by Shane Henson — July 24, 2013—Efficiency Maine, an independent trust working to promote the efficient and cost-effective use of energy, announced plans to leverage FirstFuel Software’s advanced analytics capabilities to improve the delivery and monitoring of energy efficiency programs in commercial buildings using smart meter data.
Through working with FirstFuel, Efficiency Maine will be able to deliver energy-savings programs to its customers using insight on commercial building energy usage. The project will eliminate the need for on-site visits to pinpoint energy-saving opportunities or track their effectiveness following implementation, says FirstFuel.
The pilot project, part of Efficiency Maine’s Innovation Program, will cover more than 100 commercial buildings and will focus on schools across the state as the initial target segment. FirstFuel’s advanced analytics will be used to screen buildings to identify those with the greatest energy savings potential, conduct remote energy audits to target specific energy savings actions, engage each customer to support implementation plans, and monitor building energy performance over time to ensure greater savings.
K-12 schools in Maine account for more than 400 million kilowatt hours (kWh) of annual energy use. Assuming average savings rates from prior FirstFuel engagements, Maine schools have the potential to save approximately 65 million kWh of annual energy use—equivalent to the energy needed to power more than 7,000 residential homes each year. Efficiency Maine says it may expand such analytics-enabled programs over time, extending savings opportunities to many commercial buildings that historically have not been able to participate cost effectively.
