Best Practice Guide

Commercial Office Buildings

Introduction

Planning an Energy Program

Getting Started

Energy Profiles

Assessing Energy Performance

Energy Audits

Energy Policy

Energy Teams

Energy Action Plan

Measurement and Verification

Certification Programs

Funding and Approval

Lighting

Building Envelope

Central HVAC System

Distributed Generation

Demand Response

Commissioning

Procurement Policy

Water Use

Education

Energy Efficiency in Telecommuting

Resources and Appendices

Lessons Learned


Adobe Systems Incorporated and Cushman & Wakefield

Arden Realty and next>edge

Cypress Semiconductor

Equity Office Properties

Glenborough Realty Trust

Natural Resources Defense Council

Qualcomm

Swinerton, Inc.

Transwestern Commercial Services


View the Glossary

Planning an Energy Program

Getting Started

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World Savings Center, Los Angeles. Photo courtesy of Arden Realty and next>edge.View Details.

Before investing in either energy efficiency or energy conservation measures (EEMs and ECMs), a business should set-up a wider framework for all energy planning and investment. This helps assure that resources invested, such as financial or human, are expended wisely and strategically. The two most critical pieces of such a framework are the appointment of an energy manager and the adoption of an energy management program.

An energy manager is responsible for facilitating and coordinating the planning, procurement and utilization of energy resources at a property, facility, or portfolio of properties. In some organizations, the energy manager is a full-time, dedicated position whose responsibilities might encompass a single building or a whole portfolio of properties. In others, energy management is just one part of the responsibilities of a facility or property manager. A background in engineering is common; increasingly, business and communication skills are also required. The energy manager carefully analyzes a company's potential for investment, articulates findings and recommendations to company decision makers, oversees implementation of ECMs and EEMs, and then tracks and quantifies results stemming from the energy management program. In doing so, successful energy managers depend on their relationships with co-workers, such as building staff, business managers and company executives, as well as external partners, such as vendors, contractors, energy service providers and the local utilities.

If you think of the energy manager as the conductor of a symphony, then the energy management program is his baton, weaving together a dynamic set of operations, equipment and people into a finely tuned, and well-timed orchestration. The energy management program encompasses a company's energy-related priorities as well as a strategy to attain energy savings (expressed in kilowatt-hours and therms) and energy cost savings (expressed in dollars).


Steps to assess a facility's potential for energy savings can include:

  • Create an energy profile that shows the energy performance of a facility and its operations; track this information over time to create an energy accounting system.
  • Use the energy accounting system to establish a baseline for energy use and energy costs; this will be used later to verify program results.
  • Conduct an energy audit that identifies and prioritizes energy efficiency investment options; the energy audit should include a timeline for implementing ECMs and EEMs as well as expected energy cost savings resulting from each recommended measure.


Steps to facilitate planning and implementation of an energy management program can include:

  • Appoint an energy manager responsible for overseeing plan management.
  • Adopt an energy policy that clearly articulates company goals and objectives.
  • Convene an energy team responsible for planning and implementation; assign the team roles and specific tasks.
  • Develop an action plan to implement ECMs and EEMs, as identified and recommended by the energy audit.
  • Develop a measurement and verification (M&V) plan, based on the energy policy and action plan, that clearly lays out the metrics used to establish baseline data as well as to measure subsequent program results.


In practice, the lines between these steps are blurred, and the timing of each depends largely on the individual characteristics and needs of a company. Some steps will run concurrently, while others may not be warranted at all. A company might decide to do all work in-house, for example, and not need a detailed M&V plan in addition to the goals and objectives outlined in the energy policy. Or a company might decide to convene an energy team that then develops the energy policy. Each step described in this best practice guide should be evaluated and tailored to serve the specific needs of a company.