BASICS OF ENERGY

MANAGEMENT

Section A - Energy Basics

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 Basics of Energy Management

These resource materials were developed by the

Kentucky Pollution Prevention Center at the
University of Louisville for KEEPS – Kentucky
Energy Efficiency Programs for Schools – with
support from the U.S. Department of Energy, and
the Kentucky Department for Energy Development
and Independence.

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 Basics of Energy Management

Electricity Units
 Watt (W)
Electrical unit of power
 Kilowatt (kW)
Unit of power equivalent to 1,000 watts of electrical
demand
 Kilowatt-hour (kWh)
Amount of energy consumed when 1,000 watts are used
for one hour

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 Basics of Energy Management

Electric Demand Components

 Demand Period
Time interval during which flow of electricity is measured
(usually in 15-, 30- or 60-minute increments depending on
rate structure)
 Peak Demand
Highest average demand over the demand period in the
billing period
 Electric Load Factor (ELF)
Indicates if peak demand is high for the facility

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 Basics of Energy Management

Electric Demand Profile

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 Basics of Energy Management

Natural Gas Units

 Btu: British thermal unit

 MMBtu: Million British thermal unit

 Btu/hr: British thermal unit per hour

 CCF: Hundred cubic feet 10 CCF = 1 MMBtu

 Dth: Dekatherm 1 dth = 1 MMBtu or ~10 CCF

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 Basics of Energy Management

Conversion – Apples to Apples

 Horsepower (hp) = 745.6 watts

 Motor hp = 2,545 Btu/hr

 Boiler hp = 33,475 Btu/hr

 Cooling ton = 12,000 Btu/hr

 1 kilowatt = 3,412.3 Btu/hr

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 Basics of Energy Management

Efficiency Terms
 Efficiency
 Work done divided by work put into the system

work out
=%
work in
 Efficacy
 Measure of performance using units
• lumens/watt for lighting
• kW/ton for chillers

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 Basics of Energy Management

HVAC Efficiency – COP

 Coefficient of Performance (COP)
Measurement of how efficiently a heating or cooling
system operates at a single outdoor temperature
condition
• Temperature condition for heat pumps = 47°F
 Methods to calculate COP
Heat Pump Chiller
Btu of heat produced (47◦F) 3.516
Btu of electricity used (47◦F) kW/ton

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 Basics of Energy Management

HVAC Efficiency – EER

 Energy Efficiency Ratio (EER)
Measurement of how efficiently a cooling system
operates when the outdoor temperature is at a specific
level (95°F)
Commonly used when referring to:
• air conditioners (window, unitary)
• heat pumps (window, unitary, water-source,
geothermal)
Btu/hr cooling at 95°F
 Method to calculate EER
watts used at 95°F

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 Basics of Energy Management

Conversion - Apples to Apples

Btu of cooling produced

EER =
Wh of electricity used

Energy or heat output (total)

COP =
Energy or heat input (external)

EER
COP =
3,412 Btu/Wh

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 Basics of Energy Management

HVAC Efficiency – SEER

 Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER)
Measurement of how efficiently a residential central
cooling system operates over an entire cooling season
• air conditioner or heat pump
Not to be confused with EER
Split cooling system SEER must be greater than 13,
effective 2006
 Method to calculate SEER
seasonal Btu of cooling

seasonal watt-hours used

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 Basics of Energy Management

HVAC Efficiency – HSPF

 Heating Seasonal Performance Factor (HSPF)

Measurement of how efficiently all residential and some
commercial heat pumps operate in their heating mode
over an entire normal heating season

 Method to calculate HSPF

Btu of heat produced over heating season

watt-hours of electricity used over heating season

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 Basics of Energy Management

HVAC Efficiency – AFUE

 Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE)
Measurement of how efficiently a gas furnace or boiler
operates over an entire heating season
Percentage of energy consumed by system that is
actually converted to useful heat
AFUE for most gas furnaces must be at least 78%

 Method to calculate AFUE

Btu of heat produced over heating season

Btu of natural gas used over heating season

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 Basics of Energy Management

Energy Accounting Terms

 Energy Use Index (EUI): Btu/ft2/year

Use when tracking energy savings

 Energy Cost Index (ECI): $/ft2/year

Use when comparing within your district
• must be a small district with single utility provider

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 Basics of Energy Management

Energy and the Environment

 1 lb of coal burned produces 1 to 1.25 kWh

 T12 (34W) upgrade to Super-T8 (32W) for 10 fixtures with

four lamps per fixture

*100 lb/yr of coal not burned*

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 Basics of Energy Management

Review of Energy Basics

 Electric Units – kW, kWh, peak demand, ELF

 Natural Gas Units – CCF, MMBtu, dth

 HVAC Efficiency – COP, EER, SEER, HSPF, AFUE

 Energy Accounting – EUI and ECI

 Energy and the Environment

1 lb coal burned produces about 1 to 1.25 kWh

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