The first set of protocols for determining energy savings from energy efficiency measures and programs were published by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in April 2013; the complete report of all 24 protocols was published in July 2018. Funded by the Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability and the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, the developed protocols provide a straightforward method for evaluating gross energy savings for each of the most common residential and commercial measures and programs offered by ratepayer-funded energy efficiency programs in the United States.
Using a single measurement and verification protocol to calculate the energy savings from a particular measure or program will increase the credibility of the reported savings. This increased credibility will give electric utilities, their regulators, and other stakeholders a greater level of confidence about reported savings and reduce the risks of using energy efficiency as an electricity resource.
Feedback
Please provide feedback on any of the protocols below to ump@nrel.gov. In addition, feedback is welcome on the following:
- Protocols that need updating
- Protocols for new measures or programs
- Changes to the format of the protocols
- Additional information the protocols should contain.
Overview
The following provides the fundamentals and background of the protocols below, which are organized by general topics.
Commercial
Commercial and Industrial Lighting Evaluation Protocol (October 2017)
Commercial and Industrial Lighting Controls Evaluation Protocol (September 2017)
Chiller Evaluation Protocol (September 2017)
Commercial New Construction Protocol (September 2017)
Retrocommissioning Evaluation Protocol (September 2017)
Variable Frequency Drive Evaluation Protocol (June 2017)
HVAC Controls (DDC/EMS/BAS) Evaluation Protocol (September 2017)
Data Center IT Efficiency Measures (October 2017)
Compressed Air Evaluation Protocol (January 2021)
Combined Heat and Power Evaluation Protocol (October 2017)
Strategic Energy Management (SEM) Evaluation Protocol (May 2017)
Residential
Smart Thermostat Evaluation Protocol (June 2023)
Residential Behavior Protocol (October 2020)
Residential Furnaces and Boilers Evaluation Protocol (September 2017)
Residential Lighting Evaluation Protocol (October 2017)
Refrigerator Recycling Evaluation Protocol (September 2017)
Combined Commercial and Residential
Cross-Cutting
These crosscutting topics are referenced in measure-specific protocols and are not efficiency measures. These supplemental discussions help extend the measure-specific method for determination of savings to evaluating whole programs.
Metering Cross-Cutting Protocol (September 2017)
Peak Demand and Time-Differentiated Energy Savings Cross-Cutting Protocol (October 2017)
Sample Design Cross-Cutting Protocol (October 2017)
Survey Design and Implementation for Estimating Gross Savings Cross-Cutting Protocol (September 2017)
Assessing Persistence and Other Evaluation Issues Cross-Cutting Protocol (September 2017)
Estimating Net Savings - Common Practices (October 2017)
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The complete set of 24 protocols has been published in a new report entitled, “The Uniform Methods Project: Methods for Determining Energy Efficiency Savings for Specific Measures.”
Chuck Kurnik
National Renewable Energy Laboratory