Evaluation Measurement and Verification

Funding for energy efficiency (EE) has grown tremendously in recent years, but the increased financial and, in some cases, regulatory stakes have raised the level of scrutiny of EE projects and programs.

Ensuring Energy Savings Are Realized

Taxpayers, ratepayers, shareholders and property owners want to know if they are “getting their money's worth” from investments in energy efficiency. Further, policy makers seek assurances that the programs are delivering energy savings and other benefits, such as air pollution and greenhouse gas reductions and enhanced electric grid reliability.

It is the role of evaluation, measurement and verification to answer these questions. This is a tough task. There is no way to connect a meter and measure energy not consumed because a given EE project was implemented. Instead, energy savings must be estimated using such approaches as field measurements, energy bill analysis, user surveys and self-reporting, assumed savings for certain standard equipment, and modeling. EM&V practitioners must be attuned to issues of precision, accuracy, statistical significance, and cost. And often there are judgment calls. EM&V is technically complex, but it is an art as well as a science.