Commercial building energy use monitoring for utility load research

This paper describes a method to acquire empirical data regarding commercial building energy performance for utility load research. The method was devised and implemented for a large scale monitoring program being conducted for a federal electricity marketing and transmission agency in the Pacific Northwest states. An important feature of this method is its hierarchical approach, wherein building types, end-use loads, and key building characteristics are classified to accommodate analysis at many levels. Through this common taxonomy and measurement protocol, energy-use metering projects of varying detail and comprehensiveness can be coordinated. The procedures devised for this project have been implemented for approximately 150 buildings to date by specially trained contractors. Hence, this paper provides real-world insights of the complexity and power of end use measurements from commercial buildings to address utility load research topics. 6 refs