Mike Soszynski
ADM Associates, Inc. | Senior Evaluation Researcher
Speaker
Track G: Energy Services
Session G1: Innovative Approaches to M&V
September 25, 2024 | 2:30 pm - 3:00 pm
(the Continued) Importance of In-Person Field Verification for Commercial EM&V
In 2014 the term EM&V 2.0 was introduced. Its claim being that savings could be assessed using meter data; with one version of the truth there would be better decisions, better results and clearer verification of energy savings and demand reductions. Nearly 10 years later the shift to using meter data to verify savings is still ongoing and there are large hurdles still. Installing smart meters remains a costly, time-intensive effort to fully install, monitor, and gain access to usage data. Many states allow for commercial and residential customers to opt out of smart meters and in 2021 the U.S. Energy Information Administration estimated that about 30% of commercial utility customers and 45% of transportation customers do not have smart meters.
Energy efficiency projects continue to be undertaken across the country and there is a continued need for verification of savings and energy demand at these projects. This need is driven by the scale of projects and complexity of accurately capturing savings without the ability to disaggregate usage by end-use. Many utility-sponsored energy efficiency programs require applicants to complete calculations; often a minor input error can have an impact on the estimated savings.
In this presentation we highlight the limitations of performing desk reviews for commercial energy efficiency projects without visiting facilities to inspect equipment and speak with facility managers or other knowledgeable staff. We then share the results from two case studies as well as several other examples from work in the M&V field and discuss the continued need for on-site verification.
(Please note that Vince Rienzi is co-presenting)
Speaker Bio
Mike Soszynski is a senior evaluation researcher with experience in program evaluation, communications, and program management. He has over five years of leading process evaluations with specific focus on developing and administering surveys and interviews, analyzing data, and working with diverse data sets. His skills as a survey researcher are bolstered by his experience administering surveys and interviews online, in-person, and through email for multiple organizations. His work conducting process evaluations for established programs has led to clear, direct recommendations for improvement.
Additionally, Mr. Soszynski has experience working in a cross-disciplinary capacity. He has completed impact analysis for various utilities energy efficiency programs and conducted both commercial and residential verification fieldwork. His experience is bolster by his engagement with wide-range of knowledgeable experts from social science, data science, and engineering backgrounds.
