Energy Saving Opportunity & Baseline Worksheet

What the worksheet helps you decide

An energy opportunity is more than a lower kW value. A useful proposal states what service the equipment provides, how the current condition was measured, which operating period is representative, what will change and how performance will be checked afterward. The worksheet keeps those decisions beside the financial estimate so reviewers can see the evidence and limitations.

Use one row per opportunity. Examples might include repairing a compressed-air leak, reducing avoidable idle running, correcting a control schedule or improving an inefficient operating condition. Do not combine unrelated measures in one row; separate records make assumptions, ownership and later verification easier to trace.

Beginner → Intermediate → Advanced workflow

1. Beginner—describe the opportunity: identify the equipment boundary, observed waste, proposed measure and useful output or service that must be maintained.
2. Intermediate—build the baseline: record the measurement period, instrument, average input power, operating schedule, tariff and exclusions. Use the calculator for the preliminary estimate.
3. Advanced—approve and verify: define controls, ownership and verification dates before implementation; then compare representative post-change evidence with the baseline and record verified savings separately from estimates.

Define a representative measurement boundary

Write down exactly what is inside the calculation: one motor, a complete machine, a distribution system or another stated boundary. Record the useful output or service—such as operating hours, production units, airflow or another suitable measure—so lower energy use is not mistaken for improvement when output has also fallen.

• Choose baseline dates that reflect normal operating conditions and include expected load variation.
• Identify the meter or instrument and its approved identifier; check calibration or verification status under site rules.
• Use measured average input power or metered energy where practical. A nameplate rating is not proof of actual consumption.
• Record shutdowns, abnormal weather, production changes, temporary bypasses and other exclusions that could distort the comparison.
• Keep baseline and proposed cases on equivalent output and schedule assumptions, or normalize them using an approved site method.

Field groups

Opportunity and operating context

• Opportunity_ID: a unique, non-confidential reference for tracking the idea through review and verification.
• Equipment_or_System: the defined calculation boundary; use an approved generic asset identifier if publication or sharing is possible.
• Waste_or_Problem_Observed: the evidence that prompted investigation, not a guessed root cause.
• Proposed_Measure: the specific change to be evaluated.
• Useful_Output_or_Service: the function that must remain equivalent when comparing cases.

Baseline, proposed case and tariff

• Baseline_Average_Input_kW: representative measured electrical input, not output power or nameplate rating.
• Operating_Hours_per_Day / Days_per_Year: realistic schedules for each case. If the schedules differ, calculate annual energy separately.
• Tariff_Currency / Tariff_per_kWh: the currency and energy charge used. Document demand charges or other material components separately.
• Proposed_Average_Input_kW: the supported estimate or measured post-change value, with its source explained under assumptions.
• Project_Cost: use the same currency as the tariff-derived saving and document what the estimate includes.

Approval and verification

• Implementation_Owner / Target_Date: accountable role and planned date; avoid personal data when a role is sufficient.
• Safety_and_Operational_Controls: approved reviews, limits, permits, isolation and testing required for the change.
• Approval_Status: a controlled status such as proposed, under review, approved, rejected or implemented.
• Verified_Annual_kWh_Saved / Cost_Saved: post-change results derived from comparable evidence. Never overwrite the original estimate.

Formulas and calculation checks

If hours, days or useful output differ, calculate each annual-energy case independently and explain the normalization. Simple payback is a screening measure, not lifecycle cost, NPV or IRR. It does not automatically include demand charges, maintenance, financing, degradation, escalation, downtime or production effects.

Pre-approval quality check

• Confirm all power, time, energy and tariff units are stated and consistent.
• Check that the proposed condition preserves the required service, quality, safeguards and equipment limits.
• Trace every estimate to a measurement, calculation, quotation, OEM source or clearly labelled assumption.
• Review whether seasonal, production or occupancy effects make the baseline unrepresentative.
• Define the post-change measurement period and acceptance criteria before implementation.
• Keep estimated and verified savings in separate fields and investigate material differences.

Safety, privacy and engineering limitations

This worksheet supports education, preliminary screening and structured discussion. It is not an energy audit certificate, approved capital request, commissioning record or guarantee of savings. Do not enter access credentials, restricted asset details, personal information or confidential commercial data in a file intended for public sharing.

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