Managing energy efficiency, cost savings, along with emissions and sustainability goals can feel overwhelming for energy and facility managers. The Energy Assist is here to help. This guide outlines practical steps to kickstart progress, offering tools and strategies to set achievable goals and make measurable improvements.
1. Understand Where You’re At
Before setting goals, it’s essential to create a baseline. A clear understanding of your starting point allows you to prioritize efforts effectively. Here’s how:
- Conduct Energy Audits: Evaluate current energy use and demand to establish a baseline. THG Energy can work with you to collect and automate utility data to not only provide this, but also help you manage data on an ongoing basis.
- Identify Key Energy Users: Break down consumption by facility types or custom groups. From there, you can begin to identify and understand the impact that systems like HVAC, lighting, and equipment have, and how to better leverage either building controls, or work with THG's team to help create data-driven options.
- Define Objectives: Align Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) with your energy goals and broader organizational targets such as cost reduction, carbon footprint reduction, or operational efficiency.
2. Define Core Objectives with SMART Goals
SMART goals—Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound—ensure clarity and focus. Examples include:
- Reducing energy use intensity (EUI) by 10% over 12 months.
- Achieving a 20% reduction in peak demand within 6 months.
- Cutting emissions by 15% within the next fiscal year.
3. Establish Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Tracking progress is essential for success. Common KPIs for building energy management include:
- Energy Use Intensity (EUI): Measure energy consumed per square foot.
- Cost Savings: Quantify the financial impact of your efficiency measures.
- Peak Load Reduction: Track reductions in energy demand during peak periods.
- Emissions Reduction: Leverage energy consumption data to report on greenhouse gas reductions tied to improvements and introduced efficiencies.
4. Evaluate Highs and Lows Across Your Portfolio
A baseline assessment helps identify trends and outliers.
Questions to consider:
- Which facilities or systems exhibit the highest energy use?
- Are there operational patterns causing energy spikes?
This analysis helps prioritize interventions for maximum impact.
5. Leverage Data and Technology
Modern tools provide the insights needed to optimize energy management:
- Benchmark Facilities: Compare your facilities against similar buildings to understand your standing. THG's Energy Intelligence Suite (EIS) provides built-in benchmarking tools to let you quickly evaluate performance, create custom groupings, and identify the "low hanging fruit" as top priority.
- Monitor and Control with Technology: Use advanced tools to track usage, automate processes, and gain real-time insights. We can work with you to implement a variety of options ranging from IDR data to devices that track consumption (and generation for DER assets) in real-time.
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