Print 
PDF
Item ID: 409
Strategic Energy Management
Building Management Systems: Strategic Energy Management vs. Typical Energy Management Practices
An integrated energy management strategy for organizations that involves management commitment, assessments, planning and improvement goal-setting, improvement implementation, tracking, evaluation, and feedback to modify plans, resulting in a continuous improvement of energy performance.
Synopsis:
Energy management is not a new idea. Firms have been using energy management techniques for many years. Common practice ranges from little or no energy management to comprehensive energy management programs. However, energy management, if it exists, tends to be reactive in nature, tracking energy use and responding to problems as they are identified in the short-term. In recent years a number of organizations (U.S. Department of Energy (USDOE), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Consortium for Energy Efficiency (CEE), Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (NEEA), Energy Trust of Oregon (ETO), Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE), Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), Southern California Edison (SCE), Puget Sound Energy (PSE), and BC Hydro and Power Authority (BC Hydro)) have been promoting integrated, proactive, long-term approaches to energy management that can be considered Strategic Energy Management (SEM). SEM applies a continuous improvement model (Plan, Do, Check, Act) as described in ISO 50001 – Energy Management (ISO, 2011), which was published in June 2011. The approaches used are generally variations on the continuous improvement model and include the following steps: commit, access, plan, deploy/implement, evaluate, and modify (Ecova, 2014 Pg 4-243). SEM integrates behavioral, operation and maintenance, capital, and process energy efficiency improvements into a strategic effort to improve energy efficiency. SEM aims to achieve persistent and on-going improvements in energy efficiency by integrating energy efficiency into organization core business practices. It intends to move an organization from sporadically implementing energy efficiency measures to continuously improving energy efficiency.
SEM programs employ different strategies depending on the needs of the facility, the potential for savings, and the resources available. Organizations offering an SEM progress also emphasize different strategies with some focusing more on technical and engineering assistance, while others give more attention to organizational change, policies, and management practices.
Energy savings from SEM will vary depending on the strategies employed. ACEEE estimates savings from 5% to 10% (ACEEE, 2015 Pg 158). These savings largely come from operation and maintenance improvements. Some facilities may have significantly higher savings depending on the opportunities and the resources available to invest in improvements.
Energy Savings: 5%
Energy Savings Rating: Limited Assessment
What's this?
| Level | Status | Description |
| 1 | Concept not validated | Claims of energy savings may not be credible due to lack of documentation or validation by unbiased experts. |
| 2 | Concept validated: | An unbiased expert has validated efficiency concepts through technical review and calculations based on engineering principles. |
| 3 | Limited assessment | An unbiased expert has measured technology characteristics and factors of energy use through one or more tests in typical applications with a clear baseline. |
| 4 | Extensive assessment | Additional testing in relevant applications and environments has increased knowledge of performance across a broad range of products, applications, and system conditions. |
| 5 | Comprehensive analysis | Results of lab and field tests have been used to develop methods for reliable prediction of performance across the range of intended applications. |
| 6 | Approved measure | Protocols for technology application are established and approved. |