THE STATUS AND PROMISE OF ADVANCED M&V

The report examines 'M&V 2.0', which combines automated analytics with high-granularity data (such as hourly interval data) to provide near-real-time energy savings estimates. While traditional M&V often relies on delayed reporting and manual analysis, M&V 2.0 offers the potential for faster feedback to program administrators, utilities, and facility owners. However, the authors note significant limitations, including a current focus on existing-conditions baselines rather than standard-practice code baselines, and the difficulty of isolating individual measure-level savings from whole-building meter data. The document outlines the current landscape of proprietary tools, primarily focused on the commercial sector, and discusses ongoing standardization efforts such as the Uniform Methods Project and CalTRACK. To realize the full promise of M&V 2.0, the report recommends conducting more public pilots, establishing collective acceptance criteria for accuracy, and improving automated data access and interoperability.

• Advanced M&V, or M&V 2.0, is defined by two primary technical features: the use of automated analytics to provide near-real-time savings estimates and increased data granularity regarding frequency, volume, or end-use detail.
• M&V 2.0 provides distinct value to various stakeholders: program administrators can adjust designs and budgets more quickly; third-party evaluators can provide more granular savings information; and grid planners can obtain locational and temporal confirmation of efficiency impacts to predict short-term demand.
• A significant limitation of current M&V 2.0 tools is their reliance on existing conditions baselines, which conflicts with public policy in many jurisdictions that requires the use of standard-practice code baselines for certain measure types.
• Determining savings for individual measures using whole-building data is difficult and requires either a measure that drives substantial improvement in total energy use or relative stability in the facility's energy use outside of the intervention.
• The market for M&V 2.0 tools is currently dominated by proprietary software targeting commercial buildings, often integrated into broader energy management and information systems (EMIS) that include fault detection and HVAC optimization.
• Widespread adoption of M&V 2.0 is hindered by challenges in data access, confidentiality, and formatting, though initiatives like Green Button and HP-XML are attempting to standardize data formats.
• Several standardization and protocol efforts are underway, including the U.S. Department of Energy's Uniform Methods Project, the CalTRACK protocol for residential whole-house upgrades in California, and joint work by ACCA and BPI for residential buildings.

APA

FRANCONI, E., GEE, M., GOLDBERG, M., GRANDERSON, J., GUITERMAN, T., LI, M., & SMITH, B. (2017). THE STATUS AND PROMISE OF ADVANCED M&V. RMI. https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/03/Advanced_M_and_V_Report_March2017_RMI.pdf

Chicago

FRANCONI, ELLEN, MATT GEE, MIRIAM GOLDBERG, JESSICA GRANDERSON, TIM GUITERMAN, MICHAEL LI, and BRIAN SMITH. THE STATUS AND PROMISE OF ADVANCED M&V. RMI, 2017. https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/03/Advanced_M_and_V_Report_March2017_RMI.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=FRANCONI |first1=ELLEN |last2=GEE |first2=MATT |last3=GOLDBERG |first3=MIRIAM |last4=GRANDERSON |first4=JESSICA |last5=GUITERMAN |first5=TIM |last6=LI |first6=MICHAEL |last7=SMITH |first7=BRIAN |title=THE STATUS AND PROMISE OF ADVANCED M&V |publisher=RMI |date=March 2017 |url=https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/03/Advanced_M_and_V_Report_March2017_RMI.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{franconi2017status, author = {FRANCONI, ELLEN and GEE, MATT and GOLDBERG, MIRIAM and GRANDERSON, JESSICA and GUITERMAN, TIM and LI, MICHAEL and SMITH, BRIAN}, title = {{THE STATUS AND PROMISE OF ADVANCED M\&V}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2017}, month = mar, url = {https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/03/Advanced_M_and_V_Report_March2017_RMI.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }