CPEM 6 Steps

The Commercial Practical Energy Management process includes six important steps that each business should follow.

Step 1: Set Energy Savings Goals
You should create short- and long-term energy saving goals for your organization. Then, you must communicate these goals to your employees. Their efforts will help you achieve these goals.

Energy-saving goals should be measurable within a defined time period. Specific staff members should be given responsibility for achieving these goals. Your energy management program's success will be measured based on goal achievement.

Some examples of goals include:

Reduce utility bills by 5 percent in six months.
Improve building comfort and reduce occupant complaints in three months.
Improve the return on investment of a specific business unit by 10 percent within one year
Reduce the environmental impacts of energy use within one year.

Each goal should include several components:

Financial: a reduction in annual energy costs.
Energy usage: a reduction in energy use per square foot.
Accountability: [Staff Member's Name] will be the team leader.
Time frame: the goal will be achieved by a specified date.

The U.S. Department of Energy's ENERGY STAR^® website offers additional examples.

Step 2: Complete Utility Billing History Spreadsheet
You need to know how much energy your facility consumes before you move to Steps 3 through 6. If you skip this step, you will not be able to develop realistic energy saving goals and identify facility improvement measures. There are two tasks in this step.

First, collect utility bills for a minimum of one year; two years is preferred. Many utilities now make this information available online; check with your utility to learn more.

Second, develop baseline information on your utility consumption and related costs. Many utility websites contain information that helps you with this task. Use this valuable resource if it exists.

Click below to access the CPEM Utility History spreadsheet. It is a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet that allows you to enter data from electric and gas bills to track kilowatt (demand), kilowatt-hour, and therm usage. Once you enter the data, graphs are created for visual display as well.
Utility History Spreadsheet

Step 3: Complete Equipment Usage Breakdown Spreadsheets
This step helps you examine the actual energy use, by system and equipment type, at your facility. Once you know how your business uses energy, you can then identify areas for improvement.

Several spreadsheets are provided below. Each contains instructions for use and helpful tips. In many, once you enter data in certain fields, the remaining calculations are made automatically. They also provide graphs and charts as well.

Quick Calculation: Equipment Usage by Business Type
This spreadsheet helps you quickly calculate equipment usage, by business type. It provides tabs for different business types, including educational facilities, food sales, food services, healthcare, office, retail, and lodging businesses. Once you select the tab that corresponds to your business type, you simply enter utility bill data to get a snapshot of your business's energy use.
     Equipment Breakdown, by Business Type, Spreadsheet

Detailed Spreadsheet
This spreadsheet helps you calculate equipment-specific energy use at your facility, estimate the energy savings impacts of different technology options, and assess the lifecycle costs of different equipment options.

The first page of each spreadsheet contains a Table of Contents for easy reference and instructions are provided throughout.
     Detailed Equipment Usage Breakdown

Learn More
To learn more about using these spreadsheets, we encourage you to attend a CPEM training class. Click below to view Focus on Energy's Education & Training courses and the updated training calendar.
     Focus on Energy Education and Training Classes

Step 4: Develop an Energy Savings Plan
Once you have identified the equipment and systems in your business that consume energy, you are ready to take action.

After completing Step 3, you will identify areas where you can save energy. Some businesses will find just one or two areas need improvement. Others may identify several different targeted areas. You should evaluate each targeted area, prioritize them, and develop a written plan.

Several actions can help you during this process:

Review the various best practices--facility improvement measures listed in the best practice spreadsheets provided below. These best practices can produce quantifiable energy savings. Identify the ones that work for your business or operation type.

Air Handlers and RTUs

Best Practices Spreadsheet Air Handlers

Boilers

Best Practices Spreadsheet Boilers

Chillers

Best Practices Spreadsheet Chillers

Cooking Equipment

Best Practices Spreadsheet Cooking

DHW Systems

Best Practices Spreadsheet DHW Systems

Heating Cooling Miscellaneous

Best Practices Spreadsheets Misc HVAC

Lighting

Best Practices Spreadsheets Lighting

Miscellaneous Systems

Best Practices Spreadsheet Misc Equip

Refrigeration

Best Practices Spreadsheet Refrigeration

Use these spreadsheets to calculate the potential savings of different equipment efficiency upgrade options.
Determine project costs on your own or by working with a trade ally/contractor.
Enter this cost information into the CPEM spreadsheets in Step 3 to learn simple payback and lifecycle costing information.
Make a final decision and present your prioritized list to management and gain their support.

Step 5: Implement Your Energy Savings Plan
Taking action is the most important step in the process. If you do all the preparation but fail to follow through, you will continue to spend too much on energy.

Implementing an energy savings plan requires the commitment of knowledgeable and dedicated people. These include internal staff at every level, the trade allies and contractors you work with, and your Focus on Energy Advisor.

This step requires that you successfully complete two very different, but very critical tasks. First, you must manage the technical aspects of implementing your plan. This task may take time and it often presents challenges.

The second task may not seem so obvious, but it is just as critical. You must manage the communication process within your business or organization. Employees, co-workers, and managers must understand why these actions are being taken, the benefits that will result, and most importantly, their role in ensuring success. The evidence is clear: organizations that involve employees in an energy efficiency plan are more successful, save more energy, and manage costs more effectively.

Two software tools will help you complete this step. They are provided below.
Process Guideline Tool
CPEM Implementation Plan

Step 6: Monitor Your Energy Savings Plan
You must monitor your energy savings plan regularly to ensure its success. In some cases, your plan may work well. In others, you may identify changes that will improve the plan.

First, you should continue to input utility bill information into the Utility History spreadsheet. This ongoing activity will allow you to compare your "pre-plan" energy usage data (also called benchmark data) to your current energy usage data. You will be able to look for energy use patterns or variations. These may identify problem areas before they become serious or opportunities for additional energy savings.

Second, review your plan occasionally. What is working and what needs improvement?

Finally, you should always be looking for additional energy saving opportunities. Incorporate energy saving options in your budget each year, but do not overlook the no- and low-cost options that exist.