Jackson Associates, an energy consulting firm based in Orlando, FL, has introduced a free energy benchmarking analysis that focuses on energy cost rather than energy use. Rather than traditional energy use benchmarking, this new Energy Budgets at Risk (EBaR) app benchmarks energy costs to identify potential savings. This distinction is important, according to Jackson Associates, because energy costs can vary across buildings with the same total energy use by as much as 50% depending on fuels used, electricity rate characteristics, and diurnal and seasonal energy use patterns.
“Most building owners and managers are surprised at how much more they are spending compared to the best 20% of buildings,” said Dr. Jerry Jackson, president of Jackson Associates, and publisher of the EBaR software. “We decided to make this component of our standard EBaR analysis freely available to help building owners and managers gain a better understanding of where they are cost-wise in terms of peer buildings in their area. Comparing energy costs to that of similar buildings are a lot more meaningful to building managers than comparing total Btus.”
“While only part of the potential energy cost savings will translate to increased cash flow depending on the cost of energy system upgrades, financing costs, and tax considerations, our experience shows that anywhere from 30-50+% of these cost differentials can be captured as increased cash flow with the right kind of upgrades and financing products.”
The EBaR Energy Cost Benchmarking can be initiated online by filling out a short form. Analysis is conducted by Jackson Associates with results returned by email (no other contact information is required and information provided by users is maintained with strict confidentiality).
EBaR energy risk analysis was introduced in the Wiley Finance Book: Energy Budgets at Risk: A Risk Management Approach to Energy Purchase and Efficiency Choices