Discuss as a team the operational energy savings and benefits of implementing an M&V program for your project. Determine if M&V will contribute to your project’s energy reduction goals and system monitoring goals. Consider your project’s size and complexity, and whether you plan to run a whole-building energy model for EAp2: Minimum Energy Performance. Also think about how your building is likely to be operated. If an M&V program is not likely to be fully utilized, it may not be an appropriate investment.
Determine if there are any incentives or rebates for submetering. This will help in planning your approach, and there may also be specific requirements you need to meet to earn those rebates.
Consider the impact of an M&V program on mechanical system design and space requirements. Keep in mind that your mechanical system must be capable of providing the necessary outputs for continuous metering. (The outputs are typically energy usage as kWs, BTUs or therms over a given period of time.) Whether an automated record from a BMS or a metered reading taken manually on a continual basis, the specifics of output metric and duration must be defined in your M&V plan.
If you choose to pay for energy use separately from the base lease, you must negotiate a lease with the landlord that does not include utility bills in the base rent or as a yearly flat rate. You can choose to pay a prorated or proportional amount based on tenant space square footage; flat rates, however, are not compliant.
If you choose to submeter your space, you must include lighting, plug loads, and process uses. You also need to submeter heating and cooling systems, unless your building already has a plan for prorated payments based on building square footage, or a central plan that serves many tenants.
