Retrotec USACE - Manual (Page 31)

Chapter 2 9
measure it, you cannot manage it either” is more than valid where energy
management and assessment is concerned. Monitoring forms the foundation
for almost all energy management, assessment, and saving activities and is an
important assessment activity in itself. Typically, most monitoring takes place
in the two upper levels of energy management shown in Figure 2 (building
stock and building), but when certain subsystems have essential roles (typically
in industry), those can be monitored as well. New smart meters and evolv-
ing sensor technology enable cost-effi cient submetering and monitoring at the
system level, which will be much more common in the future as part of build-
ing automation systems and continuous commissioning (in Chapter 6 some
examples will be given).
In the monitoring scheme, consumption of each different type of energy
(e.g., electricity, gas, oil, district heating, renewable [not forgetting water])
must be recorded and the overall energy consumption must be measured and
analyzed. In larger organizations, it may be useful to break down the activities
into different areas to make energy monitoring more effective. If the organiza-
tion has several buildings in use or it runs various processes, the energy used in
each of them could be measured separately. In an offi ce building it may make
sense to measure energy by different groups, locations, processes (e.g., kitchen/
restaurant) or large system components (e.g., chiller plant). To manage energy
effectively the assessment team should investigate where and how the orga-
nization is currently using energy. Based on this kind of assessment, clear tar-
gets for improvements should be set (Figure 3) and their fulfi llment should be
tracked. Figure 6 shows a typical example of monitoring results from monthly
meter readings of utility meters. Reasons for long-term increases in electricity
consumption should be investigated and assessed in detail.
Figure 6. Accumulated monthly consumption of energy in a vocational high school.