Terms & Definitions

Question 1

Adjusted Baseline Energy

Answer 1

The Baseline Period Energy, modified by Routine and Non-Routine Adjustments, to account for changes in conditions in the Reporting Period or defined normal conditions.

Question 2

Avoided Energy Consumption

Answer 2

Reduction in Energy Consumption, demand, or related cost that occurred relative to what measured energy (or demand) would have been without the Energy Efficiency Measure, most commonly determined under reporting period conditions. In some cases, avoided energy consumption may be determined under baseline conditions.

Question 3

Backcasting

Answer 3

Rarely used method of determining Avoided Energy Consumption where reporting period energy is adjusted to baseline period conditions.

Question 4

Baseline

Answer 4

Referring to (adjective) the systems, time period, energy use, or conditions that provide a reference to which performance of an Energy Efficiency Measure or measures can be compared.

Question 5

Baseline Adjustment

Answer 5

See Non-Routine Adjustment

Question 6

Baseline Period

Answer 6

A defined period of time chosen to represent the operation of the facility or system before the implementation of Energy Efficiency Measure(s).

Question 7

Baseline Period Energy (or Demand)

Answer 7

Energy Consumption (or demand) used within a defined measurement boundary occurring during the Baseline Period without adjustments.

Question 8

Commissioning

Answer 8

A quality-focused process for enhancing the delivery of a project which includes verifying and documenting that the facility and its systems and assemblies are planned, designed, installed, tested, operated, and maintained to meet the design intent.

Question 9

Confidence Level

Answer 9

Confidence level refers to the probability that the quoted range contains the true value.

Question 10

Demand

Answer 10

A measure of the rate at which work is done or energy is used when applied to a load.

Question 11

Energy Efficiency Measure (EEM)

Answer 11

An action or a set of actions designed to improve efficiency, reduce energy or water consumption, or manage demand, and sometimes referred to as an Energy Conservation Measure (ECM). In this document, the term EEM may include water, GHGs, energy generation, storage, or other targeted projects.

Question 12

Energy Consumption

Answer 12

Quantity of energy applied to a load in a specific period of time.

Question 13

Energy Influencing Factors

Answer 13

Operating conditions that can affect the energy use within a measurement boundary, including static factors and independent variables.

Question 14

Energy Performance Contract

Answer 14

An agreement between two or more parties where payment is based on achieving specified results, such as improvement in energy performance, reductions in GHG emissions, or energy costs, or the payback of investment within a stated period.

Question 15

Energy End-Use

Answer 15

Application of energy for a specific purpose which is not the production, transformation, or storage of energy. (Examples: Ventilation, lighting, heating, cooling, transportation, industrial processes, production lines.)

Question 16

Estimated Value

Answer 16

Parameter used in savings calculations determined through methods other than conducting measurements during the M&V period. The methods used to estimate values may range from engineering estimates derived from manufacturer ratings of equipment performance to measurements made during a different M&V period. Values derived from equipment performance tests or other measurements that are not made in situ are considered to be estimates for purposes of adherence with IPMVP.

Question 17

Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions

Answer 17

Carbon-containing gases such as carbon dioxide and methane which are emitted through the burning of fossil fuels in the production and distribution of energy. The emissions from within a measurement boundary can be expressed as weight units of carbon dioxide equivalent and are sometimes referred to generically as carbon emissions.

Question 18

Installation Period

Answer 18

A defined period of time during which the planned EEMs are installed.

Question 19

Independent Variable

Answer 19

A parameter that is expected to change regularly and has a measurable impact on Energy Consumption and/or Demand of a system or a facility.

Question 20

Interactive Effects

Answer 20

Any energy impacts created by an Energy Efficiency Measure that occur outside of the Measurement Boundary of the EEM and are not captured in the energy measurements.

Question 21

Key Parameter(s)

Answer 21

Critical variable(s) identified to have a significant impact on the energy savings associated with installing an Energy Efficiency Measure.

