Projects quantifies the results of energy efficiency investments and other building performance improvements using industry-standard verification protocols.
👍 This article will help you:
Edit project profile information, including baseline seed and performance periods
Understand the methodology Atrius uses to track energy and cost savings
Create custom dashboards for your projects
To access Projects, go to Apps in the side menu at left, then Projects.
Add a project
To add projects, select the 'Add a project' button.
The Projects table displays all the projects at your organization. Total savings opportunity shows the estimated cost savings of all projects in the current table view, while Savings implemented so far shows the calculated cost savings of all projects in the current table view that are 'In progress' or 'Completed'.
Above: Table of all projects in the organization. To view or edit a project, select its name in the table, or select the dropdown menu on the right side of the table, then select 'View project' or 'Edit project'.
The status of each project corresponds to where “now” is relative to the project period:
Project Period | Status |
Pre-seed | To do |
Baseline seed | To do |
Implementation | In progress |
Performance | In progress |
Post-performance | Completed |
📘 How is savings calculated before and after implementation?
When the performance period is in effect, the estimated values you provide for 'Estimated annual resource savings' and 'Estimated payback period' on a project's Profile are overridden by actual, calculated values, based on the points and baselines associated with the project.
By providing estimated values early on, the Projects table can be used to prioritize yet-to-be-implemented opportunities. After those opportunities have become active projects, with statuses of 'In progress' or 'Completed', Atrius provides more accurate savings estimates than your original estimates. Your original estimates may still be viewed in the Project Profile card, for reference.
Dashboards
A standard dashboard is automatically generated by Atrius for each project. Any number of custom dashboards may also be added to a project.
There are two ways to add a custom dashboard to a project:
Go to the Dashboards tab in a project. Go to the Dashboard dropdown menu, then select 'Add a dashboard'.
Go to Dashboards. In the Actions menu, select Dashboard settings. For Scope, select 'Project', then select a building and a corresponding project in that building. This will allow the dashboard to appear on the Dashboards tab of the project.
Above: Dashboard dropdown menu for a project.
A project's standard dashboard can serve as a useful starting place for creating your own custom dashboard. In the Actions menu, select Duplicate dashboard. Modify the dashboard to suit your requirements, then in the Actions menu, select Dashboard settings. For Scope, select 'Project', then select the appropriate building and project where the dashboard should reside.
Profile
A project includes a mandatory baseline seed period, implementation period, and performance period as well as optional cost and project detail information. By furnishing estimated cost, savings, and payback information, the Projects table can be used to keep track of the full cost of implemented projects and prioritize yet-to-be-implemented opportunities.
Project Details
Field | Description |
Project name | The project's name. Each name should be easily distinguishable from other projects. |
Project photo (optional) | The project's profile photo. At least 500x500 pixels is recommended. |
Project description (optional) | The project's description, or other notes for this project. |
Time
Field | Description |
Baseline seed period | The period used to train, or "seed", the baseline data model. In general, select the longest time period possible. This period must precede implementation period. |
Implementation period | The period over which improvements are implemented. |
Performance period | The period over which performance is assessed and savings is measured. This period must not overlap with implementation period or baseline seed period, and may extend into the future. |
Cost
Field | Description |
Estimated annual resource savings | The estimated annual resource savings for this project. Once a project is in progress, estimated annual resource savings will be calculated based on project performance. |
Estimated annual maintenance cost avoided (optional) | The estimated annual maintenance cost avoided for this project. |
Implementation cost (optional) | The implementation cost for this project. |
Estimated payback (optional) | The estimated payback (in years) for this project. Once a project is in progress, payback period will be calculated based on project performance. |
Points
A project includes one or more points from a building. To add points to a project, select the 'Add a point' button.
If an appropriate pricing schedule does not exist for a point, add a new pricing schedule in Utility Prices.
🚧 Important
Projects supports the following point types only: compost, cooling, domestic water, electricity, heating, hot water, irrigation, natural gas, recycling, sewer, steam, waste, and water.
Points require at least 12 months of baseline seed period data. In general, the longer the baseline seed period, the better the baseline model.
Baselines
A baseline is an ongoing data set that reflects predicted consumption based on historic usage and external variables. Baselines are created automatically when a point is added to a project.
Projects uses the industry-standard International Performance Measurement & Verification Protocol (IPMVP) Option C to track energy and cost savings. Because weather, occupancy, and other variables have a significant impact on how much energy a building uses, a regression model is required to accurately conduct measurement and verification.
Methodology
To generate a baseline, historical consumption, weather, occupancy, and calendar data are run through a statistical algorithm, such as Ordinary Least Squares or a Ridge Regression. This process generates a model, which is a specific equation used to generate baseline readings. Once the model is created from the baseline's seed period data, new readings for consumption, weather, and occupancy are run through the model to generate the baseline reading, which represents expected use given the current state of the various inputs.
Finally, once baseline data are generated, the data are run through the Utility Prices engine, which returns cost and savings estimates based on the pricing schedule assigned to each point in the project.
(baseline consumption) x (performance period cost)/(performance period consumption)
Baseline settings
To edit baseline settings, select the dropdown menu on the right side of the table, then select 'Edit baseline'.
The following fields may be edited for a baseline:
Field | Description |
Variables | By default, the Baselines engine chooses variables based on the project's baseline seed period. Select one or more variables to modify the baseline: |
Resolution | Select a resolution: Quarter-hour, Hour, Day, or Month. |
Algorithm | Select a statistical algorithm. The algorithm processes the seed period data to produce a baseline formula. This formula is then used to produce baseline readings. Ordinary Least Squares fits a line through the data by reducing the sum of squared residuals in the training set. Ridge Regression reduces the estimated effect size for a given input, which allows users to select more inputs without overfitting the model. |
When saved, Atrius will validate your selections and return an error if incompatible variables have been selected.
Files
To upload a file, drag and drop the file into the "upload" region, denoted by a gray box, or select 'Upload a file' to browse your computer for the file(s).
Troubleshooting
Problem | Solution |
My payback period isn't displaying. | Payback period displays after 90 days of performance period data has been recorded. This improves the accuracy of payback period estimates. |
My baseline status is “the model selected no variables”. | You likely need to select a longer baseline seed period or enter more historical data into Atrius. |
My actual energy use is higher than my baseline estimate. | Ensure that the baseline model has variables such as Temperature and Month, as these will normalize for weather and seasonal changes in the performance period. This also may indicate an issue with the retrofit or operational changes that have been made—they may not be generating the cost savings that they should be. |
I’m not sure if my baseline is accurate. | Baselines created by projects can be edited in the project's Baselines tab. You can change the variables, resolution, and algorithm of the default baseline if you know some variables to be more or less relevant to your building and point. Also, you can view project-created baselines at all supported resolutions in the Trend Analysis app, which is helpful for identifying relationships between variables and baseline outputs. |
I'm tracking a lighting retrofit in a building, and the savings are so small compared to total building use that it's hard to tell if the fluctuations in use are due to the retrofit or other factors. How can I get better accuracy? | The Projects app is based on IPMVP Option C, which is set up to track the impact of the retrofit on total building consumption. In some cases, especially in manufacturing facilities, total building use will dwarf the savings from a smaller retrofit. It is advised to either 1) sub-meter the system where the project is taking place, or 2) calculate project savings manually. |