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EM&V for Building Decarbonization

Introduction

Dear Stakeholders: Your input will help inform a NEEP report on Evaluation, Measurement & Verification (EM&V) needed for Building Decarbonization, and it will help with NEEP's 2021 planning for how to address this topic via studies, stakeholder engagement, exchange, and best practice guidance. This survey includes a total of 9 content-rich questions, not including comments. It may take 15+ minutes to go through. Please be sure to save enough time and energy to respond to the last two questions on key research needs and 2021 agenda. Responses are requested by July 10. Thanks in advance for your help!
1.About you: Please check all that apply
2.How would you characterize your association with energy efficiency program EM&V?
3.Big Picture: Evolving Energy Landscape: Do you agree with the following situational description?  

A new world: At this dynamic time, building electrification and decarbonization policies, programs and investments are rapidly growing across our region to meet urgent public policy mandates for carbon mitigation, climate resilience and adaptation, and energy affordability. Technology and program solutions and distributed energy resources (DERs) are changing the nature and timing of energy use in buildings, making homes and buildings an integral part of an evolving low-carbon, resilient distributed electric grid increasingly powered by intermittent renewable electricity from wind and solar. All of this is evolving during the ongoing pandemic, recession, and increased attention to social justice. In this context, building level data from many sources, research and analysis is increasingly important.
Many audiences, many needs: The audiences for building level data are expanding and wide-ranging, from state and local government initiatives, and RTO capacity market managers and participants, to equipment and service providers, building owners, and more. Fortunately new technology for data collection and analysis can serve many needs and constituencies at the project, program and state level. All of these shifts have profound implications for the practice of efficiency program EM&V.
4.What would you add or change to the Situational Description in Question 3?
5.Framework: Do you think the current framework used for EM&V of energy efficiency programs is adequate for capturing the holistic energy, demand, carbon emissions and other non-energy impacts associated with future energy programs (electrification, micro-grids, etc.)?
6.Metrics: Do standardized metrics on total building energy use and carbon emissions and other non-energy program performance metrics need to be accessible to additional audiences beyond the traditional energy efficiency program audience?
7.Audiences: Which of the following audiences would benefit from accounting schemes developed to report total energy consumption and carbon emissions at the whole-building level? Check all that apply
8.Use / Practice: Do you agree with the following recommendations to help meet the region’s goals for decarbonization and related mandates?
Yes
No
Don't Know
A. States should adopt energy program cost-effectiveness tests aligned with carbon policy
B. Longer term (>10 year) load forecasts should be developed to support state carbon policy goals
C. Barriers to access to energy consumption data should be reduced (subject to assuring privacy and security)
D. Energy program research and evaluation should also include distributed energy resources (DER), non-wires alternatives (NWA), and grid-interactive efficient buildings (GEB), leveraging expertise developed with EE
E. States need to aggregate impacts from multiple initiatives to assess progress towards decarbonization goals
F. Rapid feedback on efficiency program delivery and impacts will help support progress toward state carbon goals
G. Carbon impacts from benchmarking and labeling programs need to be evaluated to inform states’ decarbonization goals
H. Integrated energy programs that enable demand flexibility will help meet decarbonization goals and grid resilience
I. Lifecycle carbon emissions reduction from relevant energy programs should be tracked to support state-level decarbonization goals
J. A monetary metric ($/avoided carbon quantity) is needed as common language across regional demand and supply forecasting
9.Data Collection and Management Opportunities and Challenges: Do you agree with the following statements related to data collection and management to help meet the region’s goals for building decarbonization and related energy policy?
Yes
No
Don't Know
A. Data on time and location of energy consumption and efficiency is needed to inform grid-related impacts
B. Advanced M&V tools (software for big data, EE program dashboards) can facilitate optimization and analysis of energy efficiency programs
C. AMI can facilitate load research and connected grid strategies
D. Comprehensive, detailed data are needed to catalog existing building stock sufficiently to design strategic electrification programs. Research would include age, systems, demographics of geographic location and occupants, etc.
E. Coordination, such as through green banks, will help enable customers and investors with financing and leverage multiple funding sources to enhance decarbonization opportunities
10.What Research does the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic Need? Please rank the importance/timeliness of the following potential research projects to help meet the region’s goals for decarbonization and related energy and social policy. Please also comment below if you have interest in co-funding your priority needs.
Most Important
 Important
Somewhat Important
Not Important
Not Needed
A. Collect comprehensive data on existing building stock with demographics and locations, to support various research needs relating to strategic electrification and program designs
B. Research on energy burden, public health, and energy programs, to inform energy and electrification program designs and implementation
C. Seek recommendations from the evaluation community to inform future evaluation issues (e.g. assessing demand flexibility programs, assessing progress toward carbon policy goals, assessing non-energy impacts of DERs)
D. Compile lessons learned from COVID-19 impacts on energy consumption, carbon emissions, and public health to inform future energy efficiency and decarbonization programs
E. Develop profiles (in-field performance, loadshapes, assumptions, market characterization) of key technologies: equipment controls, heat pumps, EV charging stations to support connected communities and strategic electrification
F. Explore use cases for Building Energy Benchmarking and Transparency, beyond compliance assessment. (e.g. how to use them in understanding market transformation or in measuring progress toward state carbon goals, etc.)
G. Develop/assess finance data best practices (e.g. green bank features) to support decarbonization.
11.What do you think NEEP should focus on in 2021? Please rank the importance/timeliness of the following potential NEEP-led projects for 2021.
Most Important
Important
Somewhat Important
Not Important
Not Needed
A. Develop profiles (in-field performance, loadshapes, assumptions, market characterization) of key technologies: equipment controls, heat pumps, EV charging stations to support connected communities and strategic electrification.
B. Develop a scope for comprehensive data collection on existing building stock and demographics to meet regional research and forecasting needs. 
C. Develop a scope and study relating metadata (building stock, demographics) to energy burden, public health, and energy programs, to inform program designs and implementation.
D. Develop recommendations on the Incorporation of regional strategic electrification scenarios and connected community parameters into regional system demand forecasts.
E. Study extended applications of Building Energy Benchmarking and Transparency, beyond compliance assessment. (e.g. how to use them to understand market transformation or measure progress toward state carbon goals, etc.)
F. Assess or develop guidance on finance data best practices (e.g. green bank features) to support  decarbonization.
12.Thank you for your time!

Please share your name and email address so that we can follow up for additional conversation and feedback on these topics.
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