An M&V program generally includes sensors—which measure the volume and rate of flow (if water is included), watts of energy draw, temperature, length of time, and other variables—and a central processor, which stores the collected information and helps building managers interpret it.
Introduce your M&V program into the design early in the process, because it can affect the design of the mechanical and electrical systems. There is also inherent value in having your design teams think about how the building will operate. For example, if the architect knows that certain spaces will only be operated during the nighttime then they might not want to include daylight sensors.
Talk to facility operations staff and tenants about the financial benefits and operational requirements of an M&V plan, because any energy savings achieved through M&V depends heavily on their participation.
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.
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.
