One of the favorite parts of my job is building new products that make life easier for my customers. With the introduction of our 5i Platform, we’ve taken the wraps off of one of the cooler features of our Predictive Energy Optimization™. (PEO) solution and given it life. We call it Automated Measurement & Verification, or AM&V for short.

What we wanted to do was make the process of M&V faster, simpler, more reliably accurate, and —very importantly—repeatable. Our M&V process is largely automated and adheres to the key principles set forth by the International Performance Measurement and Verification Protocol (IPMVP). Once deployed, AM&V can be used any number of times for qualifying for utility incentives, rebate programs, or measuring and verifying the results of other energy initiatives. And if systems change, adjustments can be calculated with just a few clicks. We offer AM&V as a standalone service and bundled with BuildingIQ’s Predictive Control services —Demand Response and PEO.

How We Do It
We automate data collection (independent and dependent variables), baseline creation, baseline prediction output, savings calculations (baseline vs. actual), and non-routine adjustments. The baseline models go through rigorous review prior to use and all results undergo periodic quality assurance. With all functionality built into BuildingIQ’s cloud-based platform, the process is user-friendly and transparent. Equally important though is that the methodology is consistent and repeatable, and not as prone to human error. This means that stakeholders can evaluate system performance without costly and time-consuming, third-party analysis, yet all of the building blocks are available as auditors’ needs arise.

Reporting Savings
Once a validated baseline model is in place, BuildingIQ optimization is enabled (or the energy conservation measure is performed if using standalone AM&V) and the reporting period begins. The baseline model then generates hourly predictions of usage, which are then compared to actual hourly usage. The difference represents savings as a result of BuildingIQ HVAC optimization (or the ECM), a.k.a avoided energy use. Gone are the days of tenuous data collection followed by wearisome spreadsheet manipulation. Let the BuildingIQ platform automatically do it all for you, and do it much better and faster with AM&V.

Download our Automated M&V datasheet to get more details about our approach.