M&V programs require continuous energy use and staff attention. One of the larger costs associated with this credit is the time needed by staff to read, interpret, and act on feedback provided by an M&V program that needs manual or spot readings. Although more expensive to install, an integrated, computerized BMS that assists in day-to-day management can financially benefit a complex building or one with multi-tenant spaces.
The payback period for M&V programs depends on the initial cost of additional meters and whether the program has identified inefficiencies that wouldn’t have been found otherwise. Some fixes may be substantial and will pay for the metering system. After the BMS or metering system has been installed, the true return depends on the commitment of the owner and operational staff.
For new construction, the combined cost of the installed equipment and the first year of monitoring is generally less than 1% of the total project cost for buildings larger than 150,000 ft2—and less than 1.5% for smaller buildings, according to studies.
The cost implications of this credit can vary and depend on the complexity of the meters and the submetering system, the cost of energy modeling and calibration, the cost of commissioning M&V components, and the size and complexity of the building.
The cost implications for ECM isolation depend on how many meters are installed and the complexity of the systems being monitored. If systems are easily isolated and don’t require many meters, this credit can be relatively inexpensive to achieve, and Option B is more cost-effective than Option D. (See the appendix in ASHRAE Guideline 14-2004, for estimating the cost of meters.)
