Controlling Facility Energy Costs > Combining Approaches to Energy Cost Control > Demand Side Cost Control (Conservation) > Energy Auditing and The Energy Management Plan > Analysis of Physical Assets

The heart of the Energy Management Plan is the list of Energy Savings Opportunities. For a specific opportunity to make this list, it has to meet the following criteria:

1.	The given opportunity must have a reasonable payback. The purpose of the Energy Management Plan is to make energy saving retrofits that make sound financial sense. Usually this payback period is based on the policy of the Owner.

2.	It must adhere to corporate policies. For example, if it is a policy to use a certain type of equipment, the installation details and cost will reflect this.

3.	It must be based on proven technology (unless there is an explicit leading edge mandate). Exotic energy savings solutions are often too expensive, with high maintenance costs and unproven long-term benefits.

4.	It must be environmentally sound, consistent with corporate environmental policies and objectives.

5.	It must meet all codes and standards.

6.	It should not reduce occupant comfort.

7.	The level of maintenance should be no more than that of the existing equipment. Minor increases in maintenance are tolerable if the energy savings justify the increase.

Energy Savings Opportunities fall into three broad categories: Lighting, Mechanical, and Operations

Lighting Opportunities

The operating cost of commercial lighting includes more than the energy use. Much of a lighting system investment is made in consumable components with a known life expectancy and replacement cost (hardware and labour). A comparison of an existing system and a replacement system based only on capital investment and energy savings would not be complete, since it would not consider the differences in ongoing maintenance costs between the two installations. Quite often the energy efficient lamps and ballasts will cost more than the equipment they are replacing, so this added maintenance cost must offset the energy savings.

ManagingEnergy contains all the relevant information for the available lighting options, automating the life cycle costing calculations so that a fair economic comparison can be made. Managing Energy Inc. works hard to keep this data current by building on our experience from one project to the next, tracking the evolution of technology and changes in the marketplace.

Plan your lighting projects room by room, fixture by fixture. The built in lighting database has all the components and costs.

Mechanical and Operations Opportunities

Managing Energy Inc. maintains an online library of proven, viable mechanical and operations measures. When reviewing the site audit information, the energy analyst can speed up the writing process by searching the library and importing opportunity entries directly into the ManagingEnergy database. Once in the database, the descriptive text can be altered to suit the particulars of the site.

A library of typical building opportunities is available to subscribers. Take advantage of our community of energy specialists to improve your technical assessments and cut report writing time by at least two-thirds.

ManagingEnergy doesn't replace the analyst. Every building is unique, and you will still need a specialist to examine and assess each individual opportunity. But the system does make the energy analyst much more productive, so he/she can spend time on high value activities rather than writing report text and managing data.

Opportunity calculations and reports supplement the input of a qualified engineer to make the analysis as efficient and reliable as possible.