FAQ

When you select a tuning period, you want to select a period in which energy usage will most represent the building's energy usage into the future (assuming no changes occur that might affect energy usage).

As a result, if significant changes in energy usage occur due to any of the following during your tuning period:

1. changes in occupancy levels

2. changes in occupancy hours

3. changes in zone usage

4. equipment added or removed from the facility (especially computers)

5. remodels and additions to the facility

6. customer installed retrofits

7. degradation of existing equipment

Then you are best off selecting a tuning period that occurs after the event(s) occur--that is, as long as as the period is at least 12 months, and ends before installation of ECMs commences. If you cannot do that, the second option is to select a tuning period that occurs before the event(s) occur. However, after tuning, you will have to add modifications to the tuning, in order get a realistic baseline. This means you will have to be able to quantify how much energy and demand has increased (decreased) due to what the customer has done to the building. However, if possible you do not want to select a tuning period that straddles the event(s) that occured to the building.

If you did so and tried to tune to weather, you would most likely get a poor correlation. Modifications would not help you get a better correlation. Any modifications you added are applied post-tuning.

If you must use a tuning period that straddles the changes in building usage, then you can add a modification for those post-change months only. However, as mentioned above, you probably will not get a good correlation.

I can’t find the answer to your question ? Try checking our User Forums.

Otherwise feel free to contact our Tech Support staff at (805) 329-6565, or via email at helpdesk@abraxasenergy.com.