Regional Energy Baselines and Measurement and Verification Protocols: Subtask 3.1 for the Southern Energy Efficiency Center

Abstract

The Southern Energy Efficiency Center (SEEC) was established to substantially increase the deployment of high-performance “beyond-code” buildings across the southern region of the U.S. It is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Building Technologies Program, and administered by the National Energy Technology Laboratory. The goal of the first 18-month phase was to address efficiency goals of states, utilities, and various energy-efficiency programs. In order to achieve this goal, the project efforts included defining the baseline energy patterns within the project region, as well as the measurement and verification (M&V) protocols for use in determining the efficiency improvements SEEC, state and USDOE efforts with respect to that baseline. This work is defined under the SEEC Subtask 3.1 Define Regional Baselines and Measurement & Verification Protocols. This report presents preliminary deliverables of this subtask developed and documented by the Energy Systems Laboratory (ESL) for use by the SEEC member state region. The primary goal of this subtask is to provide the state energy offices with a comparison tool of energy use either by total or per-capita. This tool is expected to allow the state energy offices to compare their energy use pattern against other states’ and the national average energy use by end-use sector. In addition, they can use this tool for a comparison of energy use within their states by end-use and by fuel-source. Another goal of this subtask is to demonstrate the usability of public-available data such as the U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Information Agency (DOE EIA) data sets and the U.S. Census Bureau data sets. This approach has been successfully demonstrated by ESL as part of the Comptroller of Public Accounts and the State Energy Conservation Office report on Texas Energy Future. Limited preliminary analysis of the data was made since it was not a project goal. The data provides the basis by which extensive state by state analysis can begin. In addition, the recommended measurement and verification (M&V) protocols for an individual building or facility, ASHRAE/CIBSE/USGBC Performance Measurement Protocols (PMP) for Commercial Buildings, can be used as a bottom-up approach for energy efficiency improvements of buildings within the SEEC 12-state region.