Select the IPMVP option, A, B, C or D, appropriate to a project's savings mechanism, budget and required confidence level.
Oil, Gas & Energy
Measurement and Verification of Energy Savings Using IPMVP
Learn to select an IPMVP option, build a defensible baseline model and calculate, adjust and report verified energy savings that satisfy an energy performance contract.
🗓️Duration5 training days
📚Content4 modules · 8 sessions
🎓On completionAccredited attendance certificate
About the programme
Course Overview
Claimed energy savings from an efficiency project mean little until they are verified against a credible baseline, and disputes between facility operators and energy service companies almost always trace back to a weak measurement and verification plan. This course works through the International Performance Measurement and Verification Protocol from first principles: selecting the right option among A, B, C and D for a given savings mechanism, building a regression-based baseline model, and writing an M&V plan that specifies boundaries, metering points and adjustment rules before a project starts. Participants calculate avoided energy use from a worked baseline and reporting period dataset, apply non-routine adjustments when production or weather changes outside the project's control, and quantify the uncertainty behind a reported savings figure. The course closes with reporting methods that satisfy the terms of an energy performance contract and keep both facility operator and energy service company aligned on what the numbers mean. Exercises use real metered datasets so participants leave able to build and defend an M&V plan under commercial scrutiny.
Expected Learning Outcomes
Build a baseline energy model using regression against relevant independent variables such as production rate or degree days.
Write a measurement and verification plan that defines boundaries, metering points, baseline period and reporting frequency.
Apply non-routine adjustments to the baseline when production, weather or equipment changes outside the project's control.
Calculate avoided energy use by comparing adjusted baseline consumption against the reporting period's metered consumption.
Quantify uncertainty in reported savings and communicate confidence levels clearly to project sponsors and financiers.
Structure M&V reporting so it satisfies the terms of an energy performance contract or savings guarantee.
Who Should Attend
Energy managers responsible for verifying the results of efficiency projects across process plants and facilities.
Energy service company engineers who must prove guaranteed savings under performance contracts.
Project engineers designing metering and instrumentation for a planned efficiency retrofit.
Sustainability and finance staff who need credible savings figures for internal reporting or green financing.
Facility managers overseeing multiple sites with efficiency projects at different stages of measurement and verification.
Auditors and lenders who review reported energy savings before releasing performance-linked payments.
Course Modules
Select any module to see its sessions and points.
01IPMVP Framework and Option Selection
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Principles of Measurement and Verification
- Explain why energy savings cannot be measured directly and must instead be calculated as the difference from an adjusted baseline.
- Define the M&V boundary that determines which energy flows and equipment are included in the savings calculation.
- Distinguish routine and non-routine adjustments and their different roles in keeping the baseline comparison fair.
- Identify the stakeholders, from project sponsor to financier, whose confidence the M&V plan must satisfy.
Session 2Choosing between IPMVP Options A, B, C and D
- Compare retrofit isolation options A and B against whole-facility option C for projects with different savings mechanisms.
- Select calibrated simulation, option D, for projects where no comparable pre-installation baseline period exists.
- Match the chosen option to the budget available for metering and analysis relative to the size of expected savings.
- Justify the selected option in the M&V plan so it withstands scrutiny from an independent reviewer or auditor.
02Baseline Development and M&V Plan Design
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Building a Defensible Baseline Model
- Select independent variables, such as production volume, occupancy or degree days, that plausibly drive baseline energy use.
- Fit a regression model to baseline period data and test its statistical validity before relying on it for savings calculations.
- Choose an appropriate baseline period length that captures normal operating variability without diluting the comparison.
- Document baseline model assumptions so they can be reproduced and challenged by a third party.
Session 2Writing the Measurement and Verification Plan
- Specify metering points, instrument accuracy and data collection frequency required to support the chosen IPMVP option.
- Define the reporting period, adjustment rules and responsibilities for data collection between the parties to the contract.
- Set out how missing or suspect data will be estimated without biasing the reported savings figure.
- Align the M&V plan with the specific terms of the energy performance contract or savings guarantee it supports.
03Calculating and Adjusting Savings
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Applying Non-Routine Adjustments
- Identify non-routine events, such as a production line change or equipment replacement, that require a baseline adjustment.
- Calculate the adjustment needed so the baseline reflects what energy use would have been under reporting period conditions.
- Distinguish adjustments that belong in the baseline from savings that genuinely result from the efficiency project.
- Document adjustment calculations transparently so disputes between project parties can be resolved with evidence.
Session 2Calculating Avoided Energy Use
- Calculate avoided energy use as the difference between adjusted baseline energy and actual metered reporting period energy.
- Convert avoided energy use into cost and emissions savings using the relevant tariff and emission factor assumptions.
- Reconcile calculated savings against interim indicators, such as equipment efficiency tests, to sanity-check the result.
- Flag savings results that fall outside expected ranges for further investigation before they are reported externally.
04Uncertainty, Reporting and Contract Assurance
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Quantifying and Communicating Uncertainty
- Calculate uncertainty bounds around reported savings arising from measurement error and baseline model fit.
- Set a minimum acceptable confidence level for reported savings based on the materiality of the financial outcome.
- Communicate uncertainty in plain terms to non-technical stakeholders who must decide whether to trust the reported figure.
- Balance the cost of additional metering against the value of reducing uncertainty in the reported savings.
Session 2Reporting and Sustaining M&V Performance
- Structure periodic savings reports that satisfy the evidentiary requirements of an energy performance contract.
- Reconcile disputes between facility operators and energy service companies using the agreed M&V plan as the reference.
- Review M&V plan performance annually and update it as equipment, production patterns or metering capability change.
- Use verified savings data to build the case for further efficiency investment at the same or other sites.
What the participant receives
4 course modules
A structured syllabus
8 training sessions
across 5 days
32 detailed points
Applied, detailed content
Accredited attendance certificate
On completing the programme
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