An M&V Plan, or Measurement & Verification Plan, details how actual energy savings for a project will be determined, using utility billing data, equipment measurements, equipment modeling and/or building energy simulation. The plan is developed in conjunction with FirstEnergy's utility, the program participant and project contractors and consultants, ideally well ahead of any upgrade activities. It may require the participant/contractor/consultant to collect measurements on pre-existing equipment as well as newly installed upgrades.

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To calculate the baseline, use the Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code, or your local construction code, whichever is more stringent. The Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code references the International Energy Conservation Code of 2009 (IECC 2009) for specifications on building and equipment energy performance. IECC 2009 can be used to identify code-compliant equivalent metrics (e.g. efficiency ratings) for your project's equipment submittals. Use the baseline metrics to calculate the energy usage of code-compliant equipment to compare it to the energy usage of more energy-efficient equipment. If no code exists for a given piece of equipment being incentivized, standard industry practice will apply.

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Customers submitting applications for the Custom Program need to work with their contractors and design team (architect, engineer, energy consultants) involved in the project to calculate the savings. FirstEnergy utility program technical staff will work with your team to refine calculations and technical assumptions once we've received your preliminary calculations.

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As mandated by the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, FirstEnergy's utilities use the Total Resource Cost (TRC) Calculator to compare project benefits to project costs, not only for the applicant but for the utility and its customers. The program requires a qualifying project to have a TRC score of 1.0 or higher.

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If you are having trouble with the TRC Calculator, the program call center can direct you to an appropriate resource. You can reach us at energysavePA@saic.com.