3.

Opportunity identification 1

Module 3

Opportunity
identification
in partnership with

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3. Opportunity identification 2

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3. Opportunity identification 3

Learning objectives

Identifying opportunities for improvement is an essential step • Develop baselines to track energy performance.
in energy efficiency strategy to determine measures that will
• Assess the whole portfolio to develop energy goals.
have the greatest impact on the organization.
• Conduct on-site audits and remote interviews to find
At the end of this module, you should have an overview of
optimal opportunities for improvement.
the following best practices:
• Decide which energy efficiency measures to prioritize
• Collect data from various business groups in the business
and implement.
organization.

Once you complete this module, you’ll have the following modules left:

Module 1 Module 2 Module 3 Module 4 Module 5 Module 6

Getting started with Stakeholder Opportunity Roadmap Business case Energy efficiency
energy management engagement identification development development in action

For informational purposes only. Not legal advice or counsel.

3. Opportunity identification 4

Terms to know
Audit: A walkthrough or analysis of the energy systems in Outlier: In an energy performance review, a system or building
a facility, helping to identify areas of energy inefficiency for that is significantly under- or overperforming compared to the
improvement. rest. This outlier can provide opportunities or lessons learned to
apply to other areas.
Baseline: The initial energy use measured with the current operating
parameters that future energy use, after energy conservation Stakeholder: for the purposes of this training module, refers
measures (ECM) implementation, can be measured against. to interested parties that can include: executives (C-suite),
asset managers, facilities and engineering teams, procurement,
Boundary: The defined set is the defined set of operations
finance, event teams, marketing, legal, green teams, landlord(s),
and activities which will be tracked for baseline development
supply chain, vendors, etc.
and ECM implementation. It could include one facility, multiple
facilities or the entire building portfolio for an organization.
Champion: serves as the energy efficiency lead, and will be
responsible for getting ultimate approval from the CFO or other
decision-makers.

For informational purposes only. Not legal advice or counsel.

3. Opportunity identification 5

Opportunity identification overview

With the planning and stakeholder engagement stages initiated, the next step in the energy efficiency process
is identifying the energy conservation measures for potential implementation.

Data
management

Baseline
development

Portfolio outlier
assessment

Remote
interviews

On-site audits

Advanced measures
consideration

Measure prioritization
and selection
For informational purposes only. Not legal advice or counsel.
 3. Opportunity identification 6

Data management best practices

Establish strategies to routinely collect, report, and update energy
data to monitor progress made. Here are some key steps: Collect data
regularly
1. Collect data regularly from all business groups. Create a system for groups
to input data or set a deadline for all groups to hand over data. Automate this
process as feasible.
2. Normalize data and establish baselines. Set a baseline to use as a reference
tool to compare energy performance before and after a change is made.
3. Benchmark performance to goals. Compare the goals set to the targets Data management
achieved to gauge how much progress is made. best practices
4. Report regularly and share with management and across the organization.
Communicating real-time data is extremely important to give feedback.
5. Continuously review data and data collection methodologies and evaluate
data maturity. Remove unactionable or repetitive data.
6. Identify when estimations are needed and standards are used. Check to see
where estimations or standards may need to be applied to fill data gaps.

If your company is reporting greenhouse gas emissions, energy data is likely already
being captured. For more information see the GHG Accounting modules.
For informational purposes only. Not legal advice or counsel.
3. Opportunity identification 7

Baseline development
A baseline will be a reference tool to track energy performance. There are three key stages to
developing a baseline: defining, collecting, and reporting.

Defining Collecting Reporting

1 Define
boundary

Baseline development is also an important concept for tracking GHG emissions. See GHG Accounting Module 0 for more information.

For informational purposes only. Not legal advice or counsel.

3. Opportunity identification 8

Portfolio outlier assessment

Portfolio assessment is helpful to analyze short-term actionable energy-efficiency measures and to develop
long-term strategic energy reduction measures across the portfolio.

Benchmark sites, products,

Identify and assess potential Determine if outlier is positive
and buildings across different
outliers or negative
business groups

For informational purposes only. Not legal advice or counsel.

3. Opportunity identification 9

Remote interviews
Interviews with on-site facility members are important to understand processes, find opportunities to
implement improvements, and get feedback on ideas.

Conduct interviews to engage stakeholders:

• Interviews can help establish data quality and maturity.
• Remote interviews can prevent the need for an on-site audit.
• Remote interviews can help tailor on-site audits prior to visit.

For informational purposes only. Not legal advice or counsel.

3. Opportunity identification 10

On-site audits
Visit sites to gather preliminary data, identify savings opportunities, and understand the
potential of any new energy efficiency practice.

Key elements to consider when conducting an on-site audit Identify costs and benefits to help
structure a business case:
Determine boundaries for audit:
• Identify key energy systems to include (such as HVAC, lighting) • Utilize utility rebate programs.
• Utilize additional resources from ASHRAE as needed. • Conduct a comprehensive analysis.
Establish current level of energy performance: • Verify potential energy savings.
• Make an inventory of the HVAC systems. • Consider performance contractors.
• Look at HVAC control methods (automated or manual).
• Look at interior and exterior lighting options.
Identify opportunities for improvement: Audits identify operational or maintenance
• Analyze operations and maintenance processes. adjustments that will save energy, retrofit
• Search for ways to improve system reliability. recommendations, action plans for capital
• Assess risk of failure. investments, and opportunities to incorporate
feedback into proposed energy efficiency.
• Determine ease of implementation.

For informational purposes only. Not legal advice or counsel.

3. Opportunity identification 11

Advanced measure consideration

For long-term or capital-intensive measures, it is important to take some extra steps to
conduct comprehensive due diligence.

When to take extra steps Types of extra steps

For informational purposes only. Not legal advice or counsel.

3. Opportunity identification 12

Prioritize interventions
Create a system to decide how to select measures and which to prioritize. This will be helpful
when engaging stakeholders across the organization.

A good way to prioritize tasks is to look for synergistic opportunities

that will have value beyond just energy efficiency.
Use investment criteria as a screen
For example, a measure that significantly reduces total energy
consumed and GHG emissions may make a strong business case.
Consider attaining short-term goals to build trust that can help
approve long-term opportunities. Small wins can give an organization
confidence to tackle bigger projects.

For informational purposes only. Not legal advice or counsel.

3. Opportunity identification 13

Congratulations! You’ve completed

Module 3: Opportunity identification
This module provided best practices on how to • Assess portfolio by benchmarking sites and
systematically identify opportunities for improvement. identifying outliers.
Key takeaways:
• Conduct audits and interviews with on-site teams
• Create a system to collect, measure and report data to understand current processes and get feedback
regularly to stakeholders across the organization. on new ideas.
• Develop clear baselines for stakeholders that help • Create a methodology to choose energy efficiency
track energy performance. measures based on priority.

This module is followed by Module 4 – Roadmap development to help provide a high-level

overview on how to build implementation roadmaps to achieve energy efficiency targets.

Module 1 Module 2 Module 3 Module 4 Module 5 Module 6

Getting started with Stakeholder Opportunity Roadmap Business case Energy efficiency
energy management engagement identification development development in action

For informational purposes only. Not legal advice or counsel.