Question 22

Measurement and Verification (M&V)

Answer 22

Process of planning, measuring, collecting, and analyzing data to verify and report energy savings within a facility or facilities resulting from the implementation of EEMs. Savings commonly quantified include electricity consumption, electric demand, natural gas consumption, carbon emissions, water consumption, and may include utilities such as steam, energy generated, or other item to be verified as part of a sustainability or efficiency project.

Question 23

M&V Plan

Answer 23

A project-specific document detailing the methods, procedures, analyses, and reporting that will be conducted in the M&V periods to verify and report savings. IPMVP requirements for M&V Plans are described in Section 13.

Question 24

M&V Periods

Answer 24

Time period of interest for an M&V project, including the baseline, installation, and reporting periods.

Question 25

Measurement Boundary

Answer 25

Notional boundaries drawn around equipment, systems, or facilities to segregate those which are relevant to savings determination from those which are not. All Energy Consumption and/or Demand of equipment or systems used or generated within the boundary must be measured or estimated.

Question 26

Metering

Answer 26

The process of using meters to collect energy consumption, demand data or key parameter data over time using measurements.

Question 27

Non-Routine Adjustment

Answer 27

Individually engineered calculations to account for the energy effects within the Measurement Boundary due to changes in the Static Factors.

Question 28

Non-Routine Event

Answer 28

Unexpected changes in energy use within the measurement boundary resulting from changes in static factors, which are not accounted for in the energy savings calculations and are not related to the targeted energy project.

Question 29

Normalized Savings

Answer 29

Reduction in energy use, demand or cost that occurred in the reporting period, relative to what would have occurred if the facility had been equipped and operated as it was in the baseline period but under a fixed set of normal conditions.
These normal conditions may be a long-term average or those of any other chosen period of time (other than the baseline or reporting period, which result in avoided energy use instead of normalized savings.) Normalization involves using a statistically valid means of adjusting baseline and reporting period energy to a common set of meaningful conditions.

Question 30

Operational Verification

Answer 30

Verification that the Energy Efficiency Measures (EEMs) are installed and operating as intended and have the potential to generate savings.
Operational Verification may involve inspections, measurements, functional performance testing, and/or data trending with analysis.

Question 31

Performance Indicator

Answer 31

A measurable factor related to operating conditions, which is used to assess the function of an EEM or system.

Question 32

Reporting Period

Answer 32

A defined period of time chosen to verify and quantify savings after the implementation of an Energy Efficiency Measure(s). M&V may be performed over one or more reporting periods during which individual savings reports are prepared.
The reporting period may be the total period on which the M&V is performed after EEMs are installed (e.g., the duration of a performance- based contract) or just the duration of time covered by an individual saving report.

Question 33

Reporting Period Energy

Answer 33

Energy Consumption and/or Demand used within a defined measurement boundary occurring during the Reporting Period without adjustments.

Question 34

Routine Adjustment

Answer 34

An adjustment to the baseline or reporting period data using mathematical and statistical methods to account for expected changes in energy consumption or demand due to changes in the Independent Variables affecting energy consumption within the Measurement Boundary.

Question 35

Savings

Answer 35

Value, in quantifiable units, of energy consumption, demand, water, greenhouse gas emissions, or related cost reductions, determined by comparing measured values before and after implementation of an Energy Efficiency Measure(s), making suitable Routine and Non-Routine Adjustments to account for changes in conditions.
Energy or other unit savings and any resulting cost savings may be reported in the form of Avoided Energy Consumption or Normalized Savings
.

Question 36

Static Factors

Answer 36

Those characteristics of a facility that affect Energy Consumption and/or Demand within the defined Measurement Boundary, that are not expected to change, and were therefore not included as Independent Variables. While not expected to change, these static factors should be recognized and monitored, and if they change, Non-routine Adjustments may need to be calculated to account for these changes.
Note: These characteristics may include fixed, environmental, operational and maintenance characteristics.

Question 37

Uncertainty in Savings

Answer 37

The range of savings values in which the true savings value is estimated to lie, often given a statistical confidence level. A single value does not adequately represent savings. Uncertainty in savings is reported either as a range of values (absolute uncertainty) or as a percent of the estimated savings (relative uncertainty).