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Abstract:
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Modern management systems rely heavily on information
technology to set goals, track performance and
communicate results. Energy management approaches
(such as those offered by the US Department of Energy
and Natural Resources Canada) and measurement and
verification protocols (such as IPMVP 2001) often
highlight the importance an information system has in
maximizing results. The increasing adoption of energy
information systems has led, however, to an interesting
paradox: while it is now cost-effective to collect much
more data than ever before, many energy managers find
themselves drowning in the volume of data generated.
Business information systems faced a similar challenge a
decade ago, and it is now common practice to use Key
Performance Indicators (KPIs) to summarize volumes of
data into a few critical “nuggets” of actionable
information. These KPIs provide both the metrics that
will be used to determine the success of a business plan as
well as the timely information managers need to track
performance and make adjustments to ensure success. A
similar approach can be used in the practice of energy
management, where KPIs can be designed to measure the
success of key elements in an energy management plan
and provide energy managers with the timely “nuggets”
of information they need to ensure success.
This paper describes how to define and use KPIs to track
the performance and measure the success of an energy
management plan. A framework is provided to assist in
selecting measurable goals from an energy management
plan and determine the raw data and processing required
to generate the associated KPIs. |
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