METRIX 4 UTILITY ACCOUNTING SOFTWARE

Metrix 4 is a regression analysis based utility accounting software application that POWERGEN uses to verify energy cost savings in customer electric bills attributable to installed XL Energy Systems.

Metrix 4 is widely accepted and used by energy managers, facility managers, property managers and energy consultants who need to track kW demand, kWh consumption and determine true energy cost savings and energy efficiencies attributed to Energy Conservation Measures (ECM) like the XL System.

Metrix 4 Cost Avoidance Accounting Method

Metrix 4 uses the “Cost Avoidance” accounting method to determine true cost savings in customer utility bills.  In other words, how much electricity would your facility have used in 2012 the "Baseline Year or Reference Year” when normalized to 2013 “Performance Year” conditions when the XL System was fully operational? 

Metrix 4 Provides Answers to Tough Questions

Obtaining capital funding for ECM projects can be difficult. So it’s important to show your capital expenditure was justified in terms of energy cost savings, increased efficiency and ROI.  Imagine your ECM performance period utility bills showed increased utility usage and cost, even though the ECM was reducing energy cost.  How do you resolve this conflict? 

 

Metrix 4 is used to answer such questions and many more in order to prove the true cost savings of an ECM like the XL System, including:

 

  • Is our energy conservation program really saving the amount of money we expected?
  • How did weather and production volume impact our energy savings this year? Did we achieve our energy savings goal?
  • Should we keep our current electricity rate plan or should we switch to the new provider’s proposed rate plan? 
  • How much will our installed ECM reduce energy cost by if we expand production by a new 3rd shift? Will this non-peak 3rd shift help our facility load factor or hurt it?

Metrix 4 Normalizes Electric Bills

POWERGEN uses Metrix 4 to normalize billing variables and verify true cost savings for installed XL Systems. Metrix 4 normalizes many energy impacting variables simultaneously then relates them together using regression analysis and other statistical analysis. Typical variables to be normalized when comparing historical baseline electric bills to ECM performance period electric bills in commercial and industrial facilities include:

 

  • # of days in billing period
  • Electric rate structures and tariffs
  • Production volume
  • Downtime
  • Occupancy
  • Weather

 

Other variables that can be normalized if known can include facility size (sqft) due to facility expansion or shrinkage, facility load (Amps) due to equipment adds, deducts and upgrades and/or installation of other ECMs like lighting upgrades, load shedding schedules, VFD’s, harmonic filters, etc.