the course of an entire heating season.
Application, Baseline, and Post-Retrofit Measurements
Given the typical timeline of DEM-funded projects, measurements can be taken at three different stages:
Project identification and scoping
These measurements help to generally characterize the system operation and energy consumption and can be used with other engineering calculations to develop estimates of avoided energy use for a given ECM. Depending on the timing of the project development and the season, these measurements might only encompass several weeks of a year.
Project approval and implementation
Once the decision has been made to proceed with the project, a more comprehensive baseline measurement may be appropriate. The measurement technique and tools will likely be identical, but measurement duration is extended to verify the assumptions that went into the initial analysis. Longer measurement periods can provide more accurate estimates of annual energy consumption, especially in systems that vary due to changes in a key variable such as OAT.
Post-implementation
Post-retrofit measurements provide verification that the ECM is installed and operating as designed and are used to estimate avoided energy use. The measurement techniques may differ from the application or baseline measurements, especially if the ECM changed key system characteristics. For example, a lighting retrofit that added a lighting control system to some fixtures, yielding a change in their hours of operation, may require a different set of sensors to quantify this change compared to lighting fixtures without controls.
Direct and Proxy Measurements
There are two types of measurements used in the M&V guides:
Direct Measurement
A direct measurement specifies a quantity of the exact item being measured. For example, a current transformer provides a direct measurement of the current through a wire. The coincident voltage and power factor can also be directly measured to calculate the true RMS power (kW) being used by the system or device.
Proxy Measurement
A proxy measurement provides an indication of the system operation but does not directly measure the quantity in question. For example, a motor runtime logger on the draft fan of a boiler provides a proxy measurement for the actual firing of the boiler. The draft fan motor typically runs before the fuel valve opens for a series of internal safety checks during the period when the boiler is firing and also runs for a period of time after the fuel valve has shut off. By subtracting the pre- and post-firing runtime, a proxy measurement for the actual firing time can be calculated.
Measurement Uncertainty
Sources of measurement uncertainty can include the accuracy of measurement devices, translation of the measured data into models that are used to project longer term energy consumption, and measurement of a non-representative sample of ECMs.
Measurement accuracy is improved by using high quality and properly calibrated equipment. Typically, the recommended measurement equipment yields measurement errors of less than 2% and may often be significantly lower than 1%. As such, measurement error is typically negligible. CUNY BPL has worked to develop robust measurements and associated models that further reduce error. CUNY BPL has not developed tools to develop statistically valid sample sizes to achieve a desired error at a specific confidence interval; therefore, the recommended approach is to identify measurement points in the applicable system to capture the largest percentage of the total connected load as possible. This will allow for quantification of both the peak power draw of the system and operational variations that exist in the system.