Metrix software is used for two different capacities:
· Metrix tracks and verifies savings from energy saving projects. It is used in this capacity by performance contractors, ESCOs, energy consultants, energy managers and facility managers.
· Metrix tracks utility bills so that you can compare usage year over year. It is used in this capacity by energy managers and facility managers.
Metrix is unique in that it allows you to filter weather, scheduling, square footage and other variables out of the savings equation. If these things were not attended to, then when you compare bills to show savings, your savings numbers could be due more to weather, building schedule or square feet than due to your energy savings project.
Metrix is owned by Itron. Abraxas Energy Consulting resells the software, and provides marketing, sales, training and technical support. Itron does not sell Metrix.
Metrix was created in 1996 by SRC-Systems of Berkeley, California. SRC Systems was bought by Silicon Energy in June 2000, and Silicon Energy sold and supported Metrix until October 2001 when they contracted with Abraxas Energy Consulting to sell and support the product. Silicon Energy was then bought by Itron.
Metrix 4.0 is available now!
We do not know if there is a limitation on the number of meters that Metrix can handle, but we can at least let you know that the program’s performance begins to degrade no when there are more than 200 meters in the project. Although we have seen projects with over 500 meters, projects with 300 meters or more might operate slower than you want. For this reason, we do not suggest that Metrix users create large projects over 300 meters. Instead, we suggest that they create a few smaller projects. For example, a large school district might have 400 meters could be split into 4 projects, one for Elementary Schools, one for Middle Schools, one for High Schools and one for Other Bldgs.
Yes. Metrix 4 has an easy-to-use interface that allows you to sort meters by name, account number, fuel type, or description, so finding the right meter is now very easy. Entering new bills is now easy as well. Earlier versions of Metrix were not as easy, and confused some people. If you get your data electronically from your utility, then you can reformat the data and import it into Metrix. This may be more than what a clerical worker can handle, however, macros can be written in Excel that can handle this simply.
In most cases, yes. Metrix has a rate engine that you can use to model your rates. Metrix makes special Rate Validation reports that can be used to determine whether your utility is billing you correctly for a given amount of energy or water usage.
If you are missing bills, Metrix can still operate effectively. Does Metrix estimate the missing bills for you? No. Does Metrix list all your missing bills in a report? Yes, Metrix 4 has a missing bills report that finds and lists missing bills.
Yes, Metrix 4 does have a report, the missing bills report, that lists missing bills.
It can, but not explicitly. You would enter estimated bills like you would any other bill. There is no memo field, or estimated checkbox to remind you that a bill is estimated. When you get an actual bill, you would then just reenter the actual amount over the estimated amount.
No. Metrix does not estimate savings from ECMs before they are installed. Metrix calculates savings after they are installed, and after you have received post-retrofit utility bills.
Explicitly, no. Metrix is not usually used to create Budgets, but it can be.
Metrix allows you to make "Targets" which are some reduction from "Baseline" energy usage. Since the Baseline changes with changes in weather, then your Targets would change as well. For example, an energy manager may have a goal to reduce energy usage by 10% in his first year. Since the energy manager does not want to have extreme weather destroy his comparison of Target usage to actual usage, he might want the Target to be adjusted for changes in weather. Metrix does this. Then the energy manager can see if he really reduced usage by 10% or not. If the Target was not adjusted for weather, then for any cool summer, the energy manager might see too much energy savings, and during any hot summer, he might see negative savings. It is better to get a fair picture and get the weather variations out of the equation.
Advanced Metrix users can and do use the program to forecast based upon average weather data, however, this process what not explicitly written into the program.
Metrix uses a proprietary database. This means that, no, you cannot connect to it. However, Metrix does allow you to export all of the data that is in a project into Excel files.
Yes. Metrix 4's ReportMaker does make html reports that are beautiful. It also can create jpgs and gifs out of your charts and tables.
Yes. You can compare this year’s usage to your target (budgeted) usage.
No.
You can either import bill data into Metrix or you can type
it in directly. If you receive your bill data electronically, we
suggest you create your import file in Excel and import the bill data.
This would be the easiest approach.
Not explicitly. Some customers do not like this. Others don’t have the time to enter this type of data anyway. To many, it doesn’t really matter how much you paid for a monthly customer charge or a fuel adjustment, what matters most to these customers is total usage, total demand, and total dollars, and maybe a few other factors, like On-Peak kWh, or Off-Peak kW, or On-Peak kWh $. Metrix’s bill register has three columns for miscellaneous costs. They are: Credit (for billing credits), Tax, and Misc.(which includes fuel adjustments, customer charges and other charges that are not energy or demand or water charges).
It isn’t that difficult.
An import file is just one row per bill. Each column is the home for a specific type of data, for
example, column B is Meter Name, and column X is the On-Peak Demand.
Abraxas Energy Consulting offers a macro driven spreadsheet that you can use to make import files. It can be used either as a bill entry program, or you can just copy and paste rows of data into its template bill register.
More and more utilities are giving data electronically, but some still do not. Once you get the bill data in electronic format, it is usually easy to reformat the data for Metrix import. Usually it involves moving a few columns around. You might even write Excel macros to automate the process, or we can write the macros for you.
Yes. You can export everything you put into Metrix. There are several ways to get data out of Metrix. Bill data is the most common and easiest type of data to export.
Abraxas Energy Consulting has created a program, the Data Burglar, that will take bill data out of Utility Manager or Zpower and then convert it to a Metrix import file. This data can then be imported into Metrix. Contact us if you want more information about the Data Burglar.
You can either make it yourself, or you can buy it from us, or buy it from some other vendor. We have a list of available weather stations at www.abraxasenergy.com/weather_us.php.
Most Metrix users will import the weather data into Metrix. There are probably a few who type it in, but not very many.
Yes.
No. But it can model most of them.
Metrix can model the following:
TOU Rates, Tiered Rates, kWh/kW rates, Ratcheted Demands, Minimum Demands, Contract Demands, Fuel Adjustments, Threshold Demands, Monthly Charges, Daily Charges.
Metrix can handle average costs or explicitly modeled rates. You make the decision how you want to set up your project.
Yes.
Yes it can, however, it was not written specifically with
this in mind. Keep in mind, if you
have a Non-TOU rate, and want to know how much a TOU rate would cost you, Metrix
cannot tell you. In order to
calculate this, Metrix would have to break out your total kWh into On Peak, Off
Peak and Mid Peak usage, and Metrix wouldn’t know how to make these estimates.
The best programs that compare rates are programs that handle interval
data.
Yes. Metrix 4's ReportMaker is an Excel based Reports Engine. It operates independently of Metrix 4, and gathers data from Metrix 4 projects, even when Metrix 4 is closed. All reports are made from wizards.
Yes. Since all Metrix 4 reports are made in Excel, if you know how to use Excel, you can modify the reports in any way you want. You can add logos, make your own reports, create macros that will reformat data, etc.
Yes. Metrix 4 reports ARE in Excel. They are generated by an Excel VBA engine.
We have two types of customers:
With Metrix 4, this is an easy option. You can load all your meters into Metrix 4, "tune" only those meters that you want weather correction for, and you are done. Metrix makes Year over Year comparison reports, as well as Baseline - Actual reports (with correction).
Several types of organizations use Metrix.
|
Type of organization |
Reason for Using Metrix |
|
ESCOs |
Metrix is the leading (and essentially the only available) choice for ESCOs that want to demonstrate savings from ECMs using utility bills. |
|
Energy Managers / Facility Managers |
Energy and Facility Managers use Metrix to prove that their energy projects are actually saving money. In many organizations, Energy and Facility Managers have to report back to management to show the savings that have occurred due to their conservation efforts. Metrix will remove any variation in the results due to weather and changes in building energy patterns (such as renovations or additions). Many Energy Managers use Metrix to track their utility bills as well to provide the year over year comparisons. |
|
Energy Consultants |
|
Some of our largest customers are: Siemens, Johnson Controls, Honeywell, Noresco, Pfizer, Toyota, and there are hundreds of others. See our customer list.
Yes. Metrix does perform according to the IPMVP, FEMP Guidelines, and ASHRAE GPC-14 recommendations.
For Metrix 3, a single user license costs $2995. A 3-user LAN license costs $4995.
Pricing for Metrix 4 is unfortunately more complex, as it depends on exctly what you need. Please call us at (805) 438-4847 or shoot us an e-mail at sales@abraxasenergy.com for a quote.
For Metrix 3, If you bought a single user license, then you can put the software on one desktop and one laptop. If you bought a 3-user network license, then you can only put the software on three machines.
We tried to simplify this with Metrix 4. We are selling Metrix 4 on a "seat" basis. The smallest Metrix 4 package we sell is a 2 seat license, which means you can put it on 2 computers (just like a "single user license" for Metrix 3).
You can install Metrix on hundreds of machines. We wouldn’t know. However, you can only run the program if you have a registration number. To get one, you have to fill out a registration form. This is how we keep track of licenses.
Maybe not. To track your savings, you will need to continually feed Metrix weather data. Most customers buy their weather data, but some create it themselves with information that can be found on the web. It is all a matter of time and money.
With a license purchase, you get one year of technical support and upgrades. If you want continued support and upgrades, then there is an annual software maintenance cost.
No.
When you purchase a license you get a permanent registration number for the software. You can download manuals and the installation file from our website.
Yes. We offer 2-day hands-on trainings each month around the country. We also offer private trainings at your workplace.
There are several ways you can buy a license:
Sorry, but you don’t. You can download the manual and the installation file, either of which you can burn on a CD-ROM if you want. There is an extra cost for manuals and CD-ROMs.
Tech support is very good. The main support contact, John Avina, has been providing technical support and trainings for Metrix since 1997.
You get one free year of technical support and software upgrades with each license purchase.