A WegoWise Primer: Identifying Heating Energy Intensity and Water Consumption Metrics

Transcription

1 A WegoWise Primer: Identifying Heating Energy Intensity and Water Consumption Metrics This document provides specific guidance to WegoWise users about two metrics: heating energy intensity (HEI) and water consumption. While important they are not the only key indicators of building performance. For example, HEI may be of particular interest to owners of buildings in cold climates; yet cooling energy may be more important in hot climates. Furthermore, metrics regarding electricity use and energy to heat domestic hot water (DHW) are also critical. However, metering configurations and DHW strategies vary greatly among buildings, so this primer does not focus on those topics. DEFINITIONS AND BENCHMARKS OF KEY ENERGY PERFORMANCE METRICS Heating Energy Intensity (btu/square foot/heating degree days): a metric that reflects the energy required to heat a building. The metric is normalized by heating degree days (HDD) to account for variations in weather conditions over time. While all buildings are unique, in cold climates, such as Massachusetts, existing buildings with an HEI above 7 btu/sf/hdd likely present opportunities for improvement. For new construction, HEI targets may depend on the type of fuel, but 3-4 btu/sf/hdd is readily achievable in cold climates. Please note that HEI is one indicator of heating performance, but it should not be the sole source of information on the topic. Also important is the balance point used to calculate HEI, a metric not shown in WegoWise. If a user feels a building is worthy of investigation, it is best to get an energy audit. Water Performance (gallons/bedroom/day): a metric that reflects the consumption of water for apartment buildings. In 2017, the median rate for buildings in the WegoWise database with more than four apartments was 74 gallons/bedroom/day, and there are variations based on different building characteristics (central laundry, building type, tenant population, etc.). For new buildings, a rate of 45 gallons/bedroom/day is common. USING WEGOWISE TO DEFINE BUILDING PERFORMANCE METRICS Heating Energy Intensity To view HEI for any building in WegoWise, follow these steps: 1. Log-in to your WegoWise account. 2. Click on the Properties tab at the top of the screen to view the list of properties in the account, or click the Search icon to type in the property you wish to view. A WegoWise Primer: Identifying Heating Energy Intensity and Water Consumption Metrics 1

2 3. Click on the name of the property you wish to investigate. 4. Pull down from Total energy use and select End Use and then Heating energy. Note: HEI can only be viewed at the building level, not at the portfolio level, as the inputs required to generate the metric (e.g. the number of heating degree days) vary by the location of the building. Presenting this metric for an entire portfolio in one graph is often cumbersome, confusing, and provides little insight. An example: Click on the Properties tab at the top of the screen to see the complete list of properties, or use the Search icon to type in the name of the property you wish to view. A WegoWise Primer: Identifying Heating Energy Intensity and Water Consumption Metrics 2

3 Click on the name of the property you wish to investigate. Using the Search function: Using the Properties page: A WegoWise Primer: Identifying Heating Energy Intensity and Water Consumption Metrics 3

4 Pull down from the Total energy use and select End Use and then Heating energy. View HEI (btu/sf/hdd) to the right of each building name. A WegoWise Primer: Identifying Heating Energy Intensity and Water Consumption Metrics 4

5 Water Performance To view the water performance for any building in WegoWise, follow these steps: a. Option 1: Comparing buildings within a development. i. Click on the Properties tab at the top of the screen, or use the Search icon to type in desired Property name. ii. Click on the name of the property you wish to investigate. iii. Pull down from the Total energy use and select Usage Data and then Water consumption. iv. Hover the cursor over any building s line on the adjacent graph, and the gallons/bedroom/day is shown for that particular month. v. Alternatively, select the Table view above the graph and switch to daily view. Note that the data table can be downloaded as a.csv file for further analysis by clicking on the download icon above the table. b. Option 2: Comparing all buildings within the user s portfolio. i. Hover over the Analysis tab at the top of the screen and select Custom Reports from the dropdown menu. ii. Click on Create new report. iii. Give the report a name; select Individual buildings as the type of structure and Full data only. (Doing so will return consumption data at the building scale and only include data where WegoWise has a full reporting of the water meters entered into the tool.) Then select Dynamically for how to select report items. Click Continue. iv. On the next screen, you can refine your report by filtering for key building characteristics, such as only including those buildings with more than 10 apartments. If you want to review all buildings usage, just click Continue. v. WegoWise will select the type of report that can be run with the previous criteria a Trend Report. Then select Water consumption as the data to be plotted (Y-axis). Click Create Report. The report will run and return a screen with the water consumption for each building. As above, you may: vi. Hover the cursor over any development s line on the adjacent graph, and the gallons/bedroom/day is shown for that particular month. vii. Alternatively, select the Table view above the graph and switch to daily view. Note that the data table can be downloaded as a.csv file for further analysis by clicking on the download icon above the table. A WegoWise Primer: Identifying Heating Energy Intensity and Water Consumption Metrics 5

6 Examples: Option 1: Comparing buildings within a development: Click on Properties tab at top of the screen, or use the Search function to type the name of the desired property. Click on the name of the property you wish to investigate. Using the Search function: A WegoWise Primer: Identifying Heating Energy Intensity and Water Consumption Metrics 6

7 Using the Properties page: Pull down from the Total energy use and select Usage Data and then Water consumption. Hover the cursor over any building s line on the graph, and the gallons/bedroom/day is shown for that particular month. A WegoWise Primer: Identifying Heating Energy Intensity and Water Consumption Metrics 7

8 Alternatively, select the Table view above the graph and switch to daily view. Note that the data table can be downloaded as a.csv file for further analysis by clicking on the download icon above the table. A WegoWise Primer: Identifying Heating Energy Intensity and Water Consumption Metrics 8

9 Option 2: Comparing all buildings within the user s portfolio: Hover over the Analysis tab at the top of the screen and select Custom Reports from the dropdown menu. Click on Create new report. A WegoWise Primer: Identifying Heating Energy Intensity and Water Consumption Metrics 9

10 Give the report a name; select Individual buildings as the type of structure and Full Data Only. (Doing so will return consumption data at the building scale and only include data where WegoWise has a full reporting of the water meters entered into the tool.) Then select Dynamically for how to select report items. Click Continue. A WegoWise Primer: Identifying Heating Energy Intensity and Water Consumption Metrics 10

11 On the next screen, you can refine your report by filtering for key building characteristics, such as only including those buildings with more than 10 apartments. If you want to review all buildings usage, just click Continue. WegoWise will select the type of report that can be run with the previous criteria a Trend Report. Then select Water consumption as the data to be plotted (Y-axis). Click Create Report. The report will run and return a screen with the water consumption for each building. A WegoWise Primer: Identifying Heating Energy Intensity and Water Consumption Metrics 11

12 Hover the cursor over any development s line on the adjacent graph, and the gallons/bedroom/day is shown for that particular month. Alternatively, select the Table view above the graph and switch to daily view. Note that the data table can be downloaded as a.csv file for further analysis by clicking on the download icon above the table. A WegoWise Primer: Identifying Heating Energy Intensity and Water Consumption Metrics 12