Site Specific Verification Guidelines.

The Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) and the Northwest region have moved from energy surplus to a time when demand for energy is likely to exceed available supplies. The Northwest Power Planning Council is calling for a major push to acquire new resources.'' To meet anticipated loads in the next decade, BPA and the region must more than double that rate at which we acquire conservation resources. BPA hopes to achieve some of this doubling by programs independently designed and implemented by utilities and other parties without intensive BPA involvement. BPA will accept proposals for programs using performance-based payments, in which BPA bases its reimbursement to the sponsor on measured energy savings rather than program costs. To receive payment for conservation projects developed under performance-based programs, utilities and other project developers must propose verification plans to measure the amount of energy savings. BPA has traditionally used analysis of billing histories, before and after measure installation, adjusted by a comparison group on non-participating customers to measure conservation savings. This approach does not work well for all conversation projects. For large or unusual facilities the comparison group approach is not reliable due to the absence of enough comparable non-participants to allow appropriate statisticalmore » analysis. For these facilities, which include large commercial and institutional buildings, industrial projects, and complex combinations of building types served by a single utility meter, savings must be verified on a site-specific basis. These guidelines were written to help proposers understand what Bonneville considers the important issues in site specific verification of conservation performance. It also provides a toolbox of methods with guidance on their application and use. 15 refs.« less