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| Metrix » Baseline |
A:
Assuming the following are correct:
- You are using blended rates (average cost per kWh)
- The problem only occurs when there is very little actual usage
- Your rate includes a customer or monthly charge
Then, I have the answer.
Using the following set of example bills:
| Bill Date | Total Cost | Usage (therms) |
| 3/15/98 | $550 | 1000 |
| 4/15/98 | $100 | 100 |
| 5/15/98 | $ 55 | 10 |
| 6/15/98 | $ 50 | 1 |
| 7/15/98 | $ 50 | 1 |
The average costs for each month would calculate to:
| Bill Date | Total Cost | Usage (therms) | Average Cost / therm |
| 3/15/98 | $550 | 1000 | $0.55/therm |
| 4/15/98 | $100 | 100 | $1.00/therm |
| 5/15/98 | $ 55 | 10 | $5.50/therm |
| 6/15/98 | $ 50.50 | 1 | $50.50/therm |
| 7/15/98 | $ 50.50 | 1 | $50.50/therm |
What is interesting, is that these numbers were created assuming a monthly charge of $50/month and an energy charge of $0.50/therm.
When you have very small usage the average costs get very distorted, and show up inflated to unreasonable proportions in your baseline, target and simactual scenarios.
If you were comparing baseline - actual, you might see something like:
| Therms | Dollars | |
| Baseline | 20 | 1060 |
| Actual | 1 | 50.5 |
| Savings | 19 | 1009.5 |
How do you resolve this?
1. You could use rates instead of average cost. However, if you do not want to, then
2. You could use Avg Cost/ Consumption and Cost/Demand as your Utility pricing method. You will need to have detailed costs entered for this method as it divides the consumption by the detailed consumption cost to get the $/consumption values. In the same manner, it uses demand detailed cost to calculate the $/demand values.
3. You could use modifications to take care of these situations.
The following steps can be used to remove these huge cost figures from the Baseline and Target scenarios (but not from Simactual):
-
Print out a report that shows baseline usage for the entire period under consideration (this means 1 year, or 2 years, etc.)
-
Add a modification to the affected meter
-
Select "directly enter factor history" in the modification form
-
The start dates (in the lower left corner of the modification form) can be the beginning of the performance or installation period. In other words, you can leave it alone, as it already is the beginning of the performance period.
-
Click on the Utility Cost button.
-
Open the Factor History subform
-
Select "Billing Periods" as the Time Period (top left)
-
For bills for which there is very little usage, you will enter the following: (the other rows, you can leave blank)
a. in the "Cost + %" column, enter -100 (this zeros out the cost for the baseline)
b. in the "Cost + $" column, enter the baseline cost as it should be calculated. Enter it as total bill $, not $/therm. You are going to have to refer to the report you printed out in step 1, and calculate by hand what the baseline $ should be.
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