Design your M&V program for use throughout the life of the building to provide the highest return on investment. However, for credit compliance it is best monitor for at least one year.
The cost of M&V can vary significantly from one project to another. You’ll need to get project-specific bids based on your individual design needs. Accuracy and cost of M&V plans are influenced by the following:
Some utility districts prohibit tenant submetering and charging by a third-party provider. If your local utility does not allow third-party submetering, find out if your utility will install separate meters for tenants.
Utility companies may provide incentives or rebates for submetering and BMS programs. Check with your local utility to see if it offers rebates.
The M&V plan (written for tenant use) for EAc5.2 does not need to be as detailed (or as building- or space-specific) as those written for LEED-NC EAc5. The plan for this credit is designed to inform tenants about M&V, the building, its metering system, connecting to it to submeter their space, and a process for corrective action if the results of metering differ from the anticipated energy usage.
You need to write but not implement the M&V plan for tenants. Your M&V plan should include detailed information for tenants—what actions they need to take to connect their spaces to the base-building metering network, and what they need to do to achieve LEED-CI EAc3.
Write an M&V plan and provide the tenants with information on submetering their individual spaces as soon as possible.
Determine the best infrastructure for a metering network. The system must be installed in a central location and have the capability to expand to metering tenant spaces. Although for this credit you do not actually have to meter tenant spaces, you do need to provide the means for tenants to connect to the system. You’ll also need to include a section in the M&V plan on developing corrective actions if the measurements of tenants’ actual energy use differ from those predicted.
Discuss as a team whether M&V will contribute to project goals for energy reduction and system monitoring. Consider your project’s size, complexity, and tenant needs. Also think about how the building is likely to be operated. If an M&V program is not likely to be fully utilized, it may not be worth the investment.
Contract with an M&V provider early in the design phase so that system components and recommendations can be implemented seamlessly rather than becoming add-ons.