SMEasure

The Savings by Monitoring Energy Project helps small businesses and local governments understand and manage their energy-use through a free, online energy monitoring tool, called SMEasure, that provides clear insights to business owners and facility managers for saving money, eliminating energy wastage in their buildings, and reducing carbon emissions.

The Savings by Monitoring Energy Project, also referred to as the SMEasure Project, will pilot a free online energy monitoring tool in the Sierra Nevada.  A better understanding of energy consumption leads to increased energy savings over time, yet most people have only a vague idea of how much energy they use or how their energy use is affected by variables such as weather and occupant behavior.  Smart meters are helping address this challenge, by providing more detailed data on building energy use. The SMEasure project seeks to further increase relevant information through offering the energy monitoring tool, called SMEasure, which uses smart meter readings coupled with local Sierra Nevada weather data to provide detailed insight into building energy-use and performance.  If a user is a Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) Customer, electricity and natural gas meter readings can be uploaded from a user's PG&E account through an automated application.  The software also has the ability to track electricity, gas, propane, and heating oil use through manual entry of weekly meter readings.  SMEasure was developed by Environmental Change Institute at Oxford University and has been piloted in the U.K. and Germany.  SMEasure is provided at no cost to the user through funding from Pacific Gas and Electric’s Innovator Pilots Program.

SMEasure Features and Benefits:

• Access to a free, online energy monitoring software - no software to download or equipment to purchase
• Easy and quick to set up and maintain - takes just 5 minutes a week to upload data
• Improved understanding of building energy use including insight into the relative contributions of building envelope performance, HVAC controls and base-load to total energy use, and how energy use is affected by weather
• Recommendations for improving building performance, specific to your building type, and links to rebates and incentive programs to help finance improvements
• Free technical support is available during the pilot period for users located within PG&E territory in the Sierra Nevada
• SBC will work with businesses and local governments to pilot the software and analyze its effectiveness at encouraging investment in energy efficiency upgrades and changes in operations & maintenance activities that save energy and money.  Project staff will be available to provide free support and technical assistance to SMEasure users in the pilot region.

Visit www.smeasure.org to learn more about SMEasure and to set up an account.

SMEasure is a component of the Sierra Nevada Green Prosperity Initiative. This program is administered by PG&E and funded by California ratepayers under the auspices of the California Public Utilities Commission.

For more information, contact Emma Ingebretsen or Shane Lopez at 530-582-4800.