M&V Guidelines: Measurement and Verification for Performance-Based Contracts Version 4.0

This document contains procedures and guidelines for quantifying the savings resulting from energy efficient equipment, water conservation, improved operation and maintenance, renewable energy, and cogeneration projects installed under performance-based contracts. For the purposes of this document, a performance-based contract means a contract in which a third party contractor (which may be an independent Energy Services Company [ESCO] or a utility provider) installs energy and water conservation equipment at a customer’s facility and guarantees or assures its level of performance and/or the resulting level of energy- and energyrelated cost savings. Common types of performance-based contracts include Energy Savings Performance Contracts (ESPC) and Utility Energy Service Contracts (UESC), the latter of which is a federal contracting vehicle in which energy services are provided through the serving utility.
In this document, the terms “ESPC” and “performance-based contract” are used interchangeably, as are the terms “ESCO,” “contractor,” and “utility.”

This document is intended for energy managers, procurement officers, and contractors involved in implementing such measures. It has two primary purposes.
 It serves as a reference document for specifying M&V methods and procedures.
 It is a resource for those developing project-specific M&V plans.
The procedures defined in this document are impartial, reliable, and repeatable and can be applied with consistency to projects throughout all geographic regions. While the focus here is on performance-based contracts, the procedures can be adapted to determine savings from conservation measures installed in any project, regardless of funding source