Methodology to Measure and Verify The Impacts Obtained from Energy Efficiency Activities

Abstract

The necessity for effective and sustainable energy efficiency is now, more than ever, of critical importance for the various industrial sectors within the South African economy. The critical shortage of electricity, rising electricity costs, the Energy Efficiency Accord, the proposed Power Conservation Program (PCP), and tax incentives are but a few of the primary driving forces behind energy efficiency in South Africa's energy market. Electricity and its production cost is a risk that needs to be managed, which will effectively force industry to drive energy efficiency within itself. However, the impacts of energy efficiency often dissipate over time due to the lack of effective management information, which can only be provided through thorough measurement and verification (MV but it is also extremely important to prove performance in order to benefit from the government's proposed tax incentives for energy efficiency. Measurement and verification can effectively isolate the energy efficiency impacts of an industrial site from the variance in energy consumption due to numerous other factors, thus providing the ability to quantify and verify energy efficiency impacts in an objective, accurate, and transparent manner based on international standards